PRESS RELEASE
Deafening Drumbeat for War against Iran
Nov. 10, 2011 (EIRNS)—At the G20 summit in Cannes, President Barack Obama went off on a tear against Iran, citing the new International Atomic Energy Association report on Iran's nuclear program as an opportunity to escalate. That report, released on Nov. 8, is expected to make charges against Teheran more explicit, but with no real substance to back them up. The purported "new details" are rather reminiscent of the infamous "yellow cake" and "mobile weapons labs" that were fraudulently used to make the case for war against Iraq.
In fact, the official report put out by the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate denies any nuclear threat coming from Iran. Nonetheless, beyond economic sanctions, plans for military action against Teheran were likely discussed among the same heads of state who illegally waged war on Libya and executed Qaddafi.
Great Britain, in any case, which played the key role in instigating the war against Iraq, is again in the forefront. According to an article posted on Nov. 2 by the London Guardian, the UK Ministry of Defense "believes the US may decide to fast-forward plans for targeted missile strikes at some key Iranian facilities. British officials say that if Washington presses ahead, it will seek, and receive, UK military help for any mission, despite some deep reservations within the coalition government."
More than help, London seems rather to be in the thick of the planning. Britain's chief of the Defense Staff, General Sir David Richards made a secret visit to Israel early November, for meetings with senior Israeli commanders. And Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrived in London on Nov. 2 for meetings with Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond and National Security Adviser Sir Peter Ricketts.
During Barak's visit, the Prime Minister's office issued a statement that Iran is no more than 12 months away (!) from having all the components needed for a nuclear bomb. As for Tony Blair, a strong advocate of preemptive war, including against Iran, he was meeting with President Obama behind closed doors at the White House on Nov. 1.
Playing into the buildup for war, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved sweeping new sanctions against Tehran on Nov. 2. One measure would bar access to the U.S. of any vessels that have visited ports of Iran, Syria or North Korea in the last two years. Another would make it illegal for any U.S. diplomat or military official to have any contact with an Iranian official or agent, unless the President informs Congress of such at least 15 days in advance. That basically makes diplomatic work impossible. Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul denounced the provisions as "a definite step toward a U.S. attack on Iran."
At the same time, Obama is conducting a huge military buildup in the Mideast and Indian Ocean. Besides bolstering the number of U.S. troops stationed in Kuwait, currently at 23,000, he is devising plans for increased naval presence in the Persian Gulf, added air and naval bases and ports of call, and enhanced military coordination with the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Iranian officials have made known that any attack would bring retaliatory measures against U.S., British and Israeli forces and bases in the region. The US now has some 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, 30,000 in Iraq and 27,000 in the Gulf countries. As Lyndon LaRouche has stressed, any such attack would immediately involve Russia, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq as well, and would escalate to world war proportions.
