Crossfire War – RAPID FIRE NEWS=MOSCOW – BERLIN – WASHINGTON WATCH – South Caucasus Theatre: Moscow – Berlin – Washington – Paris – Yerevan – Baku – Sukhumi – Tskhinvili/Tbilisi – Ankara – Tehran; Atomstroiexport Ships Limited Amount of Nuclear Fuel to Iran Nuclear Power Plant at Bushehr – Israel Air Force Practices Long Range Attacks Over Mediterranean and in Other Countries
Night Watch: MOSCOW – In order to maintain a semblance of good relations the Kremlin has agreed to end the long delay of shipping nuclear fuel to Iran’s nuclear power plant at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. The construction was begun in 1975 under the Shah of Iran through a contract with the German firm Siemens AS, but they terminated the contract with the Shah’s overthrow in 1979 and the institution of a radical Islamic government and its offensive foreign policy. Xinhua reports the Russian company directing the shipment, Atomstroiexport, has shipped 163 main and 17 reserve assemblies of U-235 enriched to 3.62 percent. Atomstroiexport states uranium would have to be enriched to at least eighty per cent in order to be used as a nuclear bomb or missile warhead. [XINHUA]
Bushehr – Bloomberg reports this is the first stage of several shipments scheduled to take place over two months and the nuclear reactor at Bushehr should become operational six months from now unless events dictate otherwise-war events the South Caucasus. Moscow/Ankara-Tehran have been competing as to who can control the resources of the Caspian-Caucasus region since the end of the Cold War in 1990. Moscow supports the two territories, which seceded from the Georgian government in Tbilisi, Abkhazia-South Ossetia, but first Russia had to concentrate on Islamic groups that attempted to control the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya-1994 then Dagestan-1999 and it was no secret the militants received financial-material support from Ankara-Tehran. That is the reason though Russia signed the contract to complete the Bushehr project in 1995 Moscow, and industrialists in the West that invest and finance Russia, prevented the project from being completed. [BLOOMBERG]
Their interests are now being represented by the Strategic Working Group co-chaired by former U. S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger and former Russia Premier Yevgeny Primakov that was formed after Kissinger’s arrival in Moscow in late April this year. With the war in the North Caucasus nearly over the fighting is about to extend further south to Turkey-Iran’s border because both Ankara-Tehran have increased their support for the Georgian government in its military standoff with Abkhazia (Sukhumi) – South Ossetia (Tskhinvili). Both of these republics are openly supported by Moscow, which is why Russia has been flying its strategic bombers since August under the direction of the Strategic Working Group. They know that in six months time the issue of who should control the access of raw materials in the region should be decided; therefore, some limited shipments of low-level enriched uranium can take place.
The West always knew it would be Russia leading the war effort against Iran in this theatre, the only region where Tehran can be confronted so directly, but since Iran has fewer disputes with Russia than with the West Tehran will not commit any forces directly against Russia. Iran will continue to supply and invest in Tbilisi’s military standoff and will acknowledge Moscow’s victory in 2008. Only then will Tehran enter into serious negotiations to end this war though the West will still have to confront in Southeast Europe the forces Iran committed there. Tehran’s primary foreign policy objective is to remove the West’s influence from affairs in West Asia.
Jerusalem – INN reports the Israel Air Force (IAF) has been conducting long-range attack maneuvers over the Mediterranean, in the U. S., Canada, Italy and other countries. This is obviously preparation for an attack on Iran. A senior IAF officer stated, “The IAF’s fighter jets need to train for missions against very distant targets like Iran, and therefore require operational ranges.” But with the vast number of missiles Tehran has supplied Hezbollah and Syria I would be surprised if the IAF has any time for missions against Iran. I suspect the first target of Hezbollah-Syria’s missiles are IAF bases. I hope Jerusalem is not under the illusion war against Tehran will not involve other Islamic groups and governments like Hamas-Hezbollah-Damascus-Beirut-Riyadh. I would not be surprised if the IAF’s longest raids are against Saudi Arabia. Concerning Iran, the IAF may have to concentrate on long-range interception of Iran’s air force if Tehran sends an air escort for its Rapid Deployment Force-Brigade into the immediate area. [INN]
The reason why I don’t think Israel or any ally can do much damage to Iran’s advanced weapons facilities is because they are subterranean and nuclear bomb proof, though Russia and the U. S. have developed conventional bombs more powerful than nuclear (Sept. 13, 2007). Iran’s underground bases were constructed by the San Francisco engineering concern whose London branch office was shown on CNN in February 1991 the day after the Gulf War ended with the coalition forces halted outside Baghdad letting Saddam Hussein remain there. The firm constructed underground bases for Saudi Arabia and Tehran wanted something similar, but first wanted damage done to Iraq’s military. The concern went through London to avoid Washington’s embargo. When the bases were completed Saddam was removed and the trap of Iraq begins, which is why Washington is now under the foreign policy myth Tehran ended its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that Israel can destroy it.
I am not surprised at Washington’s new intelligence finding to justify not attacking Iran. London-Washington lost their minds quite some time ago. Even before Tehran purchased their foreign policy decision making.
