The Energy Non-Crisis & aother news from IRAN

Yes, no, may be! Here we go again. Humanist diplomacy is back at work and, if the current signs are correct, quite a few simpletons are tempted to fall for it again. Iran and Israel Build Up Their Bluffing Game When governments undertake grand gestures in the full glare of public attention, the only thing you can be sure of is that they do not mean what they appear to mean. That's a useful rule of thumb to apply to any exercise in public diplomacy but it's especially helpful when trying to fathom the volatile politics of the Middle East. more By Times Online Israel 'Base' in Iraq Israeli warplanes have been flying over Iraq and landing at US bases there in preparation for an attack on Iran, Israeli media reported yesterday. more By New York Post

By Amir Taheri >Read The Article

Coming to a City Near You? America and Israel often hint at military action to stop Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons programme. The latest rumblings, however, may be more serious. The atmosphere has been charged by a combination of factors: Iran’s expanding uranium-enrichment programme, faltering diplomatic efforts to halt it, a dying American administration and a nervous Israel. Throw in the latest war games by Israel, America and Iran—and Iran’s apparent rejection of the latest international incentives to halt its nuclear work—and some reckon the sparks could soon fly. more By The Economist

Silent No More Nine years ago, Ahmad Batebi appeared on the cover of The Economist. He was a 21-year-old student, one of thousands who protested against Iran’s government that summer. He was photographed holding aloft a T-shirt bespattered with the blood of a fellow protester. Soon afterwards, he was arrested and shown our issue of July 17th 1999. “With this”, he was told, “you have signed your death warrant.” more By The Economist

Barak to US: Time Running Out on Iran In a series of consultations apparently aimed at coordinating policies against the Iranian nuclear threat, Defense Minister Ehud Barak will head to the US on Monday for talks at the Pentagon, days after Mossad chief Meir Dagan was in Washington for meetings with key intelligence officials. Sources say Israel is urgently trying to convince the US that Iran is closer to passing the nuclear threshold than Washington believes. more By The Jerusalem Post

Iran Fires More Missiles Iran has test-fired medium and long-range missiles in the Persian Gulf for a second day. Today's missiles were reported to have "special capabilities" and they were launched throughout the night. more By Independent

Iran Missile Photo Faked NEW YORK -- An Iranian photograph showing a cluster of missile launches was apparently altered to add a fourth missile lifting off from a desert range, a defense analyst said Thursday. more By The Associated Press

Hopefuls Spar Over Missile Test by Tehran The presidential hopefuls Wednesday both voiced concern about Iran's missile test but displayed how they'd address international events differently. more By The Washington Times

Rice: Iran Missile Test Shows Threat Not Imaginary SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Iran's latest missile test shows the threat posed by the Islamic republic isn't imaginary, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here Wednesday. "It's evidence that the missile threat is not an imaginary one," Rice told journalists at a news conference in the Bulgarian capital when asked about Iran's latest test of its Shahab-3 missile. more By AFP

Total Steps Back from Investing in Iran Iran has lost the last major western energy group that had been considering making a significant investment to develop the country’s huge gas reserves in a victory for Washington’s efforts to isolate Tehran over its nuclear ambitions. more By The Financial Times