Iran to Deliver 'Punch' to Stun West

[TripleDigitRide]

Should this be of any real concern? It doesn't appear to be getting nearly as much press as I thought it would.

Khamenei: Iran Set to Deliver 'Punch' to Stun West on Anniversary - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a "punch" that will stun world powers during this week's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, AFP reported.

"The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman, February 11, in a way that will leave them stunned," Khamenei, who is also Iran's commander-in-chief, told a gathering of air force personnel according to AFP.

The country's top cleric was marking the occasion when Iran's air force gave its support to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a key event which led to the toppling of the U.S.-backed shah on February 11, 1979.

His reported comments came as Iran said it would begin to produce higher enriched uranium from Tuesday, in defiance of Western powers trying to ensure the country's nuclear drive is peaceful.

This year's anniversary is expected to become a flashpoint between security forces and supporters of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who charge that the June re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged.

Opposition supporters are expected to stage anti-government protests on Thursday when the traditional regime-sponsored marches to mark the revolution take place across the country.

Mousavi renewed his call for demonstrations on the February 11 anniversary.

Just over a week ago, he and Karroubi had implicitly called for a gathering of their supporters.

"The 22nd of Bahman is upon us, truly it should be called the day of gathering," Mousavi said on his Kaleme.org website Monday, according to AFP.

"I feel we have to participate while maintaining the collective spirit as well as our identity and leave an impression," Mousavi said.

"Anger and bitterness should not take our control away.

"The clerics should know that since imprisonment, beatings, and other confrontational methods are done in the name of Islam and the Islamic regime, it is hurting Islam and we all should try to stop," he added.

Anti-government protests were first triggered after the June 12 presidential election won by Ahmadinejad.

Over the past eight months, several thousand people were arrested. Some were released and others were given hefty prison terms, among them politicians, journalists and human rights activists.

Two protesters were tried, convicted and hanged in the aftermath of the election.

Khamenei told the air force personnel the "most important aim of the sedition after the election was to create a rift within the Iranian nation, but it was unable to do so and our nation's unity remained a thorn in its eyes.

[Guest Muttling]

It's more of their spew. They announced last week that they were going to start enriching uranium and that it will be observed by U.N. inspectors on a more low key setting.

It's not a punch, just more of their same old crap of continuing on the path to develop nukes. This news release was aimed at their own people and meant to show defiance of the west, it has little to do with us.

It's going to be impossible to stop them unilatterally. With Russia building nuke facilities for them, Russia selling them an advanced air defense system (which still hasn't been delivered), and the French giving them UAV technology....there's not much we can really other than slow it down. Fortunately, the Russians and the French seem to be having second thoughts. (Our only hope.)

They are very much like North Korea. As with NK, the REALLY scarey part is the aspect that the media tends to ignore. NK and Iran have some of the most advanced biological as well as chemical weapons programs in the world along with special operations teams trained in the delivery of these agents. A war with either would turn very nasty, very quickly.

[G27]

Interestingly, both Ahmadinejad and the Khamenei have pinpointed 02.11 as a date something 'shocking' will happen. I expect that from Ahmadeniejad, but that's not typical of the Khamenei.

Guess well see...

[Garufa]

This gives me something to look forward to on Thursday.

[Guest Ghostrider]

click... boom... repeat...

[Guest mikedwood]

I thought Iran deserved the bomb 30 years ago, I feel even more so today. There is no telling what stupid or ridiculous trick they will pull. But it doesn't worry me a bit.

[Guest bkelm18]

[brooksjr]

Didn't North Korea say something about the 11th as well? I'm pretty sure I read something about it on a different forum but may have confused countries. They're all crazy as hell anyway.

[TGO David]

Pre-emptive strike by the US and Israel on Feb 10th?

[Mark@Sea]

Well, bombing the norks back to the stone age would take what, a pack of firecrackers?

Iran is a tougher nut. Good people, for the most part, ruled by real jackals. I think the whole '11th' threat has more to do with internal politics than it does any actual threats. The jackals are looking to get stomped pretty soon.

[Bocephus]

Iran will reveal that aliens have given them a super weapon capable of destroying any country withthe simple push of a button.

[Metalhead]

What, that they have been sneaking in Japanese engineers and they have made the worlds first fully functional Gundam?

[Guest Swamprunner]

Glass parking lot. The End.

[leroy]

Iran will reveal that aliens have given them a super weapon capable of destroying any country withthe simple push of a button.

I like it!!!

Keep up the good work.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[E4 No More]

Glass parking lot. The End.

That wouldn't really make me shed a tear as long as it's targeted and not killing millions of civilians. I think the Iranian people are getting to the point that they want change too, and I think they should be helped in that endeavor.

[creeky]

Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a "punch" that will stun world powers during this week's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, AFP reported.

I'm thinking... "Iranian Idol".

That or they are coming out with an Iranian version of "The Office". Either would be shocking to all western civilizations and (in my opinion) worthy of retaliatory strikes.

Some things just can't be permitted in a civil society.

[Guest HexHead]

That wouldn't really make me shed a tear as long as it's targeted and not killing millions of civilians. I think the Iranian people are getting to the point that they want change too, and I think they should be helped in that endeavor.

Seriously, who gives a ****?

[E4 No More]

Seriously, who gives a ****?

Obviously, I do.

I suppose you don't care about how many innocents you kill, but I wonder how you feel when you're treated the same?

[Guest GT_Rat]

I don't know about you all, but on 2/11 I'm not drinking any punch. :shrug:

[Guest SUNTZU]

I'm filling up the truck with gas because the prices will probably skyrocket. If not, I can always use the fuel.

[SkunkSlayer]

Glass parking lot. The End.

+1 instant global warming

Edited February 10, 2010 by SkunkSlayer

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Obviously, I do.

I suppose you don't care about how many innocents you kill, but I wonder how you feel when you're treated the same?

I care, too, but some things can't be helped. When it's us or them, it will be them. Our current leadership has

already made too many mistakes on foreign policy.

Whatever Iran does they will lead the dance but they won't be the last one standing.

[E4 No More]

I care, too, but some things can't be helped. When it's us or them, it will be them. Our current leadership has

already made too many mistakes on foreign policy.

Whatever Iran does they will lead the dance but they won't be the last one standing.

Targeting their leadership, (the real one), as well as the Republican Guard and their version or the Gestapo would be far more effective than turning the place to a sea of glass. Don't think Russia wouldn't react to the latter.

[BrasilNuts]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declares Iran a 'nuclear state' - Times Online

President Ahmadinejad declared Iran a “nuclear state†today, saying that scientists had produced the first batch of highly enriched uranium, a leap towards the production of weapons-grade fuel.

Mr Ahmadinejad told crowds of cheering supporters that Iran was capable of going all the way to weapons grade but would not do so because “we do not believe in manufacturing a bombâ€. “When we say we do not manufacture the bomb, we mean it, and we do not believe in manufacturing a bomb,†he proclaimed. “If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it.â€

Iranian scientists began work on Tuesday to convert existing 3.5 per cent enriched uranium stocks to the higher 20 per cent level, sparking global condemnation and a renewed push for a vote on United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Tehran claims that the higher grade is needed to fuel a research reactor producing medical isotopes, although that has been dismissed by experts who note that Iran lacks the technology to make the fuel rods it requires for that purpose.

Western governments and even Russia, Iran’s long-time ally, warned that the move raised serious doubts about the Iranian nuclear programme.

David Albright, the director of the Institute for Science and International Security, said that scientists could have produced only a “tiny amount†of the higher enriched uranium in the two days since production began.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported that the Iranians had only one cascade of centrifuges in their Natanz enrichment plant capable of enriching up to 20 per cent.

The report said Iran has informed the UN nuclear watchdog that it intended to enrich only a small amount of uranium to 20 per cent purity — about 10kg. More than 1,500kg of low enriched uranium would be needed to yield enough fuel for a nuclear bomb.

Mr Ahmadinejad questioned the international furore surrounding Iran’s move. “Why do they think that 20 per cent is such a big deal?†he asked.

“Right now in Natanz we have the capability to enrich at over 20 per cent and at over 80 per cent, but because we don’t need it, we won’t do it.â€

Foreign governments contend that Iran does not need to enrich at all and certainly not to 20 per cent, far above the level required for reactor fuel. Iran has been ordered to stop enrichment in five separate UN Security Council resolutions until it can disprove evidence of military intentions.

Western countries have long suspected that Iran’s alleged civilian nuclear programme is a cover for weapons development. Iran has only one reactor for energy production and fuel for that is supplied by its Russian manufacturers.

On Wednesday, the United States Treasury froze the assets of a key general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and those of four construction companies he runs that are alleged to be involved in building nuclear facilities.

The move gives a taste of the kind of sanctions under discussion for a Security Council vote, which Washington is pressing to table before the end of this month. Washington has already drawn up a list of potential sanctions targets, mostly companies and financial institutions controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, highlighting the extent of military control over Iran’s economy.

Britain and France have signalled their strong support for UN sanctions and Russia’s objections have fallen away in recent days. But Washington faces an uphill battle to win over China because of its massive economic interests in Iran. President Obama has played on fears of an Israeli attack on Iran and the disruption to trade with the Gulf that it would entail.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Targeting their leadership, (the real one), as well as the Republican Guard and their version or the Gestapo would be far more effective than turning the place to a sea of glass. Don't think Russia wouldn't react to the latter.

It would be but do you really think the hyenas running our country could

do that? That's putting too much faith in the Apologizer-in-Chief. There are

a lot of pissed off dissidents that may be ready to start a civil war, anyway.

If they ask for our help, I would want to help them. I'm wouldn't want to nuke the place, but I'll bet you Israel would before long. I don't know what Russia would do, but I doubt they would get involved.

There's been way too much hype in nuclear armageddon for way too many years. I doubt if one or two go off, the world would be incinerated if it happened. Putin's not that stupid. Obama, well, clueless is a better word for him.