United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Daily said Iraq's Nahrainnet news network cited "informed sources close to Iraq's Defense Ministry" saying that increased activity at "U.S. airbases in Nasiriya southeast of Baghdad and Haditha" over the past month is believed to be part of "a joint Israeli-U.S. training, preparation, and coordination to launch an air raid against Iran's nuclear plants," adding that "some aircraft suspected to be Israeli warplanes coming from Jordan, have landed in the U.S. controlled al-Assad airbase near Haditha."[1] -- The Jerusalem Post reported a denial of this by Iraq's Ministry of Defense and the IDF.[2] -- The paper noted that Israeli jets at the American bases would only be "five minutes" from Bushehr. -- "The U.S. military did not comment on the report," AFP noted.[3] -- AP reported new ominous remarks by Israel Defense Minister (and former Prime Minister) Ehud Barak at a Labor Party meeting on Thursday.[4] -- Gold and oil prices rose sharply on the news. -- Rami Khouri of the Beirut Daily Star tried to sum it all up in a column on Saturday as "a display of classic statecraft: fighting and threatening while simultaneously sending signals of a desire to negotiate and make a deal. We are witnessing three simultaneous, important developments: the two loose camps linked to the U.S. and Iran have recognized that their respective power is limited, that the other side will fight back fiercely, and that they are, in fact, roughly evenly matched on the ground throughout the Middle East. So, they both have to behave like normal countries for a change, fighting and talking at the same time."[5] -- At Friday prayers, the Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a member of the Expediency Council, said that "Iran is ready for negotiation," the Los Angeles Times reported.[6] ...

The U.S. has allowed Israeli jets to use U.S. airbases and fly over Iraqi air space for a likely attack against Iran, Iraqi media say. It is more than a month that some Israeli planes belonging to Israeli air force use the U.S. military bases in Iraq to land and take off, Iraqi Nahrainnet news network said Wednesday, quoting informed sources close to Iraq's Defense Ministry.

The activities and traffic of warplanes -- especially at nights -- has lately increased in the U.S. airbases in Nasiriya southeast of Baghdad and Haditha a city in the western Iraq province of Al Anbar, the Iraqi residents and sources said.

They said the U.S. fighters, cargo planes, helicopters, and unmanned planes have intensified their flights in the last three weeks.

The U.S. military officials have imposed severe security measures around the bases, they said.

They said some aircraft suspected to be Israeli warplanes coming from Jordan, have landed in the U.S. controlled al-Assad airbase near Haditha.

It is believed that these activities are parts of a joint Israeli-U.S. training, preparation, and coordination to launch an air raid against Iran's nuclear plants.

Israel has conducted a military drill under the supervision of top U.S. military commanders over the Mediterranean Sea from May 28 to June 12, using more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters, along with helicopters and refueling tanks which many consider as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iraq denied on Friday reports claiming the Israeli Air Force has been practicing for a possible attack against Iran in its airspace.

"As the Ministry of Defense, we haven't observed any IAF warplanes practicing in Iraqi airspace," said Major-General Mohammad al-Askari, spokesman for the Iraqi Defense Ministry.

On Friday, sources in the Iraqi Defense Ministry told a local news network that Israel Air Force (IAF) war planes are practicing in Iraqi airspace and land on U.S. airbases in the country as a preparation for a potential strike on Iran.

The report, which was also carried by Iranian news outlets, claimed that recently massive IAF overnight presence was detected in several American held airbases.

According to the sources, former military officers in the Anbar province said IAF jets arrive during the night from Jordanian airspace, enter Iraq's airspace and land on a runway near the city of Hadita. The sources estimated the jets were practicing for a raid on Iran's nuclear sites.

The sources also said the American bases in Iraq might serve as a platform for the IAF from which to attack Iran. If Israeli warplanes will take off from Iraq, they can reach Bushehr in five minutes -- a "record time," the sources said.

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi website has claimed that Israeli warplanes have been using Iraqi airspace to practice for possible bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

Nahrainnet.com, quoting unnamed sources in the Iraqi defence ministry, said that for the past month Israel has been using U.S. bases in Iraq to conduct overflights.

Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari dismissed the report on Friday.

"We have no information about Israeli jets using Iraqi airspace for rehearsals," he told AFP.

In Jerusalem, meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesman told AFP he was aware of the report and said, "I have no information on this."

Nahrainnet.com, a news portal, said the defence ministry sources were told by retired army officers that Israeli jets had been entering Iraqi airspace from Jordan and landing at an airport in Haditha in the western province of Anbar.

The report said its sources estimated that should the Israeli jets take off from the American bases in Iraq it would take them no more than five minutes to reach Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr.

** Israel hints at readiness to strike Iran, saying it has defended security interests in past **

Israel's defense minister hinted Thursday that Israel was ready to attack Iran's nuclear program, saying it didn't balk before "when its vital security interests" were at stake.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak's allusion to Israel's 1981 airstrike on an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor came at a time of intensified tensions between Israel and its archenemy, Iran.

Tehran launched war games and tests of a long-range missile this week after saying Tel Aviv would be "set on fire" if Israel were to attack Iran.

"Israel is the strongest country in the region and has proved in the past that it doesn't hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake," Barak told a meeting of his Labor Party.

But he quickly tempered his remarks, noting that "the reactions of enemies . . . need to be taken into consideration as well."

Earlier in the day, Israel put its latest spy plane on display, in what defense officials said was a show of strength in response to Iran's war games and missile tests.

Israel is convinced Iran is building nuclear weapons, despite Tehran's insistence that it is developing energy. Israel's fears about Iran have only been heightened by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls for the Jewish state's destruction. [NOTE: There have been no such "repeated calls."

—R.T.] Iran has long warned it would strike back for any attack against it. But it has sharpened its rhetoric since Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean in June for a large military exercise that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

This week's missile tests made a dramatic show of Tehran's readiness to strike back in the event of a U.S. or Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities.

Among the missiles Iran said it tested was a new version of the Shahab-3, which has a range of 1,250 miles and is armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead. The missile puts Israel, Turkey, Pakistan, and the Arabian peninsula within striking distance.

Israeli defense officials have said there were no major surprises in the latest Iranian missile tests. The officials said they appeared to be more of an exercise in psychological warfare than a breakthrough in military technology.

In another act of muscle-flexing, Israel displayed its new spy plane Thursday at the headquarters of state-run Israel Aerospace Industries.

Israel unveiled the plane last year and will exhibit it at the Farnborough air show in England next week. Israeli defense officials said the aircraft went on display at IAI headquarters in response to the Iranian war games.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss military tactics.

IAI spokesman Assaf Dargan said the plane "has the most sophisticated early warning and intelligence devices to date and is capable of reaching all destinations required by the air force." He declined to elaborate, citing security considerations.

If the tensions in the Middle East between the American-Israeli-led side and the Iranian-Syrian-led side were a baseball game, this would be the fourth inning of a regulation nine-inning game. The players are warmed up, they have had a good look at each other's strengths and weaknesses, and they are now prepared to get to the nitty-gritty of the contest.

The contest under way comprises multiple arenas and means that transcend the prevalent simplistic attempt in Washington to portray Iran as a "problem" that must be resolved. Things are much more complex, and some of the nuances of subtleties are emerging for the first time. In the past four weeks I have spent in Washington, I have heard people speak of Iran more than I have heard them speak of the local Nationals baseball team, because the Nationals are not playing well and the Iranians are. News coverage and discussions of the Iran-U.S. and Israel-Iran dynamics both shot up this week, due to the Iranian testing of medium- and long-range missiles.

Behind the bellicose talk of "will the U.S. and Israel attack Iran's nuclear facilities?" and "how will Iran retaliate if it is attacked?" a much more interesting game of feints, hints, and winks is taking place. Earlier this week, the Iranian president said there would be no war with the U.S. and Israel, the Iranian foreign minister said that Iran could consider the opening of a U.S. interests section in another embassy in Tehran, and senior advisers to supreme leader Ali Khamenei -- the real power in Iran -- made it clear that the latest offer from the major Western powers could be seen as the basis for discussions and pre-negotiations on the nuclear issue and other matters.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- the baseball equivalent of being out in left field -- said the U.S. would protect its allies and interests, while Iranian military officials said that they had their finger on the trigger at all times to protect their country.

What does all this add up to? I'd say it is a display of classic statecraft: fighting and threatening while simultaneously sending signals of a desire to negotiate and make a deal. We are witnessing three simultaneous, important developments: the two loose camps linked to the U.S. and Iran have recognized that their respective power is limited, that the other side will fight back fiercely, and that they are, in fact, roughly evenly matched on the ground throughout the Middle East. So, they both have to behave like normal countries for a change, fighting and talking at the same time.

An important step in this process was the testimony at a congressional hearing Wednesday by William Burns, the new under secretary for political affairs at the State Department. Speaking of the strategic "challenge" (he didn't use the word "threat") posed by Iran, Burns made some important points that should be appreciated in the Middle East.

Noting that Iran was isolated and without many friends (among governments, at least) that could offer "strategic reassurance, vital investment, or a secure future in a globalized world," Burns stated: "Our goal is to convince Iran to abandon any nuclear weapons ambitions, cease its support for terrorist and militant groups, and become a constructive partner in the region . . .

"We have made clear that we do not object to Iran playing an important role in the region, commensurate with its legitimate interests and capabilities, but also that Iran is far more likely to achieve its desired level of influence if it works with the international community and its neighbors, rather than if it works against them," he said. "The dual-track strategy to which we often refer in connection with the nuclear file, in fact, applies more broadly. Engaging in a diplomatic process on the broad range of issues at stake between our two states and working toward the restoration of Iran's relationship with the international community would offer clear benefits for Iran and the Iranian people . . .

"We should not let the Iranian leadership entrench itself on the false pretext that it is under threat from the outside. We have committed repeatedly and at the highest levels to deal diplomatically with the Iranian regime . . . As the recent presentation of yet another P5+1 [the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany] offer makes clear, we do not exclude engagement. We remain ready to talk to Tehran about its nuclear program and the array of other American concerns about Iranian policies, as well as to address any issues Iran chooses to raise in a diplomatic context. The Iranians are not completely closed off, and neither should the United States be. Careful consideration suggests that in certain contexts, we should have overlapping interests with Iran . . ."

There is not much new substance here, but a slightly revised style and tone. The traditionally arrogant American rhetoric has been toned down a touch. Washington seems more cognizant of Iran's reasonable desire to protect its legitimate national interests in the Middle East, and is willing to discuss issues that Iran brings to the table. Sounds to me like the players are warmed up and this game is just starting to get serious.

TEHRAN -- Just a day after the end of Iranian missile tests meant to scare away any potential Israeli or American attack on its nuclear facilities, a powerful Iranian cleric was all nicey-nice at Friday prayers about the continuing diplomatic negotiations over the country's atomic research and production program.

"Now it is high time for negotiation," Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a member of the influential Expediency Council, told worshipers gathered for prayers in downtown Tehran. "Iran is ready for negotiation. Europe is ready for negotiation."

He said the recent missile tests were meant to show Iranian strength, not hostility toward the West.

"The reality is that you, the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, ought to recognize the power of Iran," he told the faithful.

"In the past 30 years we have never been a threat to any country," he said. "On the contrary, you invaded Afghanistan, Iraq under the pretext of fighting terrorism. . . . We have no intention to wage war. We have no plan for nuclear weapons."

He had pointed words for the U.S. and Israel: "When you say 'Iran is a threat,' where is the threat? Your brain is mixed up. Your sentences are confused. We clearly have announced that we are brother to all the Islamic world. We have no war with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy. But Israel is different. It is a usurper regime. If Israel attacks, we counterattack."

And he all but cursed the Bush administration: "Thank God all of you are at the end of your careers. You U.S. officials are running a smear campaign. You are liars, spreading lies. You must know that if you dare to transgress us, if you attack us, we will give you a lesson which you will not forget."