Iran’s Quiet Military Build Up

Irans-military-drillThe Islamic Republic and the Ayatollahs have mastered a new tactic and strategy to achieve their ideological, geopolitical, hegemonic and strategic objectives: speak softly on the international arena, while quietly building up weapons and arm more militia groups.

While Iran’s state media outlets and Iranian officials had previously boasted about their military accomplishments, drone capabilities, nuclear technology, and power periodically, they have recently toned down their language and publicity. But does that mean the ruling Ayatollahs have given up on their nuclear ambitions to build a nuclear bomb and stopped their military operations and interference in other states?

In fact, a recent report reveals that the Islamic Republic continues to pursue the same geopolitical and strategic policies in order to achieve its objectives. According to a classified Pentagon assessment,

Iran has not substantively changed its national security and military strategies over the past year; however, Tehran has adjusted some of its tactics to achieve its enduring objectives. President Hasan Ruhani’s international message of moderation and pragmatism is intended to support these objectives: to preserve the Supreme Leader’s rule, counter Western influence, and establish Iran as the dominant regional power. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei remains unchallenged atop Iran’s power structure as both the political-spiritual guide and the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Those who believe that the Islamic Republic is going to change its fundamental ideological, military, strategic, and hegemonic ambitions, are fooling themselves and they are not cognizant of the major pillars upon which this Islamist regime is founded upon. More recently, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) has covertly, tremendously increased its political and military influence in several countries in the region including in Iraq and Syria. Iranian leaders have also intensified their ties with Hezbollah and ratcheted up their arms delivery to Hamas. In addition, the Iranian military is delivering weapons to Judea and Samaria in order to ensure “the annihilation of the Zionist regime.”

According to the classified Pentagon assessment, IRGC-QF has built up its capabilities to carry out a terrorist attack in foreign countries as well:

Iran’s covert activities appear to be continuing unabated in countries such as Syria and Iraq. Despite Iran’s public denials, for example, other information suggests Iran is increasingly involved, along with Lebanese Hizballah, in the Syria conflict. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) remains a key tool of Iran’s foreign policy and power projection, in Syria and beyond. IRGC-QF has continued efforts to improve its access within foreign countries and its ability to conduct terrorist attacks.

When it comes to Iran’s nuclear defiance, long-range missiles, and technological nuclear capabilities, Iran has not given up on its ambition to build a nuclear bomb,  even after the nuclear interim deal between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, plus Germany) was reached. Accordingly,

Iran continues to develop technological capabilities that could be applicable to nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, which could be adapted to deliver nuclear weapons, should Iran’s leadership decide to do so. On 24 November, 2013, Iran agreed to a Joint Plan of Action (JPA) with the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+ 1) that included enhanced monitoring of lran’ s nuclear facilities and a six-month halt to enrichment activities over 5 percent and further advances on the IR-40 Heavy Water Research Reactor. In public statements, some Iranian officials have minimized the JPA’s impact on the nuclear program.

In addition, while Iranian leaders and the Mullahs previously publicly threatened the world claiming that they would block or cause damage to the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s recent toning down of threats does not necessarily mean that the Ayatollah and ruling clerics have changed their strategy and goals.

The Strait of Hormuz is considered to be one of the most crucial strategic spots for global and international trade.  Approximately 20 percent of the world’s petroleum, and (nearly 35% of the total petroleum traded through sea), passes through the Strait. Any interference or military attacks on the Strait of Hormuz would skyrocket the price of oil and petroleum around the world, affecting the life of every citizen. The approximate price of a gallon of petrol in the gas stations ($4) can double or even climb to $10 a gallon.

Iranian leaders are increasing their abilities in “lethal symmetric and asymmetric weapon systems” as well as “anti-access and area denial (A2AD) capabilities” in order to strengthen control over the Strait of Hormuz. As the Pentagon assessment says,

Iran continues to develop its anti-access and area denial (A2AD) capabilities to control the Strait of Hormuz and its approaches. Tehran is quietly fielding increasingly lethal symmetric and asymmetric weapon systems, including more advanced naval mines, small but capable submarines, coastal defense cruise missile batteries, attack craft, and anti-ship ballistic missiles.

The Obama administration needs to act more decisively and quickly before it is too late. If the Islamic Republic continues to build up its military and nuclear capabilities quietly, covertly and without pressure from global powers, it will impose tremendous geopolitical, strategic and economic repercussions for the world. At that point, Iran would be like North Korea, but with the additional capabilities to impact the world economy negatively, as well as play a role in arming more terrorist groups in the region. While recent assessments show that the Ayatollahs are using a different tactic – speak softly, but build up larger weapons and nuclear capabilities covertly — the Obama administration appears to still be hesitant in taking a decisive and robust stance towards the Iranian regime.

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  • juvus

    “The Obama administration needs to act more decisively and quickly before it is too late. If the Islamic Republic continues to build up its military and nuclear capabilities quietly, covertly and without pressure from global powers, it will impose tremendous geopolitical, strategic and economic repercussions for the world”

    No world you didn’t read this wrong. The writer is actually is asking Obama to do something before iran can built a military to defend itself. It seems that the right to self defense does not apply to Iran. Iran has the right to remain defenseless while Saudi Arabia has the 4th largest military expenditure in the world and be surrounded by US airbases and well equipped armies.

    The fact that iran under great sanctions has managed to build a cruise missile is keeping this writer up at night.

    Why oh why iran can’t you be satisfied with camels and bow and arrows for defense? Why must you be so stubborn? Don’t you know we want to bomb you? Please stop being so difficult by spending money defending your country.

    • Bert

      It is good to be reminded that people like juvus still exist who support Iran and its goals to exterminate Israel, dominate the Middle East and wage war against America. Recall that Hitler too was only ‘defending’ Germany against their ‘evil’ enemies. Evil regimes always play the role of innocent victim to hide their plans to attack the real victims. And to oppose Iranian aggression is to be called an aggressor. Everything is turned upside down. Meanwhile Iran is a police state where any dissent is met with brutal execution.

      • juvus

        You know what country is also a police state. Egypt. When is Israel going to break diplomatic relation with them to stand on principle. Bahrain is on tear revoking citizenship to anyone that crosses the street wrong. When should we expect diplomatic relations with that country to stop. Let’s not forget Qatar. Our dear friend Qatar. A country built on slave labor. America just sold them 11 billion dollar worth of weapons. Isn’t Israel very afraid they might give them to Hamas?

        • Biff Henderson

          If I’m not mistaken Cyrus the Great wasn’t one of the savage rapists of the Death Cult of the “prophet.” He wasn’t under any obligation to destroy the People of the Book. That would be Mad Mo and the blind donkeys of the Din that have taken that show on the road. Why would you put forth the silly idea that Israel is under any obligation to repay a kindness to the Persians who had enslaved them given that what humanity it once had been capable of was poisoned by the ravings of desert pirate? Think things through before you post such prattle.

        • aspacia

          juvus,
          Iran is threatening genocide that is why they must be stopped.

    • JayWye

      Major error; “build a military “to defend itself””.
      Iran’s going a lot farther than plain defense. BEEN going a lot farther. Iran’s a major exporter of terrorism,all around the world.

      The major reason Saudis have the US presence there is the threat from Iran. BTW,several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Generals were captured by US troops in Iraq,during our war,they were guiding and instigating the opposition post-combat ops. Prolonging the resistance,….after their enemy Saddam was ousted. Iran also supplies IEDs and bomb components to Afghanistan Taliban,and explosives,bomb and rocket parts to Palestinians in Gaza. That’s over 1000 miles away from Iran,well away and Israel being no threat to Iran,until Iran threatened to nuke Israel.

      • RoseFlorida

        The main threat Iran presents to the region is political, not military. The Saudis and various other Sheikdoms and Kingdoms and Dictators the US supports want to continue to suppress their Shiite minorities and majorities, or just in general ignore the wishes of their citizens.

    • RoseFlorida

      Juvus – You are appealing to fairness, justice, consistency or an end to hypocrisy. But these play no role in international affairs. Never have, under any new or old order..

      In Saudi Arabia beheadings are a routine occurrence. ISIL beheads three westerners and it is described as evil incarnate and the bombings start. Saudi Arabia sends in troops to put down a rebellion in Bahrain by its Shiite majority. Not a word of condemnation, but if Iranians are sent to Bahrain it is another demonstration of why they have to be bombed.

      As I have said before, international affairs are run by the rules of organized crime.

      • Time Traveler

        All true, except that Saudi Arabia is a Wahabi Islamic country, a particularly fundamentalist and backward sect of Islam. This is the sect that gave birth to al Qaida and its ideology, and more recently the even nastier strain, ISIS.

  • Hard Little Machine

    It’s amazing what lifting sanctions and handing them $30 billion dollars can accomplish, isn’t it? All I want to know how soon will Obama move to Iran once his term is over here?

  • Sarfaraz

    Majid is an Iranian-American, of course he would speak language suitable to Americans.

    • Biff Henderson

      Do you have anything to contribute other than your incessant whining?

  • Erudite Mavin

    Iran is ISIS in uniforms.

    Iran has one agenda, and no different than the other Radical Islamics.

    Iran also out of expediency will side with a country or cause not fully

    to their agenda but uses it to move or influence others.

    There are the usual wishful thinker libertarians, the blame America first crowd who enable Iran such as Ron Paul who has stated Iran is not a threat and has a right to have nuclear weapons and continues to write and speak to this ignorance.

    Then you have his son Rand Paul in 2012 in the US Senate voted 90-1 on a non-binding resolution to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
    Voting against the resolution was Sen. Rand Paul, arguing that the bill was a de-facto declaration of war. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree

    • AM34

      Troll.

      • Erudite Mavin

        From your posting history, your trolling for the libertarian anti Israel, Pro Iran propaganda is telling

    • AM34

      Your start your comment using a meaningless argument: “Iran is ISIS in uniform”. Opening your mouth and throwing something is easy. What matters is saying something that has some value to it. One could say “Brazil is ISIS in uniform” or “The US is ISIS in uniform”. Your statement is not any better.

      Iran has not invaded any country in the past 200 years. Iran withstood Taliban and Saddam who were both supported by the US. (If you don’t know go read some history).

      In the recent history, the US supported several terrorist groups just because they opposed Bashar Assad. They made the same mistake as in the case of Taliban and Saddam Hussein; they supported a fanatic just because it was as war with an adversary.

      Those terrorists gradually turned to ISIS. Many ISIS militant are trained by the US before they join ISIS. ISIS is using US made weapons in the battlefield. Iran has been the stabilizing force in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Iran was the first country to help the Kurds, the Iraqi government and the Syrian government to fight ISIS.

      The US, on the other hand has an impossible goal. Weakening Assad and ISIS at the same time. Let me tell you; that wouldn’t work and the s**t we are seeing now in the middle east is the direct result of US intervention.

      Iran is an old nation that has consistently controlled the safe side of the middle east in the history. Trying to hurt Iran is trying to remove the column that hold the roof of the middle east. If you hurt the column, it will fall on your head. If you are not smart enough (IQ<65), you won't understand why it fell on your head. You just cry and try to further hurt the column.

      • Erudite Mavin

        You have posted the Ron Paul propaganda, the same that can be seen on his site.
        I will give you a pass by one not knowing the facts and just following the blame America and Israel crowd

        • AM34

          What I gave you were real established facts. You didn’t give any historical facts for your purpose. However, you are free to believe whatever you want! I just warn you that acting based on false information has negative consequences.

          • Erudite Mavin

            I have followed what Iran has been doing for over 40 years.

            You obviously have no reality of just the past 40 years or

            you would not post your PaulBOt propaganda.

            You claim, Iran has not invaded other countries.

            You obviously have not followed Iran’s Proxy Wars, using, arming other Countries and or Radical Islamic groups to fight their wars for them, to forward their agenda.

            I also remember when Iran captured Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens and inprisoned and held hostage for 444 days Nov 1979 to Jan 1980.
            Since you have little to no background in current affairs and recent history, giving more background is useless. Your attachment to the Ron Paul cult leaves you uninformed.

          • AM34

            Iran — like any other reasonable country — tries to forward their agenda. Meanwhile during the past 50 years the US has fully invaded three different countries and has performed “proxy war” in over 30 countries.

            Regarding arming radical groups, Taliban, Alghaeda, and Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq WERE ARMED BY THE US. Do you understand? The US funded Alghaeda and Taliban in the 80′s and is now funding Islamist rebels in Syria. Now you are complaining that Iran has funded Islamists??

            I remember the 52 US hostages. I also remember the 290 Iranian civilians who were flying over Iranian waters in an airliners that were shot down by the US navy. Compare 52 hostages for 1.5 years with 290 murdered civilians.

            I don’t remember because I was not born then, but the US staged a coup in Iran in 1953 because Iran refused to give it’s oil to the west for free. The US shut down Iran’s parliament and installed a dictator. For your information, when that US embassy was taken over, it was found that the majority of the job was illegal spying and forging documents. What snowden has revealed recently were known in Iran for 35 years!

            FYI, I don’t know ron paul and I don’t care who he is.

          • Erudite Mavin

            You just dream on.

          • aspacia

            It was Operation Ajax because Iran’s president was going to nationalize Iran’s oil industry, basically stealing these businesses from the U.S. similar to what Chavez did in Venezuela.

          • AM34

            After years of the US and Britain stealing Iran’s oil for free, Iranians stopped this armed robbery.

            Now you are saying Iran has stolen its oil industry from the US?

            You are free to think with this logic. Anybody else would be free too. The one would say the US oil belongs to Iran and US is stealing it’s oil from Iran until it hands it’s oil in Gulf of mexico to Iran!!!

          • JayWye

            “stealing Iran’s oil for free”,what a bunch of baloney. First,Iran couldn’t develop their oil on their own,second,they had no use for it themselves,third,we employed many Iranians to find,drill and produce their oil,for which they were paid. Then Iran seized (nationalized) the infrastructure the US paid for and built,with no reimbursement. that IS Theft.

          • AM34

            1- Ancient Iranians and Mesopotamians have consistently extracted and used oil since at least 1500 B.C. . Go educate yourself by reading this wikipedia article: History of Petrochemical Industry.

            2- We have used oil as a fuel, for construction (asphalt) and to seal our ships. That was when original Americans (those who you refer to as Indians) used to run after Buffaloes and ancient Northern Europeans used to run after Mammoths. We used to export our oil to the Greek and later to Romans as they were more civilized than the blue eyed Europeans.

            3- Americans stole 20 times more oil than they made infrastructure. They also didn’t REIMBURSE the oil they had stolen. It must have been a good business back then! That was not the single instance of the US robbery. Americans froze about 5B$ 35 years ago that motivated Iranian students to take hostages. Right now they are robbing any bank in Europe that works with Iran by bullying the poor banks.

          • aspacia

            wiki is not considered a valid source.

          • paul

            back in those days, the Greeks and Romans were blue eyed Europeans you ignoramus! it’s only over the last two thousand years that they now resemble the filthy, third world, middle eastern wogs!

          • aspacia

            Britain and the U.S.A. built the oil plants, just as the U.S.A. built oil plants in Venezuela and the governments of both lands confiscated these facilities even after both lands were compensated for the oil and land rents.

          • AM34

            Iran was never compensated for the stolen oil. This is a big lie. The US, instead, sanctioned Iran and blocked Iran’t money. The US still owes multiple Bn$ to Iran since tens of years ago.

          • aspacia

            Iran is a bad actor to be sure, but the U.S. overthrew Iran’s elected lead and installed the Shah. Read Operation Ajax for the details.

          • AM34

            “Iran is a bad actor” through US media I agree. But not in reality.

          • aspacia

            Remember the peaceful protests a few years ago. Now, how many Iranian protesters were slaughtered, raped and tortured?

          • AM34

            Less than 100 people died in Iran in a period of a year as a result of the protests.

            In contrast Every week over 100 people are murdered in the US! Plust the US murders 10s of innocent people with drones. Just last month Israel killed 500 kids by bombs and you don’t complain about that!

          • aspacia

            No, I do not complain about Arab deaths because Arabs targeted Israeli day care centers, schools, public shopping centers. This may have occurred prior to your birth, but has happened numerous times. More recently most of the Foley family and Yesheda students were murdered.

          • AM34

            The amount of inconsistencies in your narrative is exceptional.

            Arabs have inaccurate rockets but they targeted schools but they killed zero kids in schools.

            Israel has accurate rockets to make sure civilians are not killed, but it attacked civilians who sheltered at UN schools but Israel didn’t mean to kill civilians but it killed 500 kids.

            Use your gray brain cells to see contradictions in this narrative!

          • aspacia

            Arab/Muslims have been targeting Israeli and all Jewish children long before 1948 and did not use rockets until after the Security Wall was built. Read some PMW to understand why Muslims do this and their children are hateful. .

            Exactly how am I inconsistent.

            The Hamas children had perished because Hamas uses them as human shields. Watch the documentations of Operation Protective Edge.

  • http://www.twitter.com/changeirannow ChangeIranNow

    I’m not sure how quiet Iran has been about its military prowess. Already this year its boasted of developing a new drone based on a US version that was shot down. It claimed to have built a mock up of a US aircraft carrier. It boasted of advances in its missile program. It flexed its cyber warfare muscle with attacks this year of US companies and government servers. It delivered an unprecedented number of rockets to Hamas to bombard Gaza this year. Even Supreme Leader Khamenei vowed in recent speeches to never give up its nuclear development program. The only thing missing from past Iranian boasts is Ahmadinejad smiling as he lovingly touches a missile.

    Iran’s military is alive and well and is actively fighting in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Gaza. Oddly enough, none of this is different from what Iran has done in the past and continues to do. If nothing else, Iran’s military involvements outside its borders has become so commonplace it generally engenders a shrug from most people. That is the most unfortunate and dangerous aspect of Iran’s activities. The fact that it is commonplace and destabilizing a region that is quickly spiraling into sectarian strife is what should be most concerning to Washington policy makers and the Obama administration.

    • RoseFlorida

      A region that has so many dictatorships, sheikdoms, kingdoms and other governments that oppress their minority or majority citizens and grab revenue for a select few is inherently unstable. By working to preserve these regimes the US is the premier destabilizing influence.

  • JayWye

    Iran has also done assassinations in several Western nations. they have a nasty rep for going after and murdering Iranian dissidents who fled Iran.
    Plus,they couldn’t even live by the laws of nations and respect our Embassy in Iran,seizing and holding US Embassy people hostage for over a year. All they had to do was request we leave,and instead,they made WAR on the US. Now they whine about the consequences. They got off EASY,mainly thanks to wimpy Jimmy Carter.

    • RoseFlorida

      First of all the argument the Iranians would make regarding the US Embassy was that the US held the Iranian people hostage for many years with the evil Shah regime it installed and supported. Second, during the Iran revolution the leaders found they basically lost control of events – young hotheads presented them with the occupation and they had to adapt to it. Third, the occupation of the US Embassy and its consequences are discussed in Iran and there are participants in the event who now admit that it was a major error that hurt Iran and the objectives of the new government. Maybe they got off easy, but then again, maybe the US got off easy for the Shah. We could use more Nelson Mandelas in the region.

  • JayWye

    LOL. most places with US military bases WANT the US there. (aside from Cuba…but maybe even them too.) they get far better protection against their REAL enemies,make a lot of money from rent and providing supplies and services. It’s a boost to their economy.

    the Philippines discovered that,they asked us to leave,we left,their economy took a heavy hit,and now China is giving them a hard time. So they asked us back!
    Plus,if natural disasters strike,the US is the first there with the most aid. No foreign military bases,it takes weeks to provide aid. Then Lots of their people die.
    How clueless are you?

    • JayWye

      BTW,the Saudis invited us and want us to stay. Europe still wants the US military bases,for economic and military reasons.

      • RoseFlorida

        When you say “the Saudis invited us” you mean the Saudi government invited us. Among Arabs in the region the Saudi government, and the various other Sheikdoms and Kingdoms the US is allied with, allow a few to steal the riches that could have been used for development that helped more populations. Shortly before one of the wars involving Iraq a sheik from some country or another lost a fortune, maybe $15 million or maybe $30 million, gambling in London. To the West this was comical, and the media extracted as many laughs as it could from the event. To ordinary Arabs it was an atrocity. I bet that sheik does certainly want the US military base in his country to stay.

  • tickletik

    That day came a long time ago. The same day they took the embassy we should have rained fire on them. The truth is that Persians aren’t our real enemy. Our real enemy is corruption, weakness, sloth, hatred, gluttony, envy, and worst of all arrogance, we are so damn arrogant we don’t even realize that half the crazy things we do come from the above.

    Previous generations had the basic decency to admit they were simply jealous cowards. That’s not good enough for us, no. Our egos are so huge we have to justify our jealousy or our cowardice with an entire political ideology.

    • terry weaver

      “Our real enemy is corruption, weakness, sloth, hatred, gluttony, envy, and worst of all arrogance”

      You can find all of these traits in our own political system, maybe we should clean our house before we start telling others that theirs is dirty.

      • tickletik

        First of all, I was already referring to both our own society at large and our political establishment which is composed of that society.

        It is clear to me from your misunderstanding of my statement that you think in terms of a political system imposed by force to improve the human condition whereas I think in terms of cultural encouragement based on moral values to improve the human condition.

        That is, you clearly believe the implementation of an externally applied political tract (whose power stems from the barrel of a gun) will improve the internal mind of the individual, whereas I believe the individual must read the bible and apply it’s lessons to his life.

        Secondly, it’s a terrible conceit of the intellectual classes that they assume that there is always

        a) an intellectually based solution to any given problem that does not involve actual violence either the potential for or actual loss

        b) that they are capable of finding that solution given their own knowledge, intellectual capacity and available theoretical tools

        c) that they are even emotionally capable of accepting the actual solution if it is one that breaks their accepted models of thought

        Some problems have very simple solutions that simply require both will and integrity to implement correctly. Some problems have no real solution that does not involve loss, for example “the lesser of two evils”.

        The assumption that you must “clean house” before you deal with the corruption is similar to saying that you must
        first change the political structure of the fire and police departments while your house is on fire and the next door arsonist is lobbing molotov cocktails at you.

        • terry weaver

          No, what I am saying is that it is a bit disingenuous to tell your overweight neighbor to watch their diet while you’re 100 lbs overweight and munching on a candy bar.

          • tickletik

            But in this instance I am not concerned with the moral state of Iran for the sake of moral rebuke, I am concerned with the moral state of Iran for the sake of my survival. If Iran is a violent actor who threatens me, than it is important that I recognize the reality of his moral outlook with regards to violence against me.

            It would have been more accurate for you to criticize my viewpoint by giving an analogy saying that I am threatening my violent neighbor with harm if he continues acting in a way that threatens my life when I myself am I violent person who threatens everyone.

            I do not agree with the above analogy, but I offer it to indicate where I think you misperceive my viewpoint.

    • KiwiRob

      The real enemy of American is Americans. The vast numbers of right wing religious nutters who have looted the US of vast amounts of wealth, offshored millions of jobs and are keeping millions in poverty because it makes them more money. You could stop illegal immigration to the US in a heartbeat, but you won’t because corporate America wants low paid workers who they don’t have to provide benefits for.

      • tickletik

        What you wrote is incoherent. It’s not right, it’s not even wrong. It’s simply doesn’t make sense.

  • Graham

    Those countries developing Nuclear capability are so far behind the US “solution” they are total fools. Whilst they try to build basic nuclear capability that was developed in the US in the mid 1940′s the US has abandoned this type of warfare and is looking at selective weapons of mass destruction. Threaten the US too far and we might just find ourselves in WWIII but it will not be with nukes. It will be selective germ warfare where those inoculated selectively survive and the others don’t.

  • http://www.hlagamediagroup.co.za/ Makate Rapulana

    IRGC-QF has continued efforts to improve its access within foreign countries and its ability to conduct terrorist attacks.
    —–
    The IRGC is the Iranian version of the US Seals, when the Seals conduct those covert attacks they are called Black Ops, when the IRGC conducts same they are called terrorist attacks.

    Where do one draw the line?

  • http://www.hlagamediagroup.co.za/ Makate Rapulana

    Does not surprise me, an Arab scholar in Harvard had to do more to please his masters, else he would just be another Arab.

    • SackTheJuggler

      Iranians are not Arabs.

  • Deb Daniels

    Until women in Iran are treated as equals it will remain a rogue state not to be trusted

    • RoseFlorida

      Women in Iran are treated far better than women in Saudi Arabia.

      • Deb Daniels

        both regimes are illigitimate in my view because women do not have equality

        • RoseFlorida

          So how do you work for women’s equality? The US does little in countries that it considers friends, and in other countries it appears that its philosophy to promote women’s equality is to create as many war widows as possible.. I doubt if that is so effective, but it might be useful to consult the affected women for their opinions.

  • Polish David Milne

    the thing that scares america the most about Iran is that its government isn’t in their back pocket and refuses to bow to american power, Iran is independent and should be, america should sort out the problems they have at home before concerning themselves with Iran, a country ethnically different from the rest of the middle east. who is the greatest exporter of terrorism in the 20th century? THE USA

  • terry weaver

    go back to sleep before you hurt yourself.

    • tickletik

      I’m sorry for you, that you are so sick and filled with fear and self loathing that you have to impotently strike at people with hatred when they speak their pain from the heart. I hope one day you overcome your own ignorance.

  • Charles Holley

    A very biased American warmongering, hegemonic opinion.

  • deryk houston

    I’m sorry ….but this article completely lacks evidence or facts. Even the USA has said that it does not think that Iran is building a nuclear bomb at this time and yet anyone reading this article would think otherwise.
    There has been no evidence. None. Zip. Zero. So why is the writer suggesting that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon at this time?
    This article is dangerous because it spreads fear and hate for a country. I don’t think it deserves a voice unless it points to actual facts.
    Yes Iran is building up it’s conventional forces. So what? Look at the USA military spending!
    No country threatens world peace more than the USA. Look at how many military bases it has around the world. Hundreds. Look at how many countries it has bombed in the past few years.
    The USA ignores international law when it suits them. It is currently bombing Syria without that governments consent.
    Britain is not participating in the bombing of Syria because Britain wants to respect international law after the mess in Iraq and in Libya.
    Our word will never be safe if we ignore international law when it suits us.
    The USA unfortunately does not understand this idea and that is one of the many reasons it is constantly getting whacked by the blowback. (911 for example)

  • Time Traveler

    Another hapless victim of Faux News propaganda machine who doesn’t have the wherewithal to obtain facts from credible sources.

    • tickletik

      But I don’t watch Fox news, and I don’t read most sources associated with Fox news. You have demonstrated that you like to assume things about people without thinking. So it stands to reason you also assume things about events and the credibility of your sources without thinking.

      I suggest to you and anyone else reading this comment to educate yourselves properly with reasoned, and sourced perspectives on the middle east. You can start here: http://www.hirhome.com

    • tickletik

      I might have misunderstood your comment, if so, I apologize.

  • Paul

    same old, same old, ideological warfare and disinformation against Iran : “hegemonic” ” nuclear capacity” “domination of the region” -well it all certainly sounds good to for the war industries and the Israelis-but funnily enough, the facts on the ground actually speak a rather different story- how about doing some real research instead of the ideological claptrap?

  • Infadel Macgee

    When is the obozo regime going to wake up to the fact that muslim leaders in iran will ALWAYS lie about their intentions and are playing him like a foolish fiddle .

  • Babeouf

    Seems the Iranian leadership at least, is realistic about the aims of the ‘Peace Loving’ USA. Haven’t they just adopted an old US maxim. ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick’ . When are American’s going to get real about the most dangerous country in the world(according to international surveys) the USA.

  • KlingonOffTheStarboardBow

    Irsn is one of the most disgustung regimes in the world, run by a bunch of senile religious lunsttics.

  • cdelav

    I do not see where Teheran supports terrorism now, as often claimed by its adversaries. Shia are generally the victims of terrosist attacks, much more often than westerners. In iran, it is ordinary people more than their leaders that are the victims of american and european sanctions.

  • KiwiRob

    You were a target in a war zone, get over yourself, the US does plenty of bad things around the world, some of it comes back and bites you on the butt, this and 9/11 are some of the paybacks. I’m also pretty sure that there are hundreds if not thousands of young Iraqis who watched the US kill their families in GW2 who are just itching to pay you lot back, and they will.

  • KiwiRob

    Same as there won’t be a white America in a few generations once the latinos take over.

  • Alexander

    the rich elite fooling the stupid masses into believing anything so they can spend billions on a non existing threat. iran aint the enemy israel is. israel kills unarmed women and children and yet not a word against that. iran does nothing and is a threat. america created the taliban and isis so whos the enemy. israel runs america and america runs itself into the ground.

  • Avles Beluskes

    ISIS is CONTROLLED by GRU of Putin

  • Avles Beluskes

    “….Iranian leaders are increasing their abilities in “lethal symmetric and asymmetric weapon systems” ….”.

    Their greatest asymmetric weapon is the sc ‘victimization’ which creates an army of supporter among the bored, godless Westerner youth watching conspiracy sites. Just only watch how they managed their the same infiltration in Bahrain, paying attention in to exploit in the media any “Sunny monarchy” in order to present Shia Islam as “poor and defenseless”. Fomenting the uprising in Bahrain has been pursued to psychologically counter the fall of image of Assad in the Western world.
    The same ISIS demonstrated to be the best psychological weapon of Assad (= Putin & Iran) in order to present the dictatorship of Damasco as “the savior of Middle East against ISIS”.
    To think that ISIS which counts a thousand of “Chechen” terrorists (how many GRU’s guys like poor Basayev in it?) has been created by CIA, is simply absurd. CIA wasn’t able to overtrhow Castro regime just in front of the door of USA, and seek now on the other side of the planet to overthrow an Assad whom now is RESPECTED also by ISRAEL??? thanks ISIS????

    • Avles Beluskes

      Just only check this with the fact that in the last war of Israel against Hama$ (best sponsor is Qatar, in GOOD relation with IRAN, and Qatar supported the Iran’s ‘interferences’ in Bahrain….) Hezbollah quietly DIDN’T intervene except a pair of missiles shot just to appear supporting the Sunni brothers…. In reality Hezbollah (IRAN, Putin, etc.) wait the moment when Israel will finish the dirty job in to weaken the Sunni’s Hamas, and to let a complete Shia control of Gaza.