is Iran digging a hole or taking a stand?

[Muscletang]

Top Iran cleric backs president's Holocaust remark

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian cleric on Friday backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent comment that the Holocaust was a myth, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The recent comments made by the president ... are completely logical and are what all Iranians say," Ayatollah Ali Meshkini told worshippers at Friday prayers in the city of Qom.

Ahmadinejad on Wednesday said the Holocaust was a myth and suggested Israel be moved to North America or Europe, comments that drew swift international condemnation.

"After the Second World War, the Zionists have spread lies that Hitler, Austria and Germany killed more than six million Jews in the furnaces in order to create a favorable situation for themselves in the world," said Meshkini.

Meshkini is chairman of Iran's Assembly of Experts, a clerical body that elects and supervises the performance of Iran's Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guardsman who was elected president, said in October that Israel was a "tumor" that must be "wiped off the map."

A statement drafted by European Union leaders described his Holocaust comment as "wholly unacceptable."

"The European countries always react because they cannot tolerate logical comments made by the president," Meshkini said.

While Meshkini devoted much of his Friday Prayers sermon to the issue, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani made no mention of Ahmadinejad's comments when he led prayers in Tehran.

Rafsanjani competed with conservative Ahmadinejad in June elections on a platform of improving relations with the West and has criticized the president for sacking dozens of moderate officials.

Analysts say Ahmadinejad's anti-Israel rhetoric may be part of a strategy aimed at increasing his own legitimacy at home and Iran's role in the region.

What started all of this...Iranian President Calls the Holocaust a 'Myth'

Though the situation between them and Israel isn't a good one and the subject is wishy washy, this is just bad.

To say the holocaust didn't happen and was a "myth" is totally un-called for. This guy needs to have his head surgically removed from his ass.

I mean the only other people you hear of that doubt the holocaust are skin heads and white supremecy supporters.

[YogsVR4]

You man want to add Malcom X to that list of unbelievers. The guy is a total wack job.

[GTP Dad]

The current president of Iran is telling the people what they really want to hear, that the Jews in the world still control everything and that their problems are all related to the Jewish people. Sound familiar, Hitler used the same tactics in the 30's to instill hatred among the German people and the slaughter of 6 million Jews began. This guy is not only hell bent on destroying Israel but the rest of the world.

His nuclear program is just a start. Once he gets nuclear weapons the rest of the world is in trouble because the Iranian government will not hesitate to use them either by giving them to terrorists or using them against Israel themselves. See his previous statements on Israel needing to be wiped off the map. At least this time it is not only the US taking a stand against these idiots, actually I didn't think the EU had it in them to take such a hard line stand.

[MagicRat]

^^ I agree.
I have no doubt that a hard-line Iranian government would use any nuclear device they have against Isreal.

However, the current government is not very popular in Iran. The majority of Iranians are quite moderate and well educated. Their interests are not well represented by the current government.

Anti-semetic rhetoric like this is intended to radicalise the minority of supporters who strongly support the current regime and stir up support.
IMO speeches like this indicate the current government is unpopular, with a limited future.

[thrasher]

That's enough evidence for me, Iran has WMD's and are planning to attack the US. It's invasion time...who's with me?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by GTP Dad

His nuclear program is just a start. Once he gets nuclear weapons the rest of the world is in trouble because the Iranian government will not hesitate to use them either by giving them to terrorists or using them against Israel themselves. See his previous statements on Israel needing to be wiped off the map. At least this time it is not only the US taking a stand against these idiots, actually I didn't think the EU had it in them to take such a hard line stand.

Charles Krauthammer wrote an interesting Op-Ed piece for the Washington Post that raises a different perspective on the underlying factors concerning the lunacy in Iran which is consistent with their Islamic religious fanaticism. See link below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121501428.html

As to the EU and its' position, it is all lip service and rhetoric. IMO the Europeans and other countries in the area do not have the guts to take on Iran.

[Muscletang]

Does Iran have the balls to actually attack Israel with a full nuclear payload?

I've heard there's something called the "Jericho sanction" (not the book) and if all else fails and Israel is doomed, they're going to lauch every missile and drop every bomb that has nuclear warheads in them. Pretty much they would destroy the Middle East.
I don't know if this is true or not and it may be just some story. I wouldn't doubt though if Iran launched several missiles, Israel would at least get a hit in before they were hit.

We can all relax though, Iran wasn't banned from the world cup so this whole thing should just blow over.

FIFA Says Iran Not Banned From World Cup

[MagicRat]

I strongly suspect that Isreal knows exactly the progress and location of Iran's domestic nuclear program and facilities. IMO we would see an Israeli air strike against them before they became fully operational. (They did this to Iraq in '81)

Iran signed a $100 billion deal for oil to China recently. The Chinese (or the Russians) could provide nukes and/or technology to them that may be undetectable to Isreal because it would be imported and not developed internally.

[BNaylor]

Israel has an elaborate system of air defenses which includes anti-ballistic missile defense. They have several firing batteries of Patriot with the PAC-2 and possibly PAC-3. Also, supposedly they have developed their own version of the THAAD system which is is better suited to knocking down incoming missiles at long range.

Iran still has a long ways to go before any of their long range missiles such as Shahab can successfully deliver a nuclear payload with any consistency or accuracy. Funny how the Shahab bears an uncanny resemblance to the ballistic missiles of the Soviet era.

BTW - Shahab means "Meteor" in Persian.

[TexasF355F1]

The most humorous thing about this is the fact that people here in the states actually think the holocaust didn't happen and want it removed from text books.

[Muscletang]

The hole just got a little bit deeper.

Iran's President Bans Western Music

[Broke_as_****]

Depending on how much farther Ahmadinejad wants to pursue the restricting of anything not fundamentally islamic, we may actually see him removed from power within the next year or two. I'm not talking a bloody coup by the people but more of a civil unrest situation: strikes, mass protests, international pressure...etc. One thing people the world over have proven time and time again is the resistance to the limiting of civil freedoms in this fashion.

Digging a hole? Most certainly, his own grave, either politically or perhaps literally.

Taking a stand? Only for the depraved lunatics of the world.

[fredjacksonsan]

The Middle East is like a Hydra. Cut off one head and another grows.

[fredjacksonsan]

OK, serious commentary. I doubt that Iran's president is truly ignorant. Sounds like he's going the route of Hitler's propaganda.

If a nuclear exchange does occur, it will be just that - an exchange. Israel I'm sure has their targets preprogrammed and their armaments ready to go.

[YogsVR4]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

OK, serious commentary. I doubt that Iran's president is truly ignorant. Sounds like he's going the route of Hitler's propaganda.

If a nuclear exchange does occur, it will be just that - an exchange. Israel I'm sure has their targets preprogrammed and their armaments ready to go.

He rose to power as a radical, its not very likely that he'd change his stripes at this point. Its to bad their supreme ayatollah is standing behind this garbage. He's the real powerbroker in Iran.