Iran: "Specially designated global terrorist"

[Shaneofski]

Hmmm, the prelude to an invasion?

Iranian Unit to Be Labeled 'Terrorist'
U.S. Moving Against Revolutionary Guard

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 15, 2007; A01

The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist," according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target the group's business operations and finances.

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran's nuclear program, officials said.

The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said -- a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 62_pf.html

[raff]

Wouldn't see it as an unusual move. It would be par for the course for America. Label a group/country as terrorist then move against them. They went after Bin Laden in Afghanistan supposedly because of the September 11th attacks and then they attack Iraq! They justified the invasion of Iraq by falsely claiming WMD and it supporting Bin Laden. If I was the Iranian government I would be preparing my people for war!

[Pax]

The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said -- a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.

I think I've just blown a 'double-standard-rectifier' chip.

If we couple this with the recent criminalisation of dissent as a terrorist act, at this point we could just about connect Orwell-in-his-grave to the national grid and solve the energy crisis.

[A guy called Dave]

Proof is in the pudding as to whether America will attack Iran..personally I can't see it happening, they can't afford open hostilities with Iran, with Iraq being the way it is, that would be asking way too much of a an over-stretched military. They're even mooting the idea of the draft because resources have become that tight.
However throwing mud costs nothing. It reminds me of a story of a politician, who spread a rumour about his opponents mother being amorous with pigs. His aide said "You can't prove his mother slept with pigs?" and he replied "No but we can make him deny it"

[raff]

I don't think the US will attack Iran straight away. There may even be another '9/11' type attack. I think that it is most likely they will at some stage justify hostilities against Iran. This is just the build up to it. It took quite a while really for the 'coalition of the willing' (read oil greedy fools) to do something about Saddam, (read go get some oil).

The US appears hell bent on gaining control of that part of the middle east, and the neo-cons in America wont be too concerned about the bodies coming home as they will be lining their pockets while the poorer people go off and die for it.

[A guy called Dave]

I don't think the US will attack Iran straight away. There may even be another '9/11' type attack. it.

Y'know even George Galloway, reckons that the 9/11 conspiracy theories are a load of the proverbial but let me guess...he's probably in on it too?

[Akrasia]

Proof is in the pudding as to whether America will attack Iran..personally I can't see it happening, they can't afford open hostilities with Iran, with Iraq being the way it is, that would be asking way too much of a an over-stretched military. They're even mooting the idea of the draft because resources have become that tight.

Some Points.

1. The U.S. economy always picks up rapidly during the first few moves in a new war.

2. An attack against Iran might distract a lot of attention away from the collapsing housing and financial markets and the numerous investigations and scandles the Bush government have accumulated over the years

3. America won't 'Invade' Iran. They will believe that they can simply launch an air war with limited special forces incursions. They have plenty of Naval and air power to accomplish this without any effect on Iraq or Afghanistan (of course, once an attack is made, the situation will escalate rapidly... but the Bu************************es are supremely over confident about what they can achieve using only military options.

[odie1kanobe]

Straits of Hormuz is pretty narrow with the actual shipping channels that ships use narrower still.

Artillery will effectively close it as what tanker owner would want his tanker being a floating bomb.

35% of mid east oil flows through there.

[lostexpectation]

they stretched out the fear of saddam for ten years why not this guy

[zakalwe]

i thought the invasion was due last march?