President Bush's warning that a nuclear Iran

[Unlimited]

Who is ? .

truth is those sanctions arent worth the paper they are printed on...without china and russia putting economic pressure on them they are worthless...

[Spurious George]

So why ask what Japan are going to do about this when you already know they have been readying themselves for this eventuality for over 18 months

I said I already know they have been cutting their imports but you are saying that that means they dont need any of it because they cut imports by 15% last year, not I.

Heres a little quizzy you can do at home, Ed smokes a pack of cigarettes a day(20), he has cut back by 15%, does Ed still smoke cigarettes or does 15% = 100%. Its a toughy I know

[Moon Monkey]

I said I already know they have been cutting their imports but you are saying that that means they dont need any of it because they cut imports by 15% last year, not I.

Heres a little quizzy you can do at home, Ed smokes a pack of cigarettes a day(20), he has cut back by 15%, does Ed still smoke cigarettes or does 15% = 100%. Its a toughy I know

Does Japan get 100% of its oil from Iran ? You asked what Japan are going to do, I say they are, and have been, preparing for this eventuality and arranging to get their "cigarettes" elsewhere.

Edited October 26, 2007 by Moon Monkey

[Unlimited]

Does Japan get 100% of its oil from Iran ? You asked what Japan are going to do, I say they are, and have been, preparing for this eventuality and arranging to get their "cigarettes" elsewhere.

It doesnt matter if japan boycotts iranian oil, the chinese will buy up the surplus...

[Moon Monkey]

It doesnt matter if japan boycotts iranian oil, the chinese will buy up the surplus...

Yep and Russia or someone will step up for Japans shortfall, especially at $92 a barrell. That wasn't McNuclears question though, France and Germany had plenty invested in Iraq just like Japan have plenty invested in Iran...what difference did that make ?

[Spurious George]

Does Japan get 100% of its oil from Iran ? You asked what Japan are going to do, I say they are, and have been, preparing for this eventuality and arranging to get their "cigarettes" elsewhere.

Forget it... you are looking too much into my quizzy for you. And yes Japan is preparing for this eventuality by cutting its imports, I am sure "resource-poor Japan" will have no problem with their oil supply when their third/fourth top supplier stops shipping... they will still get the oil they need from their other Middle Eastern suppliers, if there are no other supply problems in the Middle East after a regional war breaks out

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB21Dh01.html

[The Silver Thong]

Yep and Russia or someone will step up for Japans shortfall, especially at $92 a barrell. That wasn't McNuclears question though, France and Germany had plenty invested in Iraq just like Japan have plenty invested in Iran...what difference did that make ?

France and Germany allies, Russia and China not so much so.

[The Silver Thong]

Forget it... you are looking too much into my quizzy for you. And yes Japan is preparing for this eventuality by cutting its imports, I am sure "resource-poor Japan" will have no problem with their oil supply when their third/fourth top supplier stops shipping... they will still get the oil they need from their other Middle Eastern suppliers, if there are no other supply problems in the Middle East after a regional war breaks out

<a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB21Dh01.html" target="_blank">http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB21Dh01.html</a>

LOL the answer to your quiz is that Japan still gets 85% of it's oil from Iran...... That would be as moonmonkey stated Japan got 100% of it's oil from Iran.

Edited October 26, 2007 by The Silver Thong

[Moon Monkey]

Forget it... you are looking too much into my quizzy for you.

You what now ?

And yes Japan is preparing for this eventuality by cutting its imports, I am sure "resource-poor Japan" will have no problem with their oil supply when their third/fourth top supplier stops shipping... they will still get the oil they need from their other Middle Eastern suppliers, if there are no other supply problems in the Middle East after a regional war breaks out

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB21Dh01.html

So you do know what Japan are doing after all, it doesn't have to be middle-eastern suppliers btw, and are you talking about a regional war like the one after the invasion of Iraq?

[Moon Monkey]

France and Germany allies, Russia and China not so much so.

We are talking Japanese needs and investments, Russia and China are a different story but they are nothing if not businessmen.

[The Silver Thong]

We are talking Japanese needs and investments, Russia and China are a different story but they are nothing if not businessmen.

True enough

[Moon Monkey]

Video interlude, best bits about 2 mins in:

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1587.htm

[Unlimited]

Video interlude, best bits about 2 mins in:

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1587.htm

I saw that today..nice footwork...that was their answer to the sanctions...the sabre rattlings getting louder...

[Spurious George]

You what now ?

So you do know what Japan are doing after all, it doesn't have to be middle-eastern suppliers btw, and are you talking about a regional war like the one after the invasion of Iraq?

From the link I provided...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IB21Dh01.html

What is more noteworthy is that although the ratio of imports from the Middle East to the total had risen above 90% for the first time in 37 years in 2005, the percentage declined 1 point to 89.2% in 2006 from 90.2% in 2005. The Middle East oil-dependence rate for December - the latest month for which figures are available - was even lower, at 88.6%.

As of December 2006 Japans dependence on ME oil was in the high 80% range, I dont have any up to date figures available at my fingertips but I would wager it hasnt changed much (down a few %?), that still leaves Japan incredibly vulnerable to any supply problems from the ME.

Strike on Iran Would Roil Oil Markets, Experts Say

A U.S. military strike against Iran would have dire consequences in petroleum markets, say a variety of oil industry experts, many of whom think the prospect of pandemonium in those markets makes U.S. military action unlikely despite escalating economic sanctions imposed by the Bush administration.

The small amount of excess oil production capacity worldwide would provide an insufficient cushion if armed conflict disrupted supplies, oil experts say, and petroleum prices would skyrocket. Moreover, a wounded or angry Iran could easily retaliate against oil facilities from southern Iraq to the Strait of Hormuz.

- Link -

Sure Japan could start to rely more heavily on Russian oil supplies(in the long term) but that is assuming Russia (and China) do not get involved in this conflict. Russia has already shown they have no problem using their oil as a weapon.

Regional war as in Iran, Syria and Iraq... and Lebanon(Hezbollah) and any other surprises.

[Moon Monkey]

As of December 2006 Japans dependence on ME oil was in the high 80% range, I dont have any up to date figures available at my fingertips but I would wager it hasnt changed much (down a few %?), that still leaves Japan incredibly vulnerable to any supply problems from the ME.

Sure Japan could start to rely more heavily on Russian oil supplies(in the long term) but that is assuming Russia (and China) do not get involved in this conflict. Russia has already shown they have no problem using their oil as a weapon.

Regional war as in Iran, Syria and Iraq... and Lebanon(Hezbollah) and any other surprises.

I suppose it all depends on whether Iran target the Saudis or whether their strike capabilities are taken out early. The world has carried on without Iraqi and Kuwaiti oil before, and their current production isn't massively significant in world terms, and Syria and Lebanon don't have any. If anything does start in the area the price of oil is going to have a few countries outside the region more than happy to make hay while the sun shines.

Don't get me wrong a war with Iran would put big strains on Japan due to their heavy reliance on ME oil but when you asked "what are Japan and Venezuela going to do ?" I would think Japan would prepare, look elsewhere etc. whilst Venezuela could make an awful lot of money

[stevewinn]

All countries, have had time to prepare for the eventual attcks on Irans Military and Nuclear sites. Irans had plenty of time to show the world its nuclear programme is peaceful. while countries are debating in the UN, Iran is slowly reaching its goal. Stopping Iran should be more in the interest of the EU, because most of the EU countries fall within the strike range,

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...h&plindex=0

[stevewinn]

moved to jokes section,>> http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...howtopic=109772

Edited October 27, 2007 by stevewinn

[Never Here]

Battles near Taliban-held town intensify By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer

21 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - Days after Taliban fighters overran Musa Qala a U.S. commander pledged that Western troops would take it back. Nine months later, the town is still Taliban territory, a symbol of the West's struggles to control the poppy-growing south.

But a string of recent battles around Musa Qala, won overwhelmingly by American Special Forces, signal a renewed U.S. focus on the symbolic Taliban stronghold.

An Afghan army commander said Sunday that U.S. and Afghan forces have taken over the area around the town and that Afghan commanders are holding talks with Musa Qala's tribal leaders to persuade them to expel the Arab, Chechen and Uzbek foreign fighters who roam its streets alongside the Taliban militants.

U.S. Special Forces soldiers accompanied by Afghan troops killed about 80 fighters during a six-hour battle outside Musa Qala on Saturday, the latest in a series of increasingly deadly engagements in Helmand province — the world's largest poppy-growing region and the front line of Afghanistan's bloodiest fighting this year.

There have been at least five major battles in the area since Sept. 1, including Saturday's fighting, and Special Forces troops have killed more than 250 militants, according to coalition statements.

"Musa Qala is part of the overall concept here, denying the Taliban the ability to control northern Helmand," said Maj. Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition. "Our goal is to stop them from accomplishing that ... We're in Musa Qala and we're going to stay there."

The vast majority of Western forces in Helmand are British, though U.S. Special Forces troops are also active in the province.

Taliban militants overran Musa Qala on Feb. 1, four months after British troops left the town following a contentious peace agreement that handed over security responsibilities to Afghan elders.

Days after the Taliban takeover a U.S. military spokesman, Col. Tom Collins, said NATO and Afghan forces would take back the town "at a time and place that is most advantageous."

Lt. Col. Richard Eaton, a spokesman for British troops in Helmand, said that "nothing in Afghanistan is ever straightforward."

"You can't do everything simultaneously. That is not how a counterinsurgency works," Eaton said. "As (the commander of NATO's forces in Afghanistan) has said, we will deal with Musa Qala at a time of our choosing."

Eaton also did not rule out the possibility of future peace talks in the town, saying that the solutions to insurgencies are political.

Brig. Gen. Ghulam Muhiddin Ghori, a top Afghan army commander in Helmand, said the foreign fighters are running training camps near Musa Qala to teach militants how to carry out suicide and roadside bomb attacks. But he said no big military operations are being launched to overtake the town itself because of a fear of civilian casualties.

"Afghan and coalition forces have surrounded the Musa Qala district center. We have started negotiations with tribal leaders there to take over Musa Qala from the Taliban," Ghori told The Associated Press. "The tribal leaders are also worried about these Taliban because the foreign fighters — Arabs, Chechens, Baluchs and Uzbeks — they are in Musa Qala."

Violence in Afghanistan this year has been the deadliest since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. More than 5,200 people have died this year due to the insurgency, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Afghan and Western officials.

The latest Musa Qala battle began Saturday when Taliban insurgents attacked a combined U.S. coalition and Afghan patrol with rockets and gunfire, prompting the combined force to call in attack aircraft, resulting in "almost seven dozen Taliban fighters killed," the U.S.-led coalition said.

The coalition said four bombs were dropped on a trench line filled with fighters, resulting in most of the deaths. It said there were no immediate reports of civilian casualties.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, declined to talk about Musa Qala at a news conference in Kabul on Sunday. Speaking on a separate topic, he said it could take between 18 months and two years for Afghan units to be able to conduct major operations on their own.

Rodriguez said Afghan forces excel at small-unit tactics and coordinating with the Afghan people but still need to improve their command structure, the use of air power, their logistics support and medical capabilities.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force, meanwhile, said an investigation into allegations of civilian casualties in Wardak province on Oct. 22 found that no civilians had been killed. A provincial council member at the time said 12 civilians had been killed, but ISAF said the investigation found that the allegations were "without merit."

Separately, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a taxi-stand in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's capital, killing one civilian and wounding six others, said provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal.

The bomber was also killed in the blast. Andiwal could not say who was the target of the attack or whether the explosives on the body of the bomber went off prematurely.

___

Associated Press reporter Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report

[Moon Monkey]

I think the yanks were right to label the revolutionary guards a terrorist entity.. their general has just said "the Basij militia are ready to carry out suicide attacks all across the Gulf". No links yet.

[Unlimited]

I think the yanks were right to label the revolutionary guards a terrorist entity.. their general has just said "the Basij militia are ready to carry out suicide attacks all across the Gulf". No links yet.

If theirs gonna be a battle....let it begin...the sabre rattlings hurting my ears..

[Moon Monkey]

If theirs gonna be a battle....let it begin...the sabre rattlings hurting my ears..

I think Bush and Amahdinajhad should fight it out on HBO/Sky a la "two tribes go to war" video from Frankie goes to Hollywood. Pay per view will be through the roof and I think it'd be a fair fight.

[Unlimited]

I think Bush and Amahdinajhad should fight it out on HBO/Sky a la "two tribes go to war" video from Frankie goes to Hollywood. Pay per view will be through the roof and I think it'd be a fair fight.

I'd pay for that....wouldnt we be a civilized people if our leaders could just duke it out..rather than destroying lives...

[Moon Monkey]

I'd pay for that....wouldnt we be a civilized people if our leaders could just duke it out..rather than destroying lives...

...or a UFC/WWF tag match with Cheney an Rumsfield in Bushes corner and a couple of ayatollahs in Ahmadinajahd's. Why drag the rest of us into it.

[Unlimited]

...or a UFC/WWF tag match with Cheney an Rumsfield in Bushes corner and a couple of ayatollahs in Ahmadinajahd's. Why drag the rest of us into it.

Isnt it funny that if bush was to start the war it would effect him the least...these politicians need to be reeled in...elitists shouldnt be starting wars...period

[Never Here]

Suicide bombing kills 29 in Baqouba By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer

13 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber rode his bicycle into a crowd of police recruits in Baqouba on Monday, killing at least 29 people in a province that has become a battleground among U.S. forces, al-Qaida militants and Shiite radicals.

A group of Shiite and Sunni clerics, meanwhile, were rescued one day after they were kidnapped in the capital after meeting with the government to discuss how to coordinate efforts against al-Qaida in Iraq.

In a reflection of the extraordinary complexity of Iraq, the U.S. military blamed a Shiite militant for the kidnapping. The military did not reveal its evidence, but has claimed that so-called rogue Shiite groups are doing everything possible to stop Iraqis from joining U.S. forces — even in the fight against the Sunni al-Qaida in Iraq.

Suicide bombings, viewed most often as the work of al-Qaida, have taken a mighty toll among police and army recruits and are carried out to discourage Iraqi men from joining the country's struggling security forces.

Police and hospital officials reported at least 19 people wounded in the attack in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Mohammed al-Kirrawi, a doctor at the Baqouba general hospital, said most of the victims were struck by ball bearings packed in the bomber's suicide vest and that the hospital lacked equipment to save many of the wounded.

One of the wounded recruits told The Associated Press he decided to join the police force only after his father was killed in sectarian violence and he was left as the large family's sole provider.

"This was an al-Qaida operation, and they were after both Shiites and Sunnis," said Saadulden Mohammed, a 25-year-old Shiite, who spoke to a reporter as he was receiving a blood transfusion.

"I was standing at the end of the platoon. Suddenly I saw explosion and fire. I would have been killed if I were standing with my Sunni friend. He died. We had breakfast together today," sobbed Mohammed, who was wounded in the back and legs.

Akram Salman, a 22-year-old Sunni, said he, too, was among the approximately 60 recruits waiting outside the police station for a day of training.

Salman declared the bombing an inside job because the suicide attacker penetrated heavy security surrounding the police camp without being searched.

He said police failed to stop the bomber when he changed course suddenly from the main road toward the recruits.

"The police are infiltrated. Many people join the police, but they have affiliations with al-Qaida. These infiltrators made it easy for the bomber to attack us," he said. "There are two main checkpoints on the main road leading to the camp. It would be impossible for a man on a bicycle to pass without being properly searched."

The kidnapped tribal sheiks were also from Diyala province. Contradicting original reports, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said only nine sheiks were kidnapped and that eight were freed. He said four kidnappers were killed and six were wounded in the rescue operation. He did not say who carried out the raid.

Reports on Sunday had said seven Shiites and three Sunnis were kidnapped as they drove out of Baghdad after meeting with the Shiite-dominated government's adviser for tribal affairs.

Police found the bullet-riddled body of one of the Sunni sheiks, Mishaan Hilan, about 50 yards away from where the ambush took place, according to an officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The sheik was identified through the mobile phone found on his body.

The U.S. accused Shiite militia leader Arkan Hasnawi, a former brigade commander in the Mahdi Army militia, of the kidnapping.

Hasnawi's breakaway Shiite fighters have battled al-Qaida for control in Diyala since the terrorist organization moved into the region and sought to make it a headquarters. Al-Qaida was largely driven out of its stronghold in Iraq's westernmost province, Anbar, after Sunni tribes rose up against the organization's brutal tactics and austere version of Islam. The U.S. military has courted both Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders in Diyala, hoping for a similar outcome.

Three months ago, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army fighters to lay down their arms for as long as six months, but thousands of followers dissatisfied with being taken out of the fight have broken off to form their own groups. The U.S. military says the rogue fighters are funded and armed by Iran to foment violence. Iran denies the allegations.

The military said Hasnawi's actions demonstrated that he has violated the cease-fire order and "joined forces with Iranian-supported special groups that are rejecting Muqtada al-Sadr's direction to embrace fellow Iraqis."

The kidnapping and the Baqouba bombing occurred during the first two days of Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling's command in the volatile region north of the capital. His 1st Armored Division took over Sunday from the 25th Infantry Division under the command of Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon.

Hertling acknowledged Sunday that violence remained high in the area but expressed confidence that the military has al-Qaida on the run.

A U.S. brigadier general was wounded in a roadside bombing Monday in northern Baghdad, the military reported.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Dorko, commanding general of the Gulf Region Division, was the highest-ranking American officer to be hurt since the conflict began in March 2003. Dorko was in stable condition and was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany; his injuries were not life-threatening.