November26, 2006:
A foreigner taking in Iranian mass media would be struck by the
pervasive use of Israel as the cause of all things bad in the world. Wherever
anything bad happens, the Iranian media seems obsessed with attributing Israeli
agents or influence as the cause. This sort of thing has gotten worse in the
last few years, as the clerical dictatorship has shut down all of the
anti-government media. Editors, who want to keep publishing, know what the
government wants, and thus delivers lots of anti-Israeli material.
November
25, 2006: Russian Tor-M1 missile systems have begun arriving, and are being
installed around some cities and defense establishments. The Tor-M1 is a
short range missile, capable of hitting aircraft up to twelve kilometers away.
The government is expected to use the Tor-M1 systems to defend nuclear weapons
development sites.
November
24, 2006: Iran has agreed to provide economic and military support to the
dictatorship running Zimbabwe. Iran gains allies wherever it can.
November
21, 2006: Iranian made ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) have shown up in Gaza,
apparently smuggled in by Hamas terrorists. The missiles are Iranian copies of
the Russian 9M113 Konkurs (AT-5). This is a 32 pound, wire guided missile
design from the 1970s. It was used in Lebanon last Summer by Hizbollah.
November
19, 2006: The U.S. State Department has established a "listening
station" in Dubai (part of the United Arab Emirates, and for centuries a
port brokering trade between Iran and Arabia). Iranian (Farsi) speaking
American officials will establish relationships with the many Iranian
businessmen who work out of Dubai, or visit frequently. This sort of
intelligence gathering operation is common when you have a country that does
not allow your officials to move freely about. In Iran, the secret police keep
close watch on foreigners, and any Iranians who they talk to. But in Dubai, the
Iranian secret police are much less effective (but they are there, discretely)
and it's easier for foreigners to mix with the Iranian business
community. The CIA has had similar Iranian listening post operations
operating for years, but these operations were more clandestine.
November
18, 2006: The government has successfully manipulated international media and
the UN to prevent any more economic sanctions. So successful has that campaign
been, that Iran is being more aggressive supporting Lebanese Shia attempts to
take control of the Lebanese government. The Shia are only a third of the
population, but Syrian troops and Iranian money, weapons and radical ideology
make it possible for a pro-Syria/Iran government to be established in
Lebanon.
November
17, 2006: After practically no activity for over twenty years, exports to Iraq
are growing rapidly. Currently, goods valued at over $100 million are being
shipped to Iraq each month. That's up 19 percent from last year and still
growing. While news reports concentrate on violence in Iraq, most of the
country is peaceful, with a booming economy.