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Iran "flipped the world the bird" by not responding positively to the Western incentive plan to stop uranium enrichment.

So says a so-called "Senior source" in the Israeli government according to THIS ARTICLE in the 24 August edition of the Jerusalem Post. According to the Post, this source:

expressed frustration that the Russians and Chinese were already saying that Iran's offer of a "new formula" and willingness to enter "serious negotiations" was an opening to keep on talking.

"The Iranians know the world will do nothing," he said. "This is similar to the world's attempts to appease Hitler in the 1930s - they are trying to feed the beast."

He said there was a need to understand that "when push comes to shove," Israel would have to be prepared to "slow down" the Iranian nuclear threat by itself.

Having said this, he did not rule out the possibility of US military action, but said that if this were to take place, it would probably not occur until the spring or summer of 2008, a few months before President George W. Bush leaves the international stage. The US presidential elections, which Bush cannot contest because of term limits, are in November 2008.

I deeply share this person's position on both fronts; the International community's apparent giddy-ness at yet another opportunity to chew old fat with people who continue NOT to be conducting themselves in good faith, and to the issue of Israel having to likely "go it alone". It is now quite clear, and has readily been in recent weeks, that there is really only one country out there with any perceived support for Israel; the US continues to make feeble attempts to show support even while we capitulate to the Security Council , but at least there is ONE voice to counter the MANY that openly seek to "wipe the map clean of Israel".

While we are all wrapped up in the US political season, while we stare in confused befuddlement at the events on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and while al Qaeda continues its expansion and ascension to power in Somalia and across eastern Africa, the situation in Iran and Israel and Lebanon and beyond continues to degrade and degenerate faster than our hapless media and shameless politicians can keep up. A worthwhile read at this "Persian Journal" will give an interesting insight (an op-ed apparently cross-posted from military.com). The author, Peter Brookes, suggest this:

Ignore Israel's and Hezbollah's boastful claims of victory in their bitter, but largely inconclusive war. The real winner of the month-long conflict is neither -- it's Iran.

In Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima government teeters on the edge of collapse from a questionable military strategy that failed to finish off Hezbollah -- or even end its rocket barrages after over 30 days.

On the other side of the border in Lebanon, Hezbollah will (regrettably) live to fight another day. But many of its fighters have been killed, and its terrorist infrastructure and military arsenal are in tatters.

As such, it's hard for either side to chalk one up in the "win" column. But that isn't the case for Hezbollah's Sugar Daddy, Iran, which clearly profited from the death and destruction in Israel and Lebanon.

In fact, though roundly criticized at the conflict's outset for spurring Hezbollah into provoking a war, in the end, Iran actually burnished its image and elevated its standing in the Middle East -- and the Muslim world.

At least it is in print "somewhere". Iran has measuredly, calculatingly, and very patiently filled the Saddam void quite nicely, and stands at the front of the line for ascension to the "power broker" throne of the Middle East. They have been helped there by our own actions, and to a greater extent, our INACTIONS, and now comfortably sit at the head of the grownups' table. All roads to the Middle East run through Persia (or something like that).

The Jerasulem Post article continues:

Israel's role at this time is to warn the world of the dangers of an Iranian nuclear potential. Some government officials are sending the message to their counterparts abroad that the firm implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon will send a strong message to Iran - which is testing the world's resolve - that it is serious about implementing Security Council resolutions.

This has sadly become a joke. No one takes UN Security council resolutions seriously, no one shrivels and dies over them, and no one really "meant" what they promised when they drafted it (read France and her thousands of troops that has so far been tallied at around 200 planned for deployment). As right as Israel may be to suggest that 1701 needs to be defended and enforced, it failed before the ink dried.

Continuing with the JP piece:

Diplomats from Europe, the US, Russia and China were poring over details of Iran's counterproposal to the Western nuclear incentives package Wednesday. Initial comments from Russia and China made clear Washington is likely to face difficulty getting at least those nations to agree to any tough sanctions against Iran.

In Paris, however, Douste-Blazy made clear that his government was sticking by the UN demand for Iran to halt enrichment by the end of this month as a precondition to further talks. Israeli officials said France has consistently advocated a firm position with Iran regarding the nuclear issue.

"I want to point out again that France is available to negotiate, and to recall that, as we have always said... a return to the negotiating table is linked to the suspension of uranium enrichment," Douste-Blazy said.

However, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a political, negotiated solution to the dispute with Iran. China appealed for dialogue, urging "constructive measures" by Iran but also urging other parties to "remain calm and patient, show flexibility, stick to the orientation of peaceful resolution and create favorable conditions for resuming talks as soon as possible."

In London, a British Foreign Office spokesman predicted "some hard discussions" when the Security Council takes up the Iran issue in the coming weeks.

Iran said Tuesday it was ready for "serious negotiations" on its nuclear program and cast the counterproposal as a new formula to resolve the crisis with the West. But a semiofficial news agency said the government was unwilling to abandon uranium enrichment.

The world powers, the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, have given Iran until August 31 to accept the incentives package.

Now, we have just entered the twilight zone. August 31, huh? Not to be pessimist or anything, but consider THIS little tidbit from a different story in the Persian Journal. A taste:

Iran will soon announce an atomic breakthrough, a day after the country responded to an offer aimed at resolving a nuclear standoff. "This great scientific achievement is the fruit of a long-term research project ... It will be formally announced by a top official," Mehr quoted an informed source as saying.

"The announcement will highlight Iran's mastery of different areas in nuclear science and will reinforce Iran's position as a nuclear country," the report said.

And, to further signify the Flipping of the Iranian Bird, the Post adds this:

Meanwhile, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported Wednesday that the Iranian news service Al-Borz, which it said is known to have access to sources in the Iranian government, predicted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would announce what the news service called Iran's "nuclear birth" on the first anniversary of his government later this month.

In addition, an article Tuesday on the Teheran Times Web site, considered to be affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, implied that Iran's nuclear technology had already reached the point of no return. "If the West is seeking to impede Iran's nuclear industry, it should realize that Iran has passed this stage," the report read.

This MUST not happen.

[crossed at nebv]