In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken would not rule out the idea of military action against Iran if the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, isn’t revived.
Blinken said the US and its allies prefer diplomacy but are considering “other options” if JCPOA isn’t restored. When asked if that the options include military action, Blinken said, “As we always say, every option is on the table.”
The threat comes less than a week after Iran said it was ready to return to JCPOA negotiations in Vienna by the end of November. US officials have responded to Iran’s willingness to restart talks with skepticism, and the Biden administration slapped new sanctions on Tehran after the announcement.
Blinken said the US is in “lockstep” with its allies on Iran’s nuclear program and said, “We still believe diplomacy is the best path forward.” But the threats and fresh sanctions are not sending Iran a positive signal.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said imposing new sanctions after Tehran said it was ready to return to talks shows the US is “not trustworthy.”
Sunday’s interview was not the first time Blinken hinted at attacking Iran. Earlier this month, at a press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Blinken said the US was ready to “turn to other options” if the JCPOA talks fail. Lapid made clear that one of those “options” was military action.
The Israelis are constantly threatening Iran and recently approved a $1.5 billion military budget boost that will go towards preparing for attacks on the Islamic Republic. The Israeli Air Force has also resumed practicing bombing Iranian nuclear facilities.
De Nuke the Middle East starting with Israel. The world will be a far better place.
In other words, its OK for China to have nukes, and if it so desires, gobble Taiwan the way it gobbled Tibet, but Israel should not have nukes. B.S.. Pakistan can have nukes to threaten India, but thats OK . Never Again!
Israel shouldn’t have bullets.
Or any other form of death-inducing paraphernalia.
Like daggers… Especially daggers.
Because you want them dead-typical leftist warmonger.
It’s not just the fact that nations have nukes. It’s the character of that nation that becomes important as far as nuke possession goes. And rules are rules, which Israel thinks it is above. When did Israel ever tell the world- “Yes we have nukes feel free to inspect our nuke facilities”? That’s the thing! Iran DOESN’T have nukes and has stated that they don’t want nukes, only a peaceful nuclear program, and it is constantly threatened over this lie that they WANT nukes. That’s why people are flustered when it comes to the unequal application of international laws when it comes to Israel! They are INTENTIONALLY skewed 180 degrees from the truth!
“In other words”? Really? It sounded more like he wanted the Middle East to be nuke free. And since Israel has nukes and is located in the Middle East, then they would be included. I didn’t know China was in the Middle East. And then once more with the “never again”. Because when you have nothing else as a form of argument why not bring up more exaggerated nonsensical paranoid ramblings about the next holocaust?
You revealed your true colors with your “chosen people crack”. Your vituperative and personal attacks again show what your lack of fair mindedness and logic.Again, why are other countries entitled to nukes and not Israel-because you want them dead. Denuking the Mideast is defacto-disarm only one country-When Iran tests nukes, the antiwar gang will say wonderful-NEVER Again.
Once again you proved my point. The topic was nukes in the middle east and not “why are other countries entitled to nukes and not Israel”. But you willfully ignore the subject matter and resort to the Israeli firster’s favorite ploy, yet once again, and call me an anti-Semite. It’s like a compliment now because I know you are using it because you have no other way of getting your point across. And that’s because your only fucking point is Israeli Firster propaganda exaggerated bullshit.
Israel is “gobbling up” more and more of the West Bank, with your foreign settlers displacing people who have lived there for generations. India threatened Pakistan with nukes FIRST, then Pakistan got nukes. Maybe Iran, in the future, wants to follow that formula because of Israel’s nukes.
China signed the NPT (1992) and is subjected to inspections. Israel has not.
“Never again” what? Israel has never been bombed by a nuke. How about “never again” bulldozing of Palestinian homes, burning Palestinian crops, stealing Palestinian crops, shooting unarmed kids, increased harassment by settlers, potable water being cut off, electricity cut off to the Palestinians in Gaza.
“Never again” is referring to the holocaust. That’s what firsters use when they have no valid argument.
If you had not dozed off in high school,you would understand that history repeats itself.
Great logic. Your brilliance knows no bounds.
Israel is not an ally in any way, it’s a parasitic state that funds both parties campaigns and then Wash. sends out Americans to risk their lives and die to do their dirty work. Remember the USS Liberty: https://www.usslibertyveterans.org/
How much has Israel gobbled up, like all the land, farms, orchards and homes of the Palestinians? Israel is a racist, apartheid religious state where the Talmud and it’s racist teachings are the supreme law of Israel according to Bibi.
And what knowledge of the “Talmud” do you have? HA-I wish Christians followed the teaching of their teacher.
The UN should supply oppressed nations like Iran with nuclear weapons to deter the US and Israel from using theirs against a peaceful population.
“The Israelis….recently approved a $1.5 billion military budget boost….for attacks on the Islamic Republic.” Don’t worry folks, they’re not using Israeli money–they are using our hard-earned cash siphoned from our income–money.
Bingo!
Every payday Americans lose money which is given to Israel as they continue to oppress the Palestinians and urge Wash. to do their dirty work for them.
Chicken hawks coming home to roost… Here’s another one were gonna lose.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration is loaded with them….Nuland being one.
Is the official line now – “If Iran don’t come back to the nuclear deal which they broke, then we will have to bomb them”?
You cannot make this sh*t up.
They make this sh*t up all the f*ing time … 🙂
I’m a broken record, but that is only in response to this tired rhetoric. On the one hand, this saber rattling is of course just bloviation. Everyone knows a war with Iran is totally insane and will result in the closure of Hormuz, the instant loss of 20% of global oil distribution, and the destruction of the Fifth Fleet if it attempts to reopen it by force or escort tankers through. Iran knows they can never beat the US by sheer firepower and so they have built their Navy specifically for this mission. This is not a matter of technology and firepower, but of the relative maneuverability of big clunky oil tankers and warships compared to large numbers of small craft, as well as to the relative numbers themselves. Asymmetrical swarm tactics in the small area of Hormuz would be devastating (see Millennium Challenge war game). If there are 50 suicide boats and ten anti-ship missiles incoming and they sink 45 and shoot down 9, that’s pretty good at 90%. If the ship is struck in the right areas, they can take their A- to the bottom of the sea.
On the other hand, powder kegs only require a spark. A war with Iran would spiral out of control so fast there would be no turning back. How else could the American government react to the loss of thousands of American sailors? How badly will the American public misdirect its anger in response? “Remember the Fifth!” they’ll say.
“Remember the Liberty” I say.
Right on JP!
By orders of magnitude. G-d D-mn our leaders since for giving Israel anything, let alone another $3.8 billion to play with for the next ten years, and, another $231 million to improve guidance on their missiles, like the ones that pummeled the suburbs of Damascus.
https://www.usslibertyveterans.org/ keep linking the USS Liberty Vets site here.
Amerikkka will never, EVER memorialize the brave sailors who resisted the attack. It’s a miracle that the Liberty wasn’t completely destroyed along with all hands on deck who survived to tell the tale.
The execrable Lyndon Baines “Escalate Vietnam” Johnson’s response was, “I’m not going to lose an ally over a few sailors!” Failing to recognize what kind of “ally” Israhell actually was…and remains.
I hope that you are correct. However, the war on Iraq also was insane.
Israel got its way regardless.
Agreed, but Iraq was a broken fake country where 60% of the population was already anti-Saddam Shia, aligned by faith with Iran. Iran, on the other hand, is a regional power totally capable of defending itself and, as I said, closing Hormuz, which is something Saddam could never hope to do.
The Israelis as well know that Iran is very powerful. In the same way, their rhetoric threatening open military strikes (as opposed to assassinations of scientists and cyberwarfare) is also bloviation. They are well aware that Iron dome stands absolutely no chance against the combined ballistic missile arsenal of Iran and Hezbollah’s own missiles and rockets. It would be a catastrophe for the Israeli people.
But of course, like I said, powder kegs only need a spark.
1. I am not sure how your first paragraph is relevant.
2. Even if it were relevant, during the Iran-Iraq War, the same argument was made that Iraqi Shia would not fight for Iraq against their Iranian co-religionists. This proved to be false.
1. It has to do with the contrast between Iraq and Iran and their relative capabilities, thus how “insane” launching a war would be. As stated, Iraq could never block Hormuz. Iran easily can. The grave consequences of this for the entire world cannot be overstated.
2. The mistreatment of Iraqi Shia by the ruling Baathists only began during the war, escalating after the war. By 2003, Iraqi Shia were firmly against Saddam, and immediately after the fall of Saddam, Iraqi Shia religious leaders reached out to Iran for aid and also to reopen the border for Shia pilgrims. The situation was quite different from the 1980s. Now, in the ensuing years, Iraqi Shia groups have attempted to assert their independence despite the intimate involvement of Iran in the PMF militias. But anyways, this point is peripheral, the important one being Iran’s capabilities in the event of war.
That Iran has more capability than Iraq did is not in doubt. However, this time, Saudi Arabia is also slavering for a war on Iran as well as Israel, and neither care a fig for the consequences to the United States or the rest of the world.
I’m certainly not trying to be flip about the dangerous situation that exists, just see my original comment. But for decades now, cooler heads have prevailed, precisely because the consequences are so manifestly catastrophic. As for Israel and Saudi Arabia, it is not only the rest of the world, but for their own survival that overt conflict be avoided, due to the aforementioned ballistic missile arsenal of Iran that will swamp Iron Dome, and Saudi Arabia does not even have such a system. And for Israel, there is Hezbollah to the North, and for Saudi Arabia, there is the concentration of Shia in the Eastern oil rich regions. Sabotage is assured.
It took the neocons some twelve years of wheedling, false flags and outright lies to get the war on Iraq that they so craved.
Not only that, but those responsible paid no price, not personal, not professional. In fact, it was the truth-tellers that were cast into Outer Darkness, even though the war on Iraq went more badly than the most dire predictions would have it.
I see no reason that Iran will turn out any differently, although I hope to God that I am wrong.
Amen
War is insanity and starts when people not in danger or have to sacrifice their lives get war fever in governments. Then the male hoi polloi for reasons unknown sacrifice their lives for the state. Is that sanity? I don’t think it is.
Lily…which is why reinstating the draft may well be the only solution to end Amerikkka’s wars. No exceptions for heel spurs or flat feet; they can serve in a non combative situation in a war zone, and certainly no exceptions for “Fortunate Sons”, as Creedence Clearwater Revival put it.
Vietnam defined my generation, and opposition to the draft is what ended it.
The draft ended years before the war ended, if you remember, 1975 was when it officially ended. I don’t think even the psychopaths in Wash. are dumb enough to reinstate the draft which wouldn’t go over with the current generation which is less likely than the boomers to use passive resistance. But I could be wrong, you can’t account for what psychopaths may attempt since they run on hubris, pride and contempt for anyone but themselves.
The draft ended in, I believe, ‘73, because my husband just missed it.
And deployments were for two years.
The last draft call was on December 7, 1972, and the
authority to induct expired on June 30, 1973. The date of the last
drawing for the lottery was on March 12, 1975. Registration with the
Selective Service System was suspended on April 1, 1975, and registrant
processing was suspended on January 27, 1976.
And what about “the street”? … the WMD jingo without Colin Powell won’t work again. The whole world is in the know re this cold blooded massacre. The Street would rise even in EU & US. Also risking universal anti-Semitism.
As Blinken says, they, of course, prefer to continue “diplomacy” (meaning slow death blockade); but, Ramsey Clark did seem to indicate that Iran was in for the same medicine as Iraq, Syria, Libya, …, even if they surrender. So, while what you say is true, our Imperial stewards are not paragons of wisdom.
Indeed, Clark’s remarks are chilling, but the events of the ensuing years showed something obvious: The neocons were overconfident and blinded by it going into Iraq. The reason Iran was not attacked is because Iraq so thoroughly and quickly fell apart. Rather than Westernizing as promised, the new Iraqi government, composed largely of Shia, embraced Iran. Then came the Iraqi Civil War, the consolidation of Iraqi Shia militias into the Iran-sponsored umbrella of the PMF to fight ISIS, etc.
Interestingly, in the run up to the Iraq War, the Iranians reached out to America to enthusiastically endorse the overthrow of their nemesis Saddam, and proposed joint operations like in Afghanistan. Of course, since Iran is the main target of American intervention in the region, that offer was rejected and the inevitable alignment of Iraqi Shia to Iran proceeded in direct conflict with the Western occupation. PBS Frontline interviewed a diplomat in Showdown with Iran who has served as a back channel of communication. He said, paraphrasing, “There was never any doubt on Iran’s side that Saddam had to go… But after Saddam falls, that place will be a mess. We must be part of that mess.”
And if America and NATO could not even pacify a fake country like Iraq, even the most ardent of war hawks know a war with Iran, a civilization twenty times older than America, would be a catastrophe.
Note that this is our cultured and very urbane chief diplomat saying “give war a chance” not some crazed general Jack D. Ripper or even Buck Turgidson.
Note also that per the Nuremberg judgement as well as UN laws, an unprovoked military attack is a war crime.
Iraq II.
It’s not a war crime if Wash. does it, only other countries are guilty.
We know it would be a war crime, but the US has the “Hague Invasion Plan” to fall back on, which ensures that no US citizen or ally will ever set foot inside the ICC.
Just another example of how Amerikkka attempts to demonize a sovereign nation that’s minding it own business; meanwhile, the true actual demons, Amerikkka and Israhell, hold themselves up to be paragons of virtue.
Does the Blinkin’ Idiot really believe that Amerikkkan servicemen/women want another war for Israhell? Will this parasitic relationship EVER cease to exist?
As long as AIPAC and other Zionist lobbies support both parties campaigns, it will never end. It’s all about money and power in Wash.
She asked if any of those options included possible military action. “As we always say, every option is on the table,” Blinken said.
The little turd’s answer should have been that that would be up to congress. But he didn’t want the interviewer to burst out laughing.
The state is busy giving the potus exclusive power to wage war without congress as they further trash the Constitution.
The potus wouldn’t know war from peace in his mental state.
If Biden does order a strike, he would the be in the company of very bad leaders, like George W. Bush.
I think he already is. At this relatively early stage of his presidency he’s already allowing his poorly-chosen cabinet and advisors to advocate for war.
I’m racking my brains trying to recall the last president to advocate for peace…
The US has never had a peace president, although Carter made a feeble attempt.
Yes, at least he didn’t declare war on Iran over the hostage situation.
Biden is the SOS, and has no authority whatsoever to order any military action.
Blinken?
How long must this charade continue?
Blinken provides an example of why nonviolence cannot solve the problem of American imperialism.
… And Iran won’t rule out firing missiles at US bases in the Persian Gulf in retaliation, not to mention closing the Strait of Hormuz…!
I hope so!
Blink is working on achieving a new low in knee walking obedience to the israeli dictates; he does have stiff competition, however, from his predecessors, e.g. pompass, notsobright, clinton, powell, rice, et al.
Blink is working on achieving a new low in knee walking obedience to the israeli dictates; he does have stiff competition, however, from his predecessors, e.g. pompass, notsobright, clinton, powell, rice, et al.
Remember, as Gen. Wesley Clark exposed a long time ago, Iran is the last country to be taken out in the 7 countries in 5 years plan. (a little late, but still the agenda). You can hear him say just that on YouTube. Trump almost attacked Iran to please Bibi and the Zionist lobbies, but got talked out of it, but war agendas span administrations.
I wonder if they’ve sampled public opinion on these prospective aggressions? and what they have planned for us in the event things turn sour at home?
The American people are never consulted when it comes to war, and by people I mean the hoi polloi, not congress which benefits from war through MIC campaign funding.
But “the Peace Movement” could wake from its long sleep, and reprise the ’60’s. I just think they must have plans for this contingency.
The ‘peace’ movement of the Vietnam era was never about pacifying the American war machine. The threshold for American deaths (25,000?) was exceeded and Americans objected to the price they were asked to pay. Most of these same Americans could not be mobilized against the war crimes perpetrated in Nicaragua, Afghanistan, or Iraq because the war planners did not require enough manpower and the latter two became known as forever wars.
True, but it did create such a headache for the Imperial Managers that the “Wise Men” had to famously step in, … all the way to the Nixon coup.
And it may be you’re right and it would be passive in the face of another daylight slaughter; but, it could be a kinda crescendo to the forever wars which along with anti-Zionism (not to say anti-Semitism) would catalyze the country. And they have to be doing, probably have done, contingency planning and are already planting moles in our midst.
The constant mass media demonizing of Russia, China, and Iran, not to mention Venezuela and Cuba, is increasing to a crescendo and the catalyst for a new war against these threats to American hegemony has already been planned. The ‘headache’ of the opposition to the Vietnam occupation has already been successfully eliminated, as the lies for the invasion of Iraq after 9/11 demonstrated.
Robert, as I mentioned to Lily: the peace movement won’t resurrect itself unless the draft is reinstated.
Aren’t you being reductionist? What about the female protesters? …Hanoi Jane & Phoney Joanie, …. It wasn’t a single variable equation.
Most of us young women DID protest the draft: we didn’t want our brothers, boyfriends, husbands and male friends going to Nam.
Was it only the draft?
Conscription will enable the war complex to start and wage larger wars than Americans experienced in Afghanistan and Iraq. War excites citizens to patriotic duty, not reasoned opposition to the ruling class’s voracious appetite. Conscription did not prevent the Vietnam Holocaust. Conscription allowed it. Should a draft be imposed on the American people, that will be a signal a new war is about to commence and peace advocates will be drowned out by the clarion call to arms, which most Americans, whether conservative Republicans or Democratic liberals, will loyally repeat to any conflicting arguments.
Trump disagreed with the mongers and didn’t do it.
But he put us on that precipice. Saying he prevented a war he damn near instigated isn’t something that should be in Trump’s “pro” column.
But, he almost did, but was talked out of it. Remember?
“Blinken said the US is in “lockstep” with its allies ….”
Specifically “goosestep with Israel.”
bs – the “allies” didn’t want to leave the agreement with Iran and did not.
I pray to god that one day I will wake up and we will have American leaders that are loyal to America and say ” Military option against Iran is OFF the table”. One day please. I’m so tired of this nonsense.
Compounding your crime.
Blinken said the US is in “lockstep” with its allies on Iran’s nuclear program and said, “We still believe diplomacy is the best path forward.” But the threats and fresh sanctions are not sending Iran a positive signal.
The allies you bludgeoned with threats to get your way over sanctions..and who gave in showing what unscrupulous cowards they are.
Blink continues to read from the script prepared by Israel. CENTCOM now a IDF hqtrs.