Disarmament? Not According To Prophecy (Revelation 16)

 
Nuclear disarmament? Forget it.
More than 100 countries snubbed by nuclear powers
Richard Norton-Taylor

Tuesday 2 June 2015 07.17 EDT
Last modified on Tuesday 2 June 2015 08.15 EDT

The latest nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) review conference did not make waves. There was hardly a word in the mainstream media.

Perhaps it was not surprising. What is there newsworthy in hundreds of diplomats and scores of NGOs over a period of four weeks calling for nuclear disarmament, in effect praising motherhood and apple pie?

Yet the UN-sponsored conference in New York did not end in bland consensus. Far from it. It ended in disarray and angry exchanges.

Non-nuclear countries, ie most of the world, pointed the finger at the five “official” nuclear powers – the US, UK, Russia, China, and France.

South African delegates compared “the sense that the NPT has degenerated into minority rule” to apartheid. Specifically, the US blamed Egypt for an “unrealistic and unworkable” demand – setting a deadline for a conference on a nuclear-free Middle East.

In rare praise for Barack Obama, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, thanked the US – and the UK and Canada – for blocking Egypt’s proposal.

The conference failed to agree on any meaningful steps towards nuclear disarmament, including of course filling what is called the “legal gap “ – ie prohibiting the use if nuclear weapons in the same way, by a treaty, that other weapons of mass destruction, biological and chemical weapons, are prohibited.

But more than 100 governments committed themselves to working for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons by endorsing a “humanitarian pledge”. That pledge, said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ICAN,

“must be the basis for the negotiations of a new treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons”.

The official nuclear-armed states are estimated to possess about 15,650 nuclear weapons (the vast majority in US and Russian arsenals; the UK has “no more than 120” of what Michael Fallon described to MPs earlier this year as “operationally available” nuclear warheads).

The Foreign Office minister, Baroness Anelay, told the NPT review conference that the UK would “retain a credible and effective minimum nuclear deterrent for as long as the global security situation makes that necessary”.

Disarmament campaigners pointed out that such an approach could encourage other countries to adopt a “deterrence doctrine”, thereby actually inciting nuclear proliferation.

“My government”, said the Queen’s Speech last week, “will work to reduce the threat from nuclear weapons…”

Lord West, former first sea lord and Labour security minister was quick to point out, curiously she did not mention Trident. A “yawning gap”, he called it.

Yet, he added, Trident was seen as so important for the Conservatives that Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, “wrote to every household in Barrow before the election saying that voting for the Labour candidate would put the deterrent at risk and hence all their jobs.”.

West, like Labour’s front bench, are in favour of replacing the four-submarine Trident fleet. But he also described the fact that the navy being reduced to just 19 “escort” ships – destroyers and frigates – as “nothing less than a national disgrace”.

Pressure on the defence budget, a large part of which will be devoted to Trident amnd aircraft carriers over the next decade, threatens to force further cuts in the navy’s conventional surface fleet – the ships it needs most for maritime operations, including surveillance and combatting pirates and drug traffickers.

“We are at a turning point”, said West. “Defence is in a crisis…Without an increase in defence spending we are on a road to disaster.” Something must give.

Don’t Be Surprised If NO Deal (Ezekiel 17)

Former U.S. Ambassador: Iran Deal ‘Hard to Sell’

The former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq acknowledged on Sunday morning that some of the pessimism surrounding the Iran nuclear talks was warranted, calling the potential deal “hard to sell.”

Christopher Hill, who was also the chief disarmament negotiator in the failed nuclear talks with North Korea, said that both the United States and Iran will have a hard time convincing their people that the deal is a good one.

“Certainly from the U.S. vantage point, they need to go back to Washington and kind of oversell the deal,” argued Hill in an appearance on “Meet the Press.”

“The deal is so hinged on technical issues that it is going to be hard to sell,” Hill said.

Hill added that the Iranians will have to tout the lifting of sanctions back in Tehran, but that neither side will achieve a “very nice and clean deal.”

“Both sides are going to have a heck of a time selling it back in capitals,” he added. “And so I think some of this pessimism is very real.”

The former ambassador also addressed the concern that allies like Saudi Arabia have that Iran will be strengthened both through the nuclear deal and through partnering in the fight in Yemen. “From the Saudi perspective, they look at this deal with Iran and they see something that goes beyond just the nuclear issue,” Hill said. “They see some kind of … re-emerging partnership with the U.S. and Iran.”

Iran Preparing For The Final War (Rev 16:13)

Iran’s Supreme Leader: Jihad Will Continue Until America is No More

May 25, 2014 2:02 PM.

Iran’s Supreme Leader: Jihad Will Continue Until America is No More

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, all but said on Sunday that negotiations over the country’s illicit nuclear program are over and that the Islamic Republic’s ideals include destroying America.

“Those (Iranians) who want to promote negotiation and surrender to the oppressors and blame the Islamic Republic as a warmonger in reality commit treason,” Khamenei told a meeting of members of parliament, according to the regime’s Fars News Agency.

Khamenei emphasized that without a combative mindset, the regime cannot reach its higher Islamic role against the “oppressors’ front.”

“The reason for continuation of this battle is not the warmongering of the Islamic Republic. Logic and reason command that for Iran, in order to pass through a region full of pirates, needs to arm itself and must have the capability to defend itself,” he said.

“Today’s world is full of thieves and plunderers of human honor, dignity and morality who are equipped with knowledge, wealth and power, and under the pretence of humanity easily commit crimes and betray human ideals and start wars in different parts of the world.”

In response to a question by a parliamentarian on how long this battle will continue, Khamenei said,“Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

Khamenei cited the scientific advancement of the country. “The accelerated scientific advancement of the last 12 years cannot stop under any circumstances,” he said, referring to the strides the regime has made toward becoming a nuclear power.

As reported on May 19 on The Daily Caller, Iran has put up new roadblocks to reaching a deal with the P5+1 world powers over its illicit nuclear program. The powers are the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, plus Germany.

Three days of negotiations in the fourth round of Geneva meetings ended recently without concrete results when the Iranian team presented the country’s new “red lines” — diminishing any hope by the Obama administration to claim victory in its approach to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to reports from Iran.

The Obama administration had hoped that with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif showing an eagerness to solve the nuclear issue and address the West’s concerns, there would be a possibility for a negotiated solution. An interim agreement penned last November in Geneva was touted as a “historic nuclear deal.”

Under that agreement, Iran, in return for billions of dollars in sanctions relief, limited its enrichment activity to the 5 percent level with a current stockpile of over 10 tons (enough for six nuclear bombs), converted much of its 20 percent enriched stock to harmless oxide and agreed to allow more intrusive inspections of its nuclear plants by the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspections were limited to only agreed-upon facilities.

The Iranian delegation last week presented new red lines that could not be crossed, including the expansion of the country’s research and development for its nuclear program, the need of the country to continue enrichment, and the fact that the country’s ballistic missile program — despite U.N. sanctions — is not up for negotiation.

At the same time, IAEA officials met again with their Iranian counterparts last week in Tehran to discuss information on the work on detonators and needed collaboration by the regime to clear outstanding issues on its nuclear program as part of seven transparency steps Iran had agreed to fulfill by May 15, which has yet to take place.

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and author of the award winning book “A Time to Betray” (Simon & Schuster, 2010). He serves on the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and the advisory board of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran (FDI).

This From The Leader Of Islam That Says “GOD BEGETS NO SON” (Quran 23)

By Salma Abdelaziz, CNN

December 30, 2014 — Updated 1514 GMT (2314 HKT)

Khamenei’s Iron Fist

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei compares U.S. protests to Middle East conflicts
• One tweet included #BlackLivesMatter, a hashtag popularized by supporters of Eric Garner

Abu Dhabi (CNN) — In a series of blunt tweets over the holiday weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered America’s debate on race and police violence — comparing unrest in states like New York and Missouri to conflicts in the Middle East.

On Sunday he tweeted: “#Jesus endured sufferings to oppose tyrants who had put humans in hell in this world& the hereafter while he backed the oppressed. #Ferguson”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s chief political and religious authority, acknowledged the role of Jesus in Islamic theology and compared the biblical prophet’s struggle to that of black people in the United States.

The tweet included #BlackLivesMatter, a hashtag popularized in recent weeks by supporters of Eric Garner, a 43-year old African-American man that died after being put in a chokehold by a NYPD officer.

It read: “It’s expected that followers of #Jesus follow him in his fight against arrogants and in his support for the oppressed. #BlackLivesMatter”

On Christmas Eve, the Ayatollah lumped the struggle of Palestinians in the Gaza strip with protests in Ferguson, Missouri, where black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by police, and called on members of all three monotheistic faiths to stand-up against oppression.

The tweet said: “#Jesus like all prophets was herald of monotheism& human dignity; nowadays humanity needs this message more than ever.#Ferguson #Gaza 1/1/93″

The unverified Twitter account, widely accepted as the mouthpiece of the Ayatollah’s social media campaign, often posts diatribes against the West and Israel to its more than 91,000 followers.

In August of this year, the leader published a poignant image that criticized President Barack Obama’s support for Israel during the country’s military operation to debilitate Hamas, a group many Western nations including the U.S. designate as a terrorist organization.

“US govt has subjugated a great nation w/ massive resources to a criminal regime like #Israel.10/31/12 #Ferguson #Gaza,” it said.

In response, some Twitter users accused the Ayatollah of hypocrisy, and tweeted him with hashtags such as #AllLivesMatter, #GayLivesMatter and #KurdishLivesMatter.

Human rights groups and observers regularly criticize the country for its poor record on executions, the treatment of political prisoners, and women.

In its 2013 report on Iran, Human Rights Watch said: “Many civil society activists remained in prison on political charges. Authorities regularly subjected prisoners, especially those convicted on politically motivated charges, to abuse and deprive them of necessary medical treatment.

“Iranian women continued to face discrimination in many areas including personal status matters. Authorities restricted political participation and employment of minority groups, who account for about 10% of the population.”

Who Doesn’t Know The Truth About Iran’s Nukes Anyway?

West May Drop Demand for Iran Nuclear ‘Confession’

No Breakthrough Yet as Nuclear Talks Deadline Looms

By Reuters

Published November 22, 2014

Vienna — World powers will press Iran to cease stonewalling a U.N. atomic bomb investigation as part of a wider nuclear accord, but will likely stop short of demanding full disclosure of any secret weapon work by Tehran to avoid killing an historic deal.

Officially, the United States and its Western allies say it is vital that Iran fully addresses the concerns of the U.N. nuclear agency if it wants a diplomatic settlement that would end sanctions severely hurting its oil-based economy.

“Iran’s previous activities have to come to light and be explained,” a senior Western diplomat said.
Privately, however, some officials acknowledge that Iran would probably never admit to what they believe it was guilty of: covertly working in the past to develop the means and expertise needed to build a nuclear-armed missile.

Iran denies this and says its nuclear program is peaceful.

The six powers face a delicate balancing act: Israel and hawkish U.S. lawmakers – wary of any rapprochement with old foe Iran – are likely to pounce on a deal if they believe it is too soft on Tehran’s alleged nuclear arms activity.

A senior Western official said the six would try to “be creative” in coming up with a formula that would satisfy demands by those who want Iran to come clean about any atomic bomb research and those who say it is unrealistic to expect the country to openly acknowledge it.

The outcome could also affect the standing of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which for years has been trying to investigate what it calls the possible military dimensions (PMD) of Iran’s nuclear program.

While the global powers – the United States, France, Germany, Russia, China and Britain – seek to persuade Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment program to lengthen the timeline for any bid to assemble nuclear arms, the IAEA is investigating possible research on designing an actual bomb.

The aim is to reach a comprehensive solution to end a 12-year nuclear dispute by a Nov. 24 deadline, though diplomats say it is more likely that the negotiations will be extended.

If an eventual accord does not put strong pressure on Iran to increase cooperation with the IAEA by making it a condition for some sanctions relief, it may hurt its future credibility, according to some diplomats accredited to the agency.

“You don’t want to undermine the integrity of the IAEA,” one said.

The IAEA issued a report in 2011 with intelligence information indicating concerted activities until about a decade ago that could be relevant for developing nuclear bombs, some of which the U.N. agency said may be continuing.

“SIMPLY IRRELEVANT”

Iran has made clear that it is not an issue it is ready to budge on. “PMD is out of question. It cannot be discussed,” an Iranian official said.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano this week said Iran had again failed to provide explanations needed for the inquiry, making clear it has made scant headway in recent months.

“I believe the PMD issue is not a deal-breaker even though it probably should be,” another Western official said. The official added that many inside the IAEA and Western governments shared concerns about the deadlocked investigation and felt uneasy about compromising on the issue.

Iran denies ever harboring any nuclear bomb ambitions and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a religious decree against atomic weaponry.

Because of this, experts say, it is virtually impossible for the Iranian leadership to make any “mea culpa” about activity geared towards developing nuclear bombs.

Another reason Tehran might be reluctant to admit to any wrongdoing is that it could later be used as a justification for Iran’s enemies to attack it out of “self-defense.”

As a result, the powers are weighing how hard to press it.

A U.S. official said it was “a fine line” that needs to be walked on PMD. The six want to make sure the Iranians address the issue to some extent, but do not want to hit them so hard with it that they feel like they will lose face.

Experts differ on whether Iran must come completely clean: some argue it is necessary to ensure that any such work has since been halted but others say this can be achieved without a “confession.”

 

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/209712/west-may-drop-demand-for-iran-nuclear-confession/#ixzz3JxFOHdBu

“When There Is No Vision, the People Perish” (Proverbs 29:18)

Obama admits to no set plan in fight against ISIS

CBS News

Obama: Cool or Clueless?

August 29, 2014, 7:02 AM

President Obama says the U.S. is planning for military action against ISIS in Syria, but now is not the time to strike just yet. Meanwhile, Republicans are accusing the president of having “no plan” to deal with the terror group after Obama said, “We don’t have a strategy yet.” Bill Plante reports from the White House.