Peak Oil is You
Donate Bitcoins ;-) or Paypal :-)
Page added on April 18, 2012
Ahmadinejad speech sets edgy tone for nuclear meeting
Iran raised the stakes of an important meeting about its nuclear plans by insulting Arabs and picking a new fight over islands in the Strait of Hormuz.
That’s right: the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to close in retaliation for international resistance to his country’s nuclear program.
Iran says its plans are wholly peaceful. But neighbors, especially Israel but including most nearby Arab states, are worried.
Ahmadinejad gave them more reasons to fret on Apr. 11 when he became the first Iranian head of state to visit Abu Musa, the largest of three islands over which the Islamic Republic and the United Arab Emirates have argued for 40 years. The others are called Greater and Lesser Tunb.
Iranians have occupied the tiny islands since withdrawal of Britain from the Trucial States in 1971. The Trucial States became the UAE, which claims the islands and surrounding oil.
In that position, it receives consistent support from key regional alliances such as the Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab League.
So it wasn’t just the UAE that Ahmadinejad incited with his visit. Indeed, he used the occasion to argue for legitimacy of the name “Persian Gulf” over against “Arabian Gulf,” as preferred by his non-Persian neighbors.
“Since thousands of years ago,” he said, “Iranian culture and civilization [have] been dominant in a vast part of the world, and it was natural to name places after this culture and civilization.”
No one missed the acidic message. The UAE’s Federal National Council denounced Ahmadenijad’s “provocative rhetoric.” GCC Sec. Gen. Abdul Latif Al Zayani also condemned the Iranian leader.
For meetings Apr. 14 between Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and representatives of the United Nations Security Council, Ahmadenijad’s theatrics set an edgy tone.
But his words always have domestic purpose. He might have been preparing treacherously insular Iranian politics for concessions to outsiders on the nuclear program.
The day before the meeting, that was the happy interpretation. Others were possible.
6 Comments on "Ahmadinejad speech sets edgy tone for nuclear meeting"
DC on Wed, 18th Apr 2012 3:30 am
100% BS
Q/That’s right: the Strait of Hormuz, which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to close in retaliation for international resistance to his country’s nuclear program.
Actually, its wrong…but never let reality get in the way of a good lie.
Besides, what business is any of this to OGJ? They sound more like faux-news than the oily rag they are.
BillT on Wed, 18th Apr 2012 5:38 am
DC…Iran is keeping the West guessing, and that is a good thing. About time that there is some boot quaking in the Empire. Wouldn’t a missile taking down Dubai’s huge tower make the UAE think twice? Or maybe one on Jeddah? Or even the Us Fort er…Embassy in Baghdad? After all, the Iranians supposedly have over 400 that are capable of hitting targets withing a few meters from that distance.
Rick on Wed, 18th Apr 2012 3:38 pm
It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. If anyone attacks Iran, the price at the pump goes way up, and could stay that way for months / years. Not too mention, this could also start WWIII. Both are not good, and nothing good will come out of either.
It all depends how crazy the US wants to be, or stupid!
Bottom line, this is all about oil. Peak Oil, resource wars.
Arthur on Wed, 18th Apr 2012 4:58 pm
This article fails to make an important geostrategic point, namely that the three most important oil-producing areas in the Gulf are Shia dominated: Iran, Iraq and Saudi-Arabia. The Shia dominates Iran, after the Clouseau’s in Washington were ready with their adventure in Iraq they effectively handed the joint over to the 60% majority Shia (democracy in action in a tribal world!), after Iraq was first secular ruled by the Sunni minority of 18% around Saddam, effecively handing over Iraq to the Iranian sphere of influence. Duhhh. Finally oil-giant Saudi-Arabia is Sunni controlled, but the Gods in the sky have determined that most oil areas are located in territories inhabited by the Shia minority. And then there was this recent Shia uprising in Qatar, suppressed by SA. Kuwait, another oil-giant has 30% Shia. It is likely they all will support Iran if it gets attacked. Although the Shia is a minority within Islam, it ‘occupies’ most of the oil territories.
Ah well, protestantism was once a minority position in Europe with only a few strongholds like Holland. But Holland exported Protestantism to Britain (or rather tilted the balance) during the Dutch invasion of 1688 (‘Glorious Revolution’), which again was exported to America resulting in the rule of the WASP (white anglo-saxon protestant). All giants once started as a baby. Could apply to the Shia as well. This might very well be the calculation and intention of the Iranian leaders as they don’t look particularly impressed by threats from the West.
Kenz300 on Wed, 18th Apr 2012 8:52 pm
The world is a scary place.
Arthur on Thu, 19th Apr 2012 11:02 am
“The world is a scary place.”
Forget all the horror stories of the twentieth century, you ain’t seen nothing yet. A world with thousands of nukes and 7 times the amount of people it can carry in the long run, is not going to be a pleasant place. To put it mildly. Enjoy the final act of the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ that is the West, but make sure you have some pills stored in a safe place for yourself and your loved-ones.