12/20/06: CBS News reported on Monday that plans are underway for a major buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Gulf. Insider sources told CBS the build-up was to discourage Iranian military activity, not to attack Iran. But given what’s coming out the mouths of Bush administation officials, an attack on Iran by the US cannot be ruled out (read The Next Act by Seymour Hersh to find out why).
This build-up, which is being denied by Pentagon officials, is in
line with recent actions by the US government. On October 30th, the
U.S. led international naval maneuvers 20 miles outside Iranian territorial
waters on the Iranian west coast. Bush’s speech
to the UN in September was nothing other than a war threat to Iran.
This CBS should serve as a wake-up call to anyone thinking that this
regime has suddenly changed course with the Democrats winning Congress
and Rumsfeld resigning. While it remains to be seen exactly what Bush
will decide to do in Iran, there is a logic of escalation posing a
grave and urgent danger to the people of the world.