Meanwhile In Iran...

מוצש"ק פר' שמות תשע"ד

The following is a stringing together of reports from the traditionally left-wing YNET News (Yedioth Aharonoth). After reading these reports, you should know why I mention YNET's leanings.

Obama: Now is not the time for new Iran sanctions
Reuters via YNET, Deember 20, 2013 

U. S. President
Barack Obama

Obama, who has warned that new sanctions could scuttle the negotiations, said that "if we are serious" about seeking a final nuclear agreement, the United States has to act in ways that do not increase Iranian suspicions.... 

...On Thursday, Obama said he would veto legislation imposing new sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, , after a group of senators introduced such a bill. "If it were to pass, the president will veto it," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. 

The bill attempts to secure automatic sanctions should Iran break the deal, a key Israeli demand, and promises Israel support if it feels the need to launch such an attack. 

"If the government of Israel is compelled to take military action in legitimate self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapon program, the United States government should stand with Israel," the bill states. It calls for "diplomatic, military and economic support" to Israel in such an eventuality.

Senators from both parties introduced the legislation on Thursday, despite appeals from the White House, which wants to avoid implementing new penalties while the US is holding nuclear negotiations with the Islamic republic....

This is "deal" we have so far,...that is, if you can call it a deal.

Image Credit: Positively Republican

So, when will a Western leader finally admit that Arabs and Persians are not Western, do act process things like Westerners, nor will they ever become Westerners?

Talk about repeating the same mistakes over again expecting different results!

Obama: Strengthen sanctions only if Iran reneges on deal 
Yitzhak Benhorin, YNET, December 21, 2013 

At an end-of-the-year White House press conference, President Barack Obama reiterated his position and strategy for dealing with Iran's nuclear aspirations: "It is my goal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon… I'm keeping all options on the table, but if I can do it diplomatically, that's how we should do it." 

Obama said that he believed his strategy was supported by the voters: "I would think that would be the preference of everybody up on Capitol Hill, because that sure is the preference of the American people..." 

...The final press conference of the year took place moments before the president and his family boarded Air Force One on their way to a Christmas vacation in Hawaii....

I sincerely doubt that this is really "the preference of the American people." Who knows? Maybe it is, considering the information it is spoon-fed, while pumped up on high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.

Meanwhile in Iran...

The Iranian threat to Israel
(Click to enlarge)

Iran successfully launches long range missile (YNET, December 21, 2013) 
The Iranian air force has successfully launched the Qadr long range ballistic missile, which can reach distances of over 200 km*, the Fars news agency reported.

(*See comments below on this reported figure)

This development really makes one wonder. Is President Obama just naive or stupid? Or he is focused on ulterior motives?

Hmm...

The following are excerpts from an Op-ed, which provides an excellent analysis of the "Iranian Situation." It is worth reading in its entirety. The excerpts below, are provided here to emphasize the Iranian threat.

An Iranian Victory
Op-ed: US, EU seen as enablers to long-lasting Iranian expansion in Middle East, Central Asia and Southern Caucasus
Riccardo Dugulin, December 21, 2013

On December 16, an article published on the New Yorker quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as follows: "If our centrifuges do not continue to turn, no other wheel shall turn for our dignity, independence, power and security."

Such a stance has to be understood as part of the Persian wider revolutionary strategic positioning. While many analysts argue that Tehran is not a rational player due to the apocalyptic messages a majority of its leaders have been pronouncing since 1979, it may be possible to speculate that the Islamic Republic has a set of clear foreign policy objectives.

In addition, due to the current show of weakness by the Western world it is likely that Iran’s establishment considers these political, military and economic objectives highly attainable. To put it in a simpler way, Iran feels it is a step closer to winning a war that has been lasting for almost three decades...

...four objectives shaping Iran’s foreign policy, and ultimately Tehran’s understanding of victory.

(1) ...the first objective of the Shiite revolutionary country is to undermine Israel and the United States’ security and presence in the region. This objective goes beyond simple ideological boundaries and is in itself a structuring element of the Iranian military and political establishment. The drive for the nuclear bomb has to be understood as a central element in this credo...

(2) Tehran has relentlessly advocated a territorial expansionist agenda. Teheran claims sovereignty over Iraq’s Shatt-al-Arab, on Bahrain, on the Abu Musa islands and the Strait of Hormuz. It is important to note that Iran has no intention of converting Sunnis into Shias, however it maintains the goal of becoming a hegemonic power over Muslim populations in the region.

(3) The third purpose is defined by the Iranian protracted effort to increase its power projection capabilities. The best example can be found in the political and human capital it invests in Lebanon and Syria. Through Hezbollah, its support for Hamas and a number of other para-military organizations in Iraq and the Gulf, Iran intends to effectively impose its regional views by challenging state sovereignty and creating parallel structures meant to weaken central institutions and implement revolutionary policies...

(4) The fourth Iranian goal, which is today at the forefront of the Persian PR campaign, is found in Tehran's ambition to normalize its image. For this, it has been expanding its economic influence throughout its direct neighborhood...

... it must be highlighted that the current US administration, along with its European partners, is giving Tehran all the signals stating that its regional ambitions will not be challenged...

This situation sees the US and the EU as enablers to a long lasting Iranian expansion in the Middle East, in Central Asia and in Southern Caucasus. As President Obama virtually surrendered the threat of a military action, Iran is now free to keep on enriching uranium while increasing its armed presence in the Near East.

As a portion of US and EU lobbyists see in the Iranian market a dreamt investment land, they veil their judgment and keep on being charmed by Rohani’s smile.

As Western societies are increasingly numbed by anti-Israeli and revolutionary rhetoric, they are not able to push for diplomatic moves aimed at countering Teheran’s destructive messages....

Iran is most definitely a threat. But, is Iran also being used to distract us from other sneaky things going on in the U. S. and/or Israel? Either left-wing YNET is towing the  right of center party line against Iran, its part of the distraction force, or both.