U.S. Uses Drones to Probe Iran For Arms

[quaoar]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19820-2005Feb12.html

Surveillance Flights Are Sent From Iraq

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 13, 2005; Page A01

The Bush administration has been flying surveillance drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses, according to three U.S. officials with detailed knowledge of the secret effort.

The small, pilotless planes, penetrating Iranian airspace from U.S. military facilities in Iraq, use radar, video, still photography and air filters designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity to gather information that is not accessible by satellites, the officials said. The aerial espionage is standard in military preparations for an eventual air attack and is also employed as a tool for intimidation.

The Iranian government, using Swiss channels in the absence of diplomatic relations with Washington, formally protested the incursions as illegal, according to Iranian, European and U.S. officials, all speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

A U.S. official acknowledged that drones were being used but said the Iranian complaint focused on aircraft overflights by the Pentagon. The United States, the official said, replied with a denial that manned U.S. aircraft had crossed Iran's borders. The drones were first spotted by dozens of Iranian civilians and set off a national newspaper frenzy in late December over whether the country was being visited by UFOs.

[CoffeeCat]

1. Look!!!

Over there!! Aluminum tubes!!

They're on the run, for the love of God!!!!!

OH NO!!!! Is that a....yes, it is!!!! A ROLLING DEATH MOBILE ON WHEELS!!!!

A mobile-weapons lab disguised as an ice-cream truck!!!!

OHMYFRICKIN-FRACK!!!!! Yellow Cake alert!!!! Yellow Cake Alert!!!

What's that I see now???? ABDUL!!!! Step away from the mountain of ricin!!! We see you!!!!

Joel!!! Get off the babysitter!!!

URANIUM!!! IT'S EVERYWHERE!!! EVEN IN THE FALAFEL!!!!!

Over there!!! A TWENTY-FOOT HIGH MOUNTAIN OF WEAPONIZED ANTHRAX!!!!! ...Either that or it's Parmesan cheese.

MUST....INVADE....NOW!!!!!

MUSHROOM CLOUDS!!!!!! MANDATE!!!! IMMINENT THREAT!!!! MUSHROOM SOUP!!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

[CottonBear]

2. LOL! If weren't so G__damn serious.. Shit.

[quaoar]

3. Maybe they'll find Saddam's WMD

[keopeli]

4. All this noise in the MSM

This is not the first Bush* administration, it's the second. They are a much more powerful engine now.

Here are some of the current events:

Drones over Iran is a classic distraction story. It does nothing but make people upset, and news of such an event is top secret unless leaked.

The Social Security megaphone is doing nothing but making a lot of noise, in spite of the fact that EVERYONE except Bush*, Faux News, and FreeRepublic knows this legislation is DOA (and even admit it).

Rice and Rumsfeld are on the offensive.

Release of 9/11 documents

Announcement of Election results in Iraq

The Rice Memo - Hard evidence that Rice lied (R. Clarke)

--

Keo

[TygrBright]

5. Waitasec....

...WHERE are these drones looking?

I thought we were supposed to go to war with tyrannical dictators who oppress their own people and have WMDs, right?

So when do we leave for NORTH KOREA?

Why are we pissing around Tehran, and not Pyongyang?

Whazzat you say?

No OIL in North Korea?

Oh.

Well, never mind.

ironically,
Bright

[bamacrat]

6. dont you mean to plant arms in Iran

[Something of Reason]

7. Typical media hype

I'm starting to think that the media is itching for a war with Iran even more than the Bush admin. I mean honestly, this is a non-story. Guess what, we spy on damn near everyone. Even if we weren't in this retarded war in Iraq, we'd be busy spying on Iran. This is just another sensationalist piece designed to fan the flames.

[Seeing Red]

8. U.S. uses drones to probe Iran for nukes

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6960480/

It's actually from Washington Post, but the MSNBC version doesn't require a registration...

Just like Iraq, they've been planning this for a while ...

[Kagemusha]

9. To be real blunt, I'm glad they're searching for these sites.

That's not a bad thing. Not at all.

It's the other stuff, the stupid stuff, that bothers me.

Gathering field intelligence on WMD is not incompetence in and of itself.

[Seeing Red]

10. I'm not saying it's bad...

It's good that we are gathering intelligence, but it's still interesting that we've been doing this for a while, when Bush makes it sound like we're just turning our attention to Iran recently

[Redstone]

11. And if the Iranians were flying drones

over the US to pinpoint our weapons facilities, would we be screaming bloody murder about "violations of our borders and airspace?"

I think we would.

Redstone

[Disturbed]

12. The U.S. is special.

No laws apply to it.

Why don't the Iranians shoot these drones down?

[Old and In the Way]

13. Exactly. The arrogance and belligerance of this administration

will be our downfall. There are limits to our military power; sadly, too many people here are thinking ego-centrically about our foreign policy....we really don't want Bush to make it an "us against the world" scenario, do we?

[Moderator]

14. kick

[emad]

15. Bush administration said to be using drones to spy on Iran

By Dafna Linzer
The Washington Post
Published February 13, 2005


WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has been flying surveillance drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses, according to three U.S. officials with detailed knowledge of the secret effort.

The small, pilotless planes, penetrating Iranian airspace from U.S. military facilities in Iraq, use radar, video, still photography and air filters designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity, the officials said. The aerial espionage is standard in preparations for an eventual air attack and is also used as a tool for intimidation.

The Iranian government, using Swiss channels in the absence of diplomatic relations with Washington, formally protested the illegal incursions, according to Iranian, European and U.S. officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity.

A U.S. official acknowledged that drones were being used but said the Iranian complaint focused on aircraft overflights by the Pentagon. The U.S., the official said, replied with a denial that manned U.S. aircraft had crossed Iran's borders.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0502130512feb13,1,3760767.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

[IndianaGreen]

16. What if Iran used drones over the US?

What would our ultra-nationalist militaristic compatriots do about that? They would probably demand air strikes against Iran.

America has no God-given mandate to rule the world!

[Just Me]

17. I wonder what direction this foreshadowing is intended to take.

:shrug:

Is this supposed to be a "warning" or is it intended to get Americans warmed up for another war,...perhaps even a world war.

:shrug:

I am genuinely frightened about the direction the neoCONspirators are leading this country. Puts me in an almost perpetual "fight or flight" mode. I hate it!!!! :mad:

[Cooley Hurd]

18. If Iran shoots down one of our drones, it's an act of war...

...at least that's what Bush will say. The overflights are provocation (and, IMHO, an act of war itself).:grr: