Iran state T.V.: Aircraft fires missile near city of Dailam in Iran

[allemand]

15:33 Iran state T.V.: Aircraft fires missile near city of Dailam in Iran

15:31 Large explosion heard near city of Dailam in Iran

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

[allemand]

1. Iranian TV: Unknown aircraft fires missile at southern city of Dailam

Last Update: 16/02/2005 15:40

Iranian TV: Unknown aircraft fires missile at southern city of Dailam

By News Agencies

Iranian state TV reported Thursday afternoon that an aircraft had fired a missile at an area south of the city of Dailam in the Bushehr province of Iran.

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province. Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 20 km from the city," Iran's Arabic language Al-Alam said.

The area houses one of Iran's nuclear facilities, over which the international community has expressed concern. Iran insists that the facilities are to produce energy and not for atomic weapons.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/541175.html

[peacebird]

2. please tell me we haven;t just fired a missile at Iran?

:wtf:

tell me bush isn't THAT stupid?!?

[dweller]

<crickets>


dp

[ElsewheresDaughter]

153. it has to be either US or Israel...and so it begins?

[DistantWind88]

154. Looks like it was the Iranians themselves N/T

[ECH1969]

3. IRAN: 'MISSILE BLAST NEAR NUKE PLANT'

An unknown aircraft has fired a missile in a deserted area near Dailam where Iran has a nuclear power plant, Iranian state television has said.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1171222,00.html

[BlueEyedSon]

4. uh oh....

[Jacobin]

5. and so it begins

[LynzM]

121. Great minds think alike?

:)

[regionalprogressive]

165. It has begun...

This is merely the first shot in an all-out dam building war which promises to create evil lakes the world over. ROFLMAO


"What happened was only a natural part of building work. These were heavy blasts carried out for the construction of the dam," Ali Reza Afshar, deputy to the chief of staff of the armed forces, told state television.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=721&e=3&u=/nm/20050216/wl_nm/iran_blast_dc

[LynzM]

6. And so it begins?

I really, really hope not...

[Jacobin]

8. Fired from a plane

[ClintonTyree]

7. An "uknown plane"..........................

hmmmmmmmmmm, I'm pretty sure what's written on the side of that plane.

[benburch]

9. Yep "CIA"

Most likely one of our armed robot spy drones.

[YDogg]

112. "We're here to spread some ...

... ya know, Democratizationizzit"

[flpoljunkie]

15. And CNN"s Cafferty says, "Middle East just percolating along..."

These idiots do not seem to understand the gravity of what has apparently just happened.

[Cooley Hurd]

38. Cactus Jack has the IQ of a... well, 'cactus.'

[rainbow4321]

84. Translation: "Yay, our ratings are going to skyrocket for Feb. sweeps" n/t

[David__77]

132. Take with grain of salt: headline from Sky News/Fox clique.

Let's wait for more credible sources.

[Delphinus]

149. What???!!!

Please don't let it be us. Please.

[cthrumatrix]

10. Bush diplomacy at work.... all for oil

[ozone_man]

14. Follow the oil

And you will see where the next wars or military coups will be.

[Cooley Hurd]

11. MSNBC/Reuters also reporting it...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6979561/

BREAKING NEWS

Updated: 8:48 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2005TEHRAN, Iran - An unknown aircraft fired a missile on Wednesday in a deserted area near the southern city of Dailam in the province of Bushehr where Iran has a nuclear power plant, Iranian state television said.

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province. Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 12 miles from the city," Iran's Arabic language Al-Alam said.
</snip>

Uh-oh...

CNN breaking in with it, also...

[peacebird]

17. guess the harsh words directed at Syria were a smokescreen...

or have we withdrawn our diplomats from the entire middle east?

this is total insanity.... i am utterly dumfounded...

[MaineDem]

12. Oh please, no! (nt)

[htuttle]

13. This story is coming out in a strange and telling way

Flipping through the TV channels and looking at the other thread, it looks like it's coming out through Haaretz (expected because it's regional), Faux news (I caught part of a segment while flipping), and Sky.com (Murdoch). Now CNN has it on as 'Just In'.

Has William Randolph Hearst's paper weighed in on it yet? It would be traditional, after all.

I'm sure other channels/papers will cover it as it develops -- just thought it was interesting who was trumpeting the story first. Wonder if they got a head's up call?

[peacebird]

93. so cynical, htuttle, so cynical and probably absolutely right.

[qanda]

16. I guess the Gannon story was getting too hot

Oh well, WWWIII here we come.

[Ganja Ninja]

24. What Gannon story?

About the only thing you see on it is what's on the web. Everything else is buried in section B page 14. And all the MSM is doing is using it as an excuse to attack left wing bloggers.

[LinuxInsurgent]

27. MonicaGate part deux? Operation Fox Part Deux

Keep your eye on the pretty missile...ignoring the gay male prostitution near the President....that's it....

[ashmanonar]

48. or maybe you've got it backwards...

we've distracted you with the gay prostitute long enough, so you weren't paying attention to the pretty missile we've fired?

[txaslftist]

57. BINGO!

The Gannon story is chickenshit compared to this.

Gannongate makes a good distraction to keep us busy while Condaleeza is out trying to pound the drums of war against Iran.

[ashmanonar]

69. if so...i'm scared now.

guh. why am i more worried about a draft now than i ever have been?

[regionalprogressive]

166. We need lots of water to cool down the gannon story...

Thankfully, the new iranian dam will supply it. LOL

[BrainRants]

18. And thus ends the momentum of Gannon story...

R.I.P.

Predictable!

MSM will be all over this and Jacko now.

[dweller]

19. more news...stock futures fall

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=749&e=1&u=/nm/bs_nm/markets_stocks_dc
Stock Futures Fall After Iran Blast News
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures fell sharply on
Wednesday following news reports of an explosion in Iran that state
television there attributed to a missile fired by an unknown aircraft.

"This explosion basically sent chills down the
spines of futures traders," said Phil Flynn,
senior market analyst at Alaron Trading Corp
in Chicago. "Oil prices reacted immediately
and rallied up to the highs and this caused a
corresponding drop in stock prices."

S&P 500 futures were down 7 points, below
fair value accounting for interest rates,
dividends and time to expiration on the
contract.

Dow Jones industrial index futures were down
48 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 8 points.

dp

if you follow the link above (Yahoo) the story has changed 3 times on the stock mkts reaction...and appears to have eased.

[northernsoul]

98. remind me to gas up the car NOW before it hits $3/ gallon

oh yeah, that and discreetly inquiring about citizenship in New Zealand.

[complain jane]

20. So this what they meant by saying

they learned from their "political mishandling" of the war in Iraq... now when they want to attack they won't bother drawing pictures of trucks and trying to build alliances, they'll just start firing off missiles all willy nilly.

Is he out of his fucking mind?

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Earlier today: Iran airforce to shoot down any unknown aircraft

Iran says the US has been flying unmanned surveillance drones over the country's nuclear sites.

Such spying activities have been going on for a "long time", said Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi.

He said the air force had been ordered to shoot down any unknown or suspicious aircraft in Iranian airspace.

"Most of the shining objects that our people see over Iran's airspace are American spying equipment used to spy on Iran's nuclear facilities," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4269835.stm

[rainbow4321]

89. Life imitating art....

Anyone see West Wing last week?? Their storyline: Iran shot down a British airliner that accidently wandered into it's airspace cuz they thought it was one of our spyplanes??

[blondeatlast]

22. AP Radio also reporting this. nt

[txaslftist]

23. Hate to say I told you so....

...but this is close to exactly what I've been predicting:

The US conducts "surgical air strikes" against Iran to provoke Iran into attacking us. Iran attacks our on the ground troops in Iraq. We have to respond with force.

Bush gets his war with Iran without seeking or needing congressional approval.

[htuttle]

25. Hmm...speaking of that

Anyone know what US Navy ships are in the Persian Gulf right now?

If none, have they left recently? That would be very telling if so.

[insane_cratic_gal]

67. Ships are still there

Navy ships are still parked in the gulf. Troops move in and out of the gulf via ship. Replaced with fresh troops, and troops sent home are carted by ship. (but rummy doesn't believe they are important.)

A bit scary to be sitting ducks out there, but ducks they are.

You will not know and where they are exactly, until they are in US water's.

[HawkerHurricane]

There are always US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf.

The question is, where are the Carriers? Are they in the Gulf of Oman (NASNAS, Naval Air Station North Arabian Sea, sometimes called Gonzo Station) or in the Gulf itself? If the carriers are in the Gulf, the target is landlocked Syria; if in the Gulf of Oman it's Iran.

[Skink]

29. They attacked us is all they need.

[DistantWind88]

30. This ain't that.

One missile from one plane? HIGHLY unlikely that single event is a "surgical air strike."

[txaslftist]

You're right, definitely not surgical...

...on the other hand, if the headline was "unknown foreign airplane fires missile into deserted area in southern New Mexico" and we were in some kind of hot political dispute with Mexico at the time (granted not likely since Mexico is our buttpuppet), would we hesitate to blame the Mexicans?

The idea is not to actually blow up the nuke site, since it would then be OBVIOUS we were attacking them, but to provoke them into attacking US.

As a provocation, this is fairly wimpy.

OTOH, next time we miss we might well kill some folks. That would not be so wimpy a provocation, and would get the Iranians irate.

[rainy]

52. Ah ha, the great 1441, war power to bush if iraq is involved

no congress needed, already signed over the power to bush.

[katty]

157. exactly, the perfect scenario

as usual, with israel, mossad, cia all the players poking sticks at the beehive-doing what they do best to get their war on.

[necso]

26. An attack with a single aircraft

and/or a single missile seems an unlikely scenario -- except as a provocation by unknown parties -- and/or as a defensive-measure/retaliation against an AA groundsite.

We need more information -- hard information.

The timing of that Syrian/Iranian announcement could just be a coincidence.

[DistantWind88]

28. One missile? One plane?

Doesn't sound like a U.S. attack to take out their nuke capacity. When the Israeli's took out the reactor at Osirsk (sp?), they used dozens of aircraft, dropping scores of bombs.

Wonder what's really going on.

[leesa]

34. Provocation. Could be coming from a number of sources. Israel and

the US are the number one suspects for me, but it could be internal provocation too.

[HereSince1628]

53. Internal provacteurs in the Arab world havn't shot missiles

from planes.

That would be a new development that will have the US in the Security Council doing powerpoints of the risk to the US Homeland.

[flobee1kenobi]

35. Big suprise

Faux is still talking about Jacko

[HereSince1628]

37. It sorta sounds like a demonstration shot.

"You think your facilities are hidden...but, look we know where they are and we can hit them at will..."

[fryguy]

62. warning shot

like putting a round across the bow of a ship - shows capability

[Just Me]

86. *LOL* What could be an "act of war" called "warning shot".

Whew!

[Zenaholic]

Can someone explain how this can happen?

If this was a US missle, which I'm not convinced it was (we don't usually miss do we?). How can this happen? Isn't there a congress that has to approve such things like going to war? We aren't in a dictatorship yet (are we?):wtf:

[rainy]

56. 1441 gave bush power to attack if Iraq is remotely connected

in any way.

[fryguy]

63. did we miss?

seems to me there it is more likely that whatever fired/dropped it was likely AIMING for the deserted area as a way of showing capability - letting Tehran know we can reach out and touch them

[rainbow4321]

100. "we don't usually miss, do we?"

We do, but it is quickly followed up with "it's THEIR fault..how did WE know it was a <insert building type here> full of innocent civilians and children" <insert throwing a few thousand bucks at our victims here to make up for our "miss">.

[DU GrovelBot]

31. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

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This week is our first quarter 2005 fund drive. Democratic
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[RPM]

135. yes grovelbot... this is dangerous

new grovelbot is soooooo smart

[quaoar]

32. This can't be an American attack

If we were attacking it would not be a single aircraft. It would most likely be a cruise missile attack against multiple targets.

And if it were an attack by aircraft, it would most likely be Stealth fighters.

[DistantWind88]

43. You're right

It would be a combination of air- and sea-launched cruise missiles accompanied by dozens of F-117s and B-2s. This (AS REPORTED-one aircraft, with one missile) isn't a U.S. attack.

[Just Me]

And,...why wouldn't Rummy use a single aircraft,...an unmanned one?

:eyes:

[DistantWind88]

97. To do what?

[demnan]

33. I need a drink!

n/t

[shadowknows69]

36. I hear that

double vodka tonic please. Stoly only.

[Skink]

40. Headline: Iran to shoot down American Drones.

Where in there does it say Iran attacked with missile.:mad:

[AFSCME girl]

64. Me too! n/t

:scared:

[LinuxInsurgent]

39. Iranians are saying

that it could have been fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane...it may be accidental...just heard on MSNBC TV

[shadowknows69]

41. what Iranians?

is that the whole source or did MSM bother to call someone with credentials.

[rodeodance]

44. is this just another 'media driven" story-? before any sustainable facts

are out?

[DistantWind88]

50. Looks that way--"The sky is falling!"

[LinuxInsurgent]

45. Pentagon reporting RIGHT NOW ON MSNBC!

Pentagon denying any involvement...and doubt any other nation is involved.

[leftchick]

76. of course they do

:eyes:

[TankLV]

158. If the Pentagon is denying it, that confirms it for me.

The US is up to their armpits in this.

Believe what our Pentagon says. Riiiiiigt.

Nothing to see here.

Move along.

[flobee1kenobi]

46. conflicting reports

Sounds like Iran is holding for the facts before they open fire

[Skink]

47. An accident starts WWIII....

Cool.:argh:

[LinuxInsurgent]

65. An interpretation - read

May offer an interpretation.

Iranians say it's an accident...it's obviously no foreign attack...just one explosion is evidence that it's not a foreign attack...no nation would rationally shoot one insignificant missile and deal with the consequences...if they are gonna do it, they go all the way.

Perhaps it's not an accident...perhaps Syria and Iran were waiting to make their "common front" announcement and used the "accident" as a media garnering tool...now that they have AMerican media covering...they announce the "common front".

The reception of the "common front" news is being taken in the American media as a MAJOR development...would it have been received in such a way if the United States wasn't in an anxiety-uproar over an explosion in Iran? It probably would have been relegated to the "Baghdad Bob" pages of Middle East chest-thumping bullcrap (like all previous Iranian and Syrian threats).

I couldn't have planned it better it I was Iran and Syria...they have the FULL ATTENTION of the Americans...and their "common front" message has been received with alarm, fear, and anxiety. They were taken seriously...and that's what they wanted.

The accidental bomb was the media garning tool...the common front THE MESSAGE.

[muriel_volestrangler]

122. The 'common front' story was already the top one on the BBC website

before the explosion story ever appeared. No, I don't think they needed an attention getter. If anything, this might take attention away from the 'front'.

[HereSince1628]

85. Remember the "Maine"

Remember "Gulf of Tonkin Incident"

History has examples of events getting misinterpreted and escalating out of control.

[necso]

51. Something like this is a very real possibility.

It could have been one of any number of possible mishaps.

And folks are rather edgy over there, I imagine.

[qwghlmian]

42. Believe me, if US or Israel

attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, it would not be one single explosion. There would be no guessing. It would be obvious.

This is bullshit.

[rodeodance]

49. god, as so near a nuclear plant!!

[sabra]

54. MSNBC BREAKING: Unknown aircraft said to fire missile in Iran

<<SNIP>>
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6979561/

Unknown aircraft said to fire missile in Iran

Iran ministry can't confirm TV report; Israel denies any action

BREAKING NEWS

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 9:03 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2005

TEHRAN, Iran - An unknown aircraft fired a missile on Wednesday in a deserted area near the southern city of Dailam in the province of Bushehr where Iran has a nuclear power plant, Iranian state television said.

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province. Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 12 miles from the city," Iran's Arabic language Al-Alam said, according to Reuters.

Separately, the Associated Press quoted an Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman, who said that he could not confirm reports that anti-aircraft fire has been shot off near an Iranian nuclear facility.

And Reuters reported an Israeli security source, who denied any Israeli involvement in the reported explosion

<</SNIP>>

[flobee1kenobi]

58. if the witnesses are correct

"Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 12 miles from the city"
The "fuel tank" scenario would be unlikley
fuel tank falls off and flies 12 miles before impact?
smells fishy

[DistantWind88]

60. Whole thing smells..

No way is it a US attack either.

[Cooley Hurd]

55. CNN Breaking: Russia says nuke plant not attacked...

...Russia, builder of the Dailam plant is saying the plant is intact.

Just announced on CNN's morning show...

[leveymg]

59. CNN: Russians sources say no explosion at plant; 2nd report it was a

fighter that dropped its fuel tank.

Hmm. Could be. One doubts that an actual US/Israel attack would involve a single aircraft, unless this is a test of Iran air defense responses.

Pretty dangerous test, if so.

[HereSince1628]

77. Questions...would a falling fuel tank explode? How big a blast?

I've seen pictures of crash tests on commercial aircraft with lots of flames, but I've never seen anything about dropped tanks exploding or otherwise.

Don't external tanks get ditched if there is a need for combat manuevering? Anyone know if any of these fuel tank releases occur during training? Have they caused explosions during training?

[leveymg]

113. If it were full, would be like a napalm cannister - see Vietnam footage

Drop tanks are designed to minimize explosion, but could still go up in a fireball with a loud boom.

What intrigues me is the initial report that the object was dropped from 20 kms away. That would imply that the jet was really high, going mach 2 or more. Still, I don't think it would glide that far.

No, they're not supposed to drop their tanks except over training areas for the reasons above.

[leveymg]

120. Correction to last post: explosion was reported 20kms from Bushehr

Not that the object (whatever it was)was launched that distance before it struck.

Goes to show how garbled news can get in the heat of things.

[HereSince1628]

124. Thanks, the pieces of the story don't seem to be very coherent at present.

[fryguy]

61. a warning shot?

like putting a shot across the bow of a ship in order to stop it....don't think this is going to have the same effect...seems to be * is itching to start a new war pretty quickly....

[meisje]

66. Bush has just left his calling card

[blondeatlast]

68. Iranian gov't saying it was an airliner fuel tank--MSNBC.

Let's hope to God it wa, as horrible as that is.

[HereSince1628]

81. But what airliner has a tank that can fall off?

This seems odd.

All the commercial aircraft I know about have INTERNAL fuel tanks in the wings or in the fuselage.

Anyone know about any airliner configured in such a way as to have fuel tanks that fall off, while the plane keeps on flying?

[Redstone]

90. Not an airliner...

drop tanks from a military fighter or strike A/C is what they're talking about.

Redstone

[leveymg]

129. Of course not.

[wheresthemind]

70. CNN2GO: BREAKING NEWS LARGE BLAST IN IRAN

This is from the CNN mobile service.

"Iranian state TV reports large blast near city of Dailam."

[Goldeneye]

71. nm...same blast.

So, is this it then?

[HamiltonHabs32]

72. msnbc

Iran TV: Suspicious blast likely accidental
Plane may have dropped fuel tank; earlier reports suggested attack
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:31 a.m. ET Feb. 16, 2005

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian state television reported Wednesday that an explosion near the town of Deilam, about 60 miles from a nuclear facility, may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane.

advertisement
The state-run television provided few details but said local officials had told it that may have been the cause of the unidentified explosion.

Iran's Interior Ministry spokesman said he could not confirm earlier television reports there had been an explosion in the area nor confirm anti-aircraft fire in the region, which is about 60 miles north of the Bushehr nuclear facility.

Russia has completed construction work at the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran, but it is not yet operational. The United States has expressed fears that the $800 million Bushehr deal could help Tehran build nuclear weapons.

Russia says that having Iran ship spent nuclear fuel back to Russia will make any such projects impossible.

"We cannot confirm the reports at this point. We are checking," Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said.

Two residents of the Deilam area contacted by The Associated Press said they had not heard any explosions in the area.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6979561

[leftofcool]

73. And so it begins................

Israel hits Iran. Iran strikes back, we hit Iran and the entire Middle East.

Left of Cool

[Lone_Star_Dem]

74. Here's a BBC link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4271011.stm

Large blast' in southern Iran

An unexplained large explosion has been heard in the southern province of Bushehr, according to a report on Iranian state TV.

There is confusion over the cause of the blast, which is said to have occurred near the port town of Dailam on the Gulf coast.

One report quoted witnesses as saying they saw a missile fired by a plane.

Another said it may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane in the region.

[leftchick]

82. Don't Forget Iran has the "Sunburn" Nuke!!!

This could get very ugly very fast. Thanks you dipshit from hell bush**!

http://www.indiemediamagazine.com/article.php?story=20050118055547492

The Sunburn can deliver a 200-kiloton nuclear payload, or: a 750-pound conventional warhead, within a range of 100 miles, more than twice the range of the Exocet. The Sunburn combines a Mach 2.1 speed (two times the speed of sound) with a flight pattern that hugs the deck and includes "violent end maneuvers" to elude enemy defenses. The missile was specifically designed to defeat the US Aegis radar defense system. Should a US Navy Phalanx point defense somehow manage to detect an incoming Sunburn missile, the system has only seconds to calculate a fire solution not enough time to take out the intruding missile. The US Phalanx defense employs a six-barreled gun that fires 3,000 depleted-uranium rounds a minute, but the gun must have precise coordinates to destroy an intruder "just in time."

The Sunburn's combined supersonic speed and payload size produce tremendous kinetic energy on impact, with devastating consequences for ship and crew. A single one of these missiles can sink a large warship, yet costs considerably less than a fighter jet. Although the Navy has been phasing out the older Phalanx defense system, its replacement, known as the Rolling Action Missile (RAM) has never been tested against the weapon it seems destined to one day face in combat. Implications For US Forces in the Gulf

The US Navy's only plausible defense against a robust weapon like the Sunburn missile is to detect the enemy's approach well ahead of time, whether destroyers, subs, or fighter-bombers, and defeat them before they can get in range and launch their deadly cargo. For this purpose US AWACs radar planes assigned to each naval battle group are kept aloft on a rotating schedule. The planes "see" everything within two hundred miles of the fleet, and are complemented with intelligence from orbiting satellites.

But US naval commanders operating in the Persian Gulf face serious challenges that are unique to the littoral, i.e., coastal, environment. A glance at a map shows why: The Gulf is nothing but a large lake, with one narrow outlet, and most of its northern shore, i.e., Iran, consists of mountainous terrain that affords a commanding tactical advantage over ships operating in Gulf waters. The rugged northern shore makes for easy concealment of coastal defenses, such as mobile missile launchers, and also makes their detection problematic. Although it was not widely reported, the US actually lost the battle of the Scuds in the first Gulf War termed "the great Scud hunt" and for similar reasons.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

88. This has the potential to make us long for the 'peaceful' days of the Iraq

war.

I'm just hoping that it won't escalate. Please, let it be a fuel tank that dropped.

[LinuxInsurgent]

94. they got Sunburn MISSILES

but do they have the nuke warheads...or conventional warheads..

that's a secret Iran and Russia only now....

and we should not try to find out the wrong way.

[rustydad]

146. Joe Vialas

Yes he is weird, but he reports that Russia has the nuks for the Sunburns in Iran but under Russian lock and key to be used only as a last resort. He also claims that a couple of Sunburns with standard warheads can likely take out an American carrier. In fact I think we may have removed all carriers from the Gulf. This may be a bush finger in your eye attempt to get Iran to react thereby setting off a series of escalations. Too soon to tell. Bob

[DistantWind88]

96. But I thought the Iranians didn't HAVE nukes?

[allemand]

106. Silvan Shalom said today that Iran will know how to build bomb in 6 months

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is six months away from having the knowledge to build a nuclear bomb, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Wednesday.

"The question is not if the Iranians will have a nuclear bomb in 2009, 10 or 11, the main question is when are they going to have the knowledge to do it. We believe that in six months from today they will end all the tests and experiments they are doing to have that knowledge," Shalom said on a visit to London.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7645367

[DistantWind88]

109. Ok....?

[HereSince1628]

130. Having the knowledge and having the industrial facilities aren't

quite the same thing.

They undoubtedly BOUGHT the knowledge YEARS AGO from a certain Pakistani scientist WHO OUR "ALLY" IS PROTECTING.

[leftchick]

107. shhhh! It was a deal with bush's best bud

pooty poot. Another US "Friend".

[DistantWind88]

115. So you're saying they DO

have nukes?

[leftchick]

119. read the article I posted....

I hardly think they would buy those missiles from Russia without something to load them with. But then that is really between Russia and Iran right?

Stop and think for a moment who has escalated the proliferation of nukes worldwide in the last four years? Mr. "pre-emptive strikes" himself!

The US has no one to blame for the precarious state of the world right now but the neo-con insane imperialists running this country.

[DistantWind88]

126. Normally those types

of missiles are only loaded with conventional warheads anyway.

[ihelpu2see]

78. CNN now says it may have been a fuel tank from a plane

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/16/iran.explosion/index.html

does this smell of a cover up... I guess Iran could use this as a rallying cry... even if it was not a missle

[bear425]

75. This is awful. We have now decended further into hell...

if we are the ones who did this. If Israel did this, we are just once removed from it. Terrible day.

[DistantWind88]

79. Maybe neither did it

It does NOT sound like any kind of US or Israeli attack. I wonder how long before Iran reports "Oops! our bad! We just had one of our generators explode. Sorry about that!"

[bear425]

99. Works for me. We'll just have to see...n.t

[DistantWind88]

101. Yep, In a few hours

we should know more.

[bear425]

103. Haaretz is reporting that it was an Iranian aircraft?!

Hope that's correct - but what a way to freak out the world!

[DistantWind88]

104. Pretty unreliable eyewitnesses there...

[McCamy Taylor]

80. Best guess:Iran fired anti-aicraft missile atUS plane, neither wants War

so they will keep their mouths shut and pretend the sky is falling.

:nuke:

[Ganja Ninja]

118. Probably trying to shoot down one of our drones. n/t

[allemand]

83. Iran Interior Ministry says explosion caused by Iranian aircraft

16:34 Iran Interior Ministry says explosion in southern city of Dailam caused by Iranian aircraft

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

[Goldeneye]

87. thats good news.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

92. Thank goodness! n/t

[sabra]

91. Guess what? FOX hasn't changed their report...

<<SNIP>>
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147764,00.html

Report: Explosion Rocks Iran Province

An aircraft reportedly fired a missile near the southern city of Dailam in Iran on Wednesday as both Iran and Syria said they will unite against any challenges or threats to their nations' livelihoods.

Iranian state television reported that an unknown aircraft fired a missile in a deserted area near the southern city of Dailam in the Bushehr province, the location of a nuclear power plant. The network later said, however, that the explosion may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane.

"A powerful explosion was heard this morning on the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province. Witnesses said that the missile was fired from an unknown plane 20 km <12 miles> from the city," Iran's Arabic language Al-Alam said, Reuters reported.

<</SNIP>>

[fryguy]

102. shocker

faux news keeping the heat on the story....what a surprise!

i'm waiting to see a web-poll from them asking about Iran's connection to al Qeda....nothing like additional transfered intents by the administration lackies

[izzybeans]

111. So Fox is framing this issue. cnn just spewed the same idiocy n/t

[bpilgrim]

95. will this SOBER the neoCONs the fuck up!?

we need to STOP these out-of-controll radicals NOW!


http://news.globalfreepress.com

peace

[soleft]

105. This was from the Feb 6th Voice of the White House

This source is disturbing because of it's blatent anti-semitism, but this sounds like the plan discussed on TBRnews.org


The Voice of the White House

February 6th, 2005: “As I recall, I gave you information on the pending US/Israeli attacks on Iran some time ago and you posted them. These were of course, plans. Now, Bush and Rove are pushing to execute them. There have been secret staff meetings with the British and most especially with the Israelis on this. It has been decided not to use a US carrier group stationed in the Gulf because we have suddenly discovered that the Iranians, with help from the evil Russians, are armed with missiles that could sink ten aircraft carriers.

The new plan is to use strategic bombing from bases in Italy. Turkey is out because we have been openly courting the anti-Turkish Kurds and they are very angry and we can’t use Saudi Arabia because the royal family is terrified of the consequences. Kuwait is being looked at and Israel doesn’t like this at all.

They will fight to the last American but have no problem egging us on and supplying various aircraft. They want us to flatten Iran and obliterate their atomic energy program. The problem with this is that the Iranians have so dispersed these centers that knocking them all out by a massive air strike would be impossible and it’s like three card monty. Which shell hides the rockets with the atomic warheads?

[Wright Patman]

131. So to be anti-Israeli,

and not even really anti-Israeli, but specifically anti-Sharon/Likud/PNAC is now "anti-Semitic"?

Beam me up, Yitzhak.

[soleft]

137. Not at all

There are a lot of other comments VOTC has made specifically about "Jews" which I didn't include in my post. Sorry I didn't clarify.

[izzybeans]

108. CNN just claimed it was a "fuel tank" dropped from an aircraft

This might be the weakest attempt of mystification i've ever seen.

Oh, so planes drop their fuel tanks? Ok. sure, <picks up glass, drinks sugary sweet liquid, falls asleep, a deep sleep?

[jayfish]

114. It's Plausible, But...

where are they getting their info? Has the Iranian government made a statement? More slipshod reporting from the US corporate media.

Jay

[izzybeans]

117. I think Fox was the first to say "fuel tank"

I think the presence of eye witnesses left them with no other explanation. It could be an Iranian psy-ops as you suggest or even them shooting down a drone. Perhaps no one will fess up, claim anything credible. This plausible deniabilty "fuel tank" dropped sounds desperate on someone's part. I don't know whose.

[underthedome]

125. Actually the media are reporting what the Iran gov. has said. n/t

[jayfish]

128. I'm Seeing That Now, Thanks.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

"16:34 Iran Interior Ministry says explosion in southern city of Dailam caused by Iranian aircraft"

Jay

[ihelpu2see]

116. we will know if it is false when we see photos of the Nuke power

plant smoldering from a "fuel tank" dropping from the sky...

[jayfish]

110. Iranian Psy-Ops?

If so it appears to be working. Scare the local populace and provoke a haphazard reaction from weak appearing US and Israel. Look at how quickly the US and Israel are falling all over themselves to deny the story. I don't think this is an attack because I just don't think we are prepared to defend against the counter-strike ...yet.

Jay

[PsychoDad]

123. only one?

Only one plane, one explosion?

Dousn't sound like the typical M.O. of an American Bushkrig.

Maybe a test if Iranian defenses?

[spacedog]

127. friendly fire??

www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2005/02/16/iranian_tv_reports_explosion_near_deilam_1108563498/

[rndmprsn]

133. 'Large Blast' reported in southern Iran - BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4271011.stm

An unexplained large explosion is reported to have been heard in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr.

There is confusion over the cause of the blast, said to have occurred near the town of Daylam on the Gulf coast.

But an interior ministry spokesman told AP news agency that it might have been caused by a "friendly fire" incident.

There have been eyewitness reports saying a missile was fired by a plane in the area, and also that a fuel tank dropped from an Iranian plane.

[expatriot]

134. self-delete

[Lone_Star_Dem]

136. Iran says explosion caused by road blasting

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050216/afp/050216155720top.html

TEHRAN (AFP) - A powerful explosion in southern Iran which raised jitters of a possible attack on the country's nuclear installations, was a result of road blasting, a senior security official said.

"It was an explosion set deliberately to blast through rock and open a road," Supreme National Security Council spokesman Agha Mohammadi told AFP. "In no circumstances was it an attack against the Islamic republic's nuclear installations."

[Christian dem]

138. Get your bottled water now folks!

[Solar]

139. perhaps it could have been a drone firing on an AA site

Some drone models carry missles. Perhaps Iran finally decided to fire on a drone, the drone controller detects the radar signal and fires his own missles, hitting the radar site/missle launcher. If this is the case, perhaps Iran is just shutting up about it so they don't look bad.

I'm really doubting the fuel tank theory though. Those don't explode like a bomb on impact although I suppose its possible if dropped from higher altitudes. If it was a dropped tank it would have to be from a military aircraft and even then it would be suspicious. Tanks are dropped only in sudden combat situations (as they hamper manuverability). And I really doubt it accidently fell off.

Its possible, but so is everythnig else.

[Kinkistyle]

140. Or perhaps Iran shot down a U.S. drone plane

From this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1241894&mesg_id=1241894|Iran threatens to shoot down US drones>

[DistantWind88]

141. I think they'd be crowing about it, don't you?

[Schema Thing]

142. I can't help but wonder if Iran is just doing a bit of intelligence....

... gathering.

[12345]

143. what do you mean?

[tedzbear]

144. It was a nuke.

Just like that mysterious explosion in North Korea a while back was a nuke. Do you really expect them to invite the world's press to their clandestine atomic tests? Also, the chimp will look like a hypocrite if he admits these were nukes and doesn't do anything about it. His rationalization for attacking Iraq will look even more suspect...

Fuel tank falling off a plane? Paleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!

[MaineDem]

145. If it had been a nuke...

Detectors all around the globe would have lit up like crazy. We'd hav eknown this by now.

[livinginphotographs]

147. Breathe a sigh of relief everyone...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6979561/

Iran: Blast came during dam job
TEHRAN, Iran - An explosion in south Iran, initially reported as caused by a missile, was blasting work during the construction of a dam, a senior military officer confirmed to state television on Wednesday.

"What happened was only a natural part of building work. These were heavy blasts carried out for the construction of the dam,” said Ali Reza Afshar, deputy to the chief of staff of the armed forces.

[lebkuchen]

148. I heard the explosion was caused by Bush having an original thought

Just what's the story here?

[superconnected]

160. that was his only brain cell blowing.

[lebkuchen]

161. the cacophony an accumulative effect of drugs on that lone brain cell

no doubt

[DistantWind88]

150. The world wonders

[jayfish]

151. Wow, Three Different Stories To Choose From.

1st A missile
2nd An errant fuel pylon
3rd Construction blasting

Our news gathering organizations rock ...NOT!

Jay

[DistantWind88]

152. I think they are just relaying what the Iranians

have reported.

[jayfish]

162. Here's How They Could Have Done It.

An explosion was reported in Iran this morning. No deaths or injuries have been reported and a cause for the blast(nice sensationalistic ring) has yet to be determined. Heck, I never even set one foot in a journalism school.

Jay

[DistantWind88]

163. I see...so ignore

the Iranian Government reports...the fact that the IRANIANS were saying it IS news. Jeez.

[jayfish]

164. What Exactly Are We Arguing About Here?

Is there some problem with waiting for the facts to be known before stating a cause? So which cause was it?

1. A missile: As reported by the STATE RUN Iranian media.
2. An "Iranian Aircraft": As reported by The Iranian Interior Minister
3. Or "geophysical exploration": As reported by "a local official in the Bushehr province"

Maybe they should have asked the late Ayatollah Khomeini what caused the explosion.

Jay

PUNCTUATION EDIT

[livinginphotographs]

155. Haha, good point.

So we get to pick the news now? Well, I'll go with the one that says President Kerry was sworn in back on Jan. 20th. Much more comfortable that way.

[KissMeKate]

156. we are trying to goad them into using their air defense systems

so we can know where they are.

[DistantWind88]

159. Then why do they say they

(the Iranians themselves) casued the "explosion?"

[KansDem]

167. Perhaps it was * trying to send a $2million missile into a "camel's butt"

...and missing (?)

What's the use of sending a $2 million missile into a $10 tent to hit a camel in the butt? --George W. Bush

[rodriguez94]

168. well how the hell does a fuel tank fall off an aircraft

I am no expert, but I didn't realize aircraft, especially military aircraft, had external fuel tanks...

from the looks of these pictures of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, I would beg to differ about the fuel tank story..that is total bullshit!

http://www.iiaf.net/archive/aircraft.html

[Solar]

169. fighter jets do

Fighter jets have external tanks. Civilian and large aircraft do not need removable tanks. The tanks are designed to be jetisoned if the pilot needs extra manuvering in a sudden dogfight. Its possible that the a tank was jettisoned, as this was over an uninhabited area. But then againpilots don't do it unless they really need to.

Basically anything is possible, we just don't know enough to make a definitive answer.