Has ANYONE in the house or senate mentioned the storming of the Iranian consulate yet?

[helderheid]

[skooooo]

1. Where was this done?

[bdamomma]

2. read it here:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D380D570-5115-464C-8429-6D019CCAD42D.htm

[bridgit]

5. here we go...

:nuke:

[helderheid]

6. BBC link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6251167.stm

[seemslikeadream]

9. Isn't it a definitive act of war for one country to storm the consulate of another, threaten to kill

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2007/01/presidents-intentions-towards-iran.html


...

That makes unplanned -- or seemingly unplanned -- confrontations highly likely, whether through miscalculation, miscommunication, misperception, or affirmative deceit. Whatever else is true, given the stakes involved -- the unimaginable, impossible-to-overstate stakes -- and the fact that we are unquestionably moving forward on this confrontational path quite deliberately, this issue is receiving nowhere near the attention in our political discussions and media reports that it so urgently demands.

For all the pious talk about the need to be "seriously concerned" and give "thoughtful consideration" to what will happen if we leave Iraq, there is a very compelling -- and neglected -- need to ponder what will happen if we stay and if we escalate. And the need for "serious concern" and "thoughtful consideration" extends to consequences not just in Iraq but beyond.


This is the most serious action yet. Isn't it a definitive act of war for one country to storm the consulate of another, threaten to kill them if they do not surrender, and then detain six consulate officers?

[TahitiNut]

19. Yes. It's an Act of War ... no question about it.

Bush has attacked Iran. Period.

[Norquist Nemesis]

3. Been watching C3 hearings and not heard it yet

Doesn't mean that it hasn't been said, just I haven't heard it.

Oh, and Gates isn't getting a warm and fuzzy reception from the House Armed Services Committee at the moment. Waiting for Condi to be up pretty soon.

[Botany]

4. Murtha did this AM on Stephanie Miller

Impeach his ass .... that was an act ofwar.

[helderheid]

7. bless Murtha - thank you for letting me know!

[Roxy66]

10. Has the MSM mentioned it yet...if not, we are in trouble!

[helderheid]

16. haven't heard it at all! Should we start calling our reps?

[seabeyond]

12. did murtha say impeach his ass... hey curious. what did he say

does he see it as workin on going to war with iran. or not to big a deal. ????

[Botany]

22. no but he was pissed

he brought up the subject too

[rodeodance]

8. biden did and did good. see here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3096547

[helderheid]

13. that says "if" we attack Iran. We already DID attack when we stormed their consulate.

[olaus]

15. So

sort of like what Iran did during Carters years.

[helderheid]

17. what?

[uppityperson]

29. got what you mean

welcome to DU, though looks like you have been here a while.

[uppityperson]

32. ah, you mean Iran attacking USA consulate? Yes. Reuters link here

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L11580349.htm

[TheWraith]

25. You realize that this is the second time this has happened in the last two weeks, right?

It's not the hellfire and damnation thing that people here are whipping it up to be. In fact, it's pretty much a non-issue.

[seabeyond]

14. but did he specifically talk about the consulate

[global1]

11. Has Any Cable News Network Mentioned This Yet?......

CNN - MSNBC - Faux

[helderheid]

18. so far all the news seems to be coming from abroad

[blues90]

24. I saw it on the CSPAN /capital news scroll this morning

[helderheid]

28. thanks!

[seabeyond]

20. i heard it on cnn i think. could have been msnbc. but it was such a short

story, it was over before i started listening. i think they just said consulate taken and some arrested. but it was no more than a sentence or two

[helderheid]

21. amazing. just amazing.

Thanks

[blitzen]

23. Juan Cole's explanation of storming of Iranian consulate

Looks like Iran, if anything, has been HELPING U.S. Allies (Kurds and Shiites), and this storming may be a bone thrown to the Sunnis to gain a little goodwill.


http://juancole.com/

US Forces Storm Iranian Consulate in Irbil

The US military stormed the Iranian consulate in the northern Iraq Kurdistan city of Irbil on Thursday.

Irbil is the fied of Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani. The Kurdistan Regional Government, which he leads, is semi-autonomous and maintains a regional army, the Peshmerga, of 60,000 men. Kurdistan authorities say that no federal Iraqi army troops may set foot in Kurdistan.

Kurdistan is eager to retain its semi-autonomy, and hopes ultimately for independence. It cannot expect the Baghdad government to fund its military. Sunni guerrillas have sabotaged oil exports from Kirkuk.

One scenario you could imagine is that Iran was sending some aid and weaponry to the Peshmerga on condition it be shared with the Badr Corps paramilitary of the Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The US raided a compound of SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim recently and captured Iranian intelligence officials there, who had come to consult about the shape of the Iraqi government.

Kurdistan authorities have long had good relations with the Badr Corps, to which they gave bases in Kurdistan late in the Saddam period when they were jointly trying to overthrow him.

Although Bush keeps implying that Iran is supplying weapons and aid to US enemies in Iraq, the circumstantial evidence is that it was helping the two main US allies in Iraq with their paramilitary capabilities-- Kurdistan and SCIRI. But it is likely that the money and weapons do bleed over into insurgent groups and have a destabilizing effect.

The most strident complaints about Iranian aid to Peshmerga and Badr come from the Sunni Arab political leaders. One wonders if this is a last gift to them by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad before he goes out, and a sign that the US is trying to get them back to the negotiating table?

Stay tuned.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Two details here

1.- Did the building have diplomatic status? If it did not... then you are seeing a storm in a glass of water, literally... and that is NOT a minor question

2.- Is the US or Iran or both trying to cause an incident?

But the status of the building is critical

[helderheid]

27. I just assumed so - anyone know?

[Igel]

30. Iran's response will also depend on what the documents

that were seized say, and who the detainees are.

If it's clear that Iran was using the consulate for bad ends, they'll just want it all to go away, at least in the international media.

[BurtWorm]

31. Diplomatic status according to whom?

The Iranians claim they're there at the invitation of the al-Maliki government.

[uppityperson]

33. Isn't a consulate diplomatic?

2-USA, so far Iran is playing it cool.