Coming Soon - War with Iran?

[AlicetheKurious]

Well! Iran doesn't seem as cowed and fearful as one would think:

Iran promises to return US drone - as a pink toy

It may not have been quite what Barack Obama meant when he called on Iran to return a US drone that crashed in the Islamic Republic.


Iran triumphantly displayed one of America’s most advanced intelligence-gathering aircraft on Thursday after a spy drone crashed on its territory, leading Russia and China to ask to inspect its technology.

By Raf Sanchez, Washington

1:03AM GMT 18 Jan 2012

Rather than giving back the multi-million dollar piece of spyware, which has been gleefully paraded for the world's cameras, an Iranian toy maker has promised to send the White House a pink plastic toy replica of the downed drone.

The Ayeh Art group has been doing a brisk trade in models of the RQ-170, producing around 2,000 a day, and in an inspired moment of self-publicity has promised to reserve one for President Obama.

“He said he wanted it back, and we will send him one,” said Reza Kioumars, the company's head of cultural production.

As well as coming in a garish range of colours unlikely to be considered by the US military, the model drones have one other addition, courtesy of the regime.

Each toy aircraft carries the slogan "We will put America under our feet," a favourite saying of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Progress on return of the real drone is going less well: Iran last demanded an apology from the US before it would even considering handing back the craft.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House. Link

[AlicetheKurious]

Maybe this is why:

Photo in the News: Python Bursts After Eating Gator (Update)


Photo: A python with an alligator protruding from its midsection

Updated September 5, 2006—Unfortunately for a 13-foot (4-meter) Burmese python in Florida's Everglades National Park, eating the enemy seems to have caused the voracious reptile to bust a gut—literally.

Wildlife researchers with the South Florida Natural Resources Center found the dead, headless python in October 2005 after it apparently tried to digest a 6-foot-long (2-meter-long) American alligator. The mostly intact dead gator was found sticking out of a hole in the midsection of the python, and wads of gator skin were found in the snake's gastrointestinal tract.

The gruesome discovery suggests that the python's feisty last meal might have been simply too much for it to handle.

An alternative theory will be put forth in a September 16 Explorer episode on the National Geographic Channel.

An animated recreation of the python-alligator battle suggests that the python might have survived its massive meal but that a second gator came to the rescue and bit off the snake's head. The force of the tussle, the new theory says, is what caused the python to burst.

But even scientists associated with the show aren't so sure the new theory holds water.

Wayne King, reptile curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, cites the relatively clean decapitation of the snake. "Alligators, they don't bite off a piece," he told McClatchey Newspapers. "They grab hold, then they roll and spin. If one grabs you by the arm, normally they wrench the arm off, or if they grab you by the buttocks, they'll rip away a chunk of meat."

Clashes between alligators and pythons have been on the rise in the Everglades for the past 20 years. Unwanted pet snakes dumped in the swamp have thrived, and the Asian reptile is now a major competitor in the alligator's native ecosystem.

"Clearly if [pythons] can kill an alligator, they can kill other species," Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor, told the Associated Press. "There had been some hope that alligators can control Burmese pythons. … This [event] indicates to me it's going to be an even draw."

—Victoria Gilman

Link

[Ben D]

Hmmm, Obama had better do what he's told or else....

Newspaper Editor: Israel Should Consider Assassinating Obama UPDATE

BY JOHN COOK JAN 20, 2012 1:23 PM

Andrew Adler, the owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, a weekly newspaper serving Atlanta's Jewish community, devoted his January 13, 2012 column to the thorny problem of the U.S. and Israel's diverging views on the threat posed by Iran. Basically Israel has three options, he wrote: Strike Hezbollah and Hamas, strike Iran, or "order a hit" on Barack Obama. Either way, problem solved!

Here's how Adler laid out "option three" in his list of scenarios facing Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu (the column, which was forwarded to us by a tipster, isn't online, but you can read a copy here):

Three, give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States' policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies.

Yes, you read "three" correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel's existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don't you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel's most inner circles?

Another way of putting "three" in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives...Jews, Christians and Arabs alike?

You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table.

It's hard to tell whether or not Adler is just some crank. But the Atlanta Jewish Times, which he purchased in 2009, appears to be a real community newspaper. It was founded in 1925 and, according to Wikipedia, claims a circulation of 3,500 and staff of five. To judge from its web site, it's a going concern.

A nervous Adler told me over the phone that he wasn't advocating Obama's assassination by Mossad agents. "Of course not," he said.

But do you think Israel should consider it an option? "No."

But do you believe that Israel is in fact considering the option in its most inner circles? "No. Actually, no. I was hoping to make clear that it's unspeakable—god forbid this would ever happen. I take it you're quoting me?"

Yes. "Oh, boy."

When I asked Adler why, if he didn't advocate assassination and didn't believe Israel was actually considering it, he wrote a column saying he believed that the option was "on the table," he asked for a minute to compose himself and call me back. He did a few moments later, and said, "I wrote it to see what kind of reaction I was going to get from readers."

And what was the reaction? "We've gotten a lot of calls and emails."

Nothing from the Secret Service, though. Yet.

UPDATE: Adler has told JTA that he "regrets" the column and plans to publish an apology. Oh, and the Secret Service says it will "make all appropriate, investigative follow-up in regard to this matter," according to ABC News.

[Hammer of Los]

...

Surely the tide has turned.

With the western world teetering on an economic precipice, and the world's ecosystems groaning under the weight of unchecked exploitation and conflict, who in their right minds would support a new oil war that would have the potential to precipitate w w you know what?

If you believe in the conscience of man, as do I, you would yet have cause to hope that many would oppose such folly.

I could be wrong.

We shall see.

Two out of three is good enough for me.

...

[bluenoseclaret]

I like Press TV. A nice change from the evil propaganda of the mainstream TV in Britain. But no more will I have the choice.

"Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster's English-language outlet, has been forced off the air in the UK after Ofcom revoked its licence for breaching the Communications Act." ( on Friday the 20th of January )

"George Galloway, the former MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is Press TV’s best-known UK presenter. Galloway has previously been sanctioned by Ofcom for anti-Israeli bias in one of his Press TV shows.

Galloway, who infamously performed as a cat on Celebrity Big Brother, tweeted: “Champions of liberty the British govt have now taken Press TV off Sky"

“Press TV believes that Ofcom is the media tool of the British government – the same government that sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in the killing of innocent civilians.

WikiLeaks cables say London and Washington have explored ways to limit the operations of Press TV in the UK. And here it comes; Press TV is removed from the Sky platform.”

http://www.ukzambians.co.uk/home/2012/0 ... k-licence/

I am not happy.

....David Lindsay from the Comments
20 January 2012 at 15:57
If you want news in Britain, then watch Al Jazeera. Or Russia Today. Or, until today, Press TV.

On 9th November, Press TV reported the student demonstration in London while the BBC and Sky News refused to, instead pretending that it was not happening. But today, Fox "News" and its Sky and Beeb wannabes have got what they wanted through their servants at Ofcom, which acts for all practical purposes as an arm of whichever rogue element in the Foreign Office has secured the appointment of the current Ambassador to Israel, a man who publicly aspires to citizenship of the country to which he has been posted, and who has apologised for the arrest of Tzipi Livni's anti-British terrorist parents.

As confirmed by the resignation of Liam Fox, the Prime Minister and 80 per cent of his ostensible party's MPs are in reality members of Likud, which openly sits in government with a party, that of the Foreign Minister, which wants to denaturalise the Arabs and the ultra-Orthodox Jews. Al Jazeera and Russia Today, watch out....

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... -ofcom-air

Another Comment

"...The "liberal champions of free speech" were the ones who wanted Press TV off the air. In the name of 'freedom' and 'democracy' we're not allowed to see an alternative view of Middle Eastern events. One which challenges the dominant narrative that Iran, with its non-existence nuclear weapons programme, poses a threat to the West.

Today is a black day for press freedom in the UK...."

[AlicetheKurious]

If you want news in Britain, then watch Al Jazeera.

No, no, that was before. Since last February, when the Saudi tanks rumbled into Bahrain to help the tyrant crush his people, Al-Jazeera went from the pinnacle to the pits, practically overnight. And it's been a steep slide downhill since then. Now it's indistinguishable from the Saudi media (or the British, for that matter). Heck, except for the enormous budget, it hardly differs from most Egyptian media.

Actually, the first sign that something terrible was happening to Al-Jazeera was probably the gushing praise it suddenly began to receive from the likes of Hillary Clinton and Donald Rumsfeld.

I'm still mourning. What a terrible loss.

[AlicetheKurious]

Could this be it? Check out the comments at the link. Most compare the planned destruction of this ship with the 9/11 destruction of the "white elephant" Twin Towers. Here's a sample:

Hal Turner , an FBI Intel Pro expert saw this EXACT plan on the table in September 2006 and leaked it to the public .The USS Enterprise is supposed to be scrapped in 2014 but has 8 Nuclear reactors on board . They said it was going to be a nightmare to decommission so they decided to send it to the Persian Gulf and blow it up and blame Iran . This is verbatim of what he said in 2006 , THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN !This MUST be stopped !

US to send old warship to Persian Gulf
Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:34PM GMT

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has vowed to maintain a fleet of eleven warships despite budget pressures, mostly to project sea power against Iran.

On board of the oldest US aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, Panetta told the crowd of 1,700 sailors that the 50-year-old ship is heading to the Persian Gulf region in a direct message to Tehran.

“The reason we maintain a presence in the Middle East ... We want them to know that we are fully prepared to deal with any contingency and it's better for them to try to deal with us through diplomacy," Panetta said.

The USS Enterprise is the oldest active duty ship in the American naval fleet and its mission dates back to the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the Vietnam War.

The decision to maintain 11 warships comes at a time when the US economy is facing a national debt of more than USD 15 trillion after a decade of costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and is preparing for 487 billion dollars in defense cuts over the next 10 years.

On January 5, US President Barack Obama announced the shift in Washington's defense strategy to reduce the expenses. The eight-page document contained no details about how broad concepts for reshaping the military - such as focusing more on Asia and less on Europe - will translate into troop or weapons cuts.

Iran has warned the West of the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil shipments pass.

Iran threats were issued in response to aggressive military build-up, covert war operations and proposed sanctions against the Iranian oil sector, coming from the US and its allies.

PG/PKH/HGH/IS Link

[Ben D]

Yes, interesting. I see that indeed Hal Turner did talk in 2006 about a future false flag operation involving the carrier Enterprise.

However given the 'heightened state of affairs' in the Persian Gulf, it would be expected that the US would send another carrier. It may just be that of the 11 carriers they have, the Enterprise just happened to be the 'next cab of the rank', meaning that some of them are undergoing refits, some assigned to other missions elsewhere in the world, and it is the one available to be assigned on the mission to the Persian Gulf.

[Nordic]

http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... us-levels/

Is Barack Obama running for reelection as President of the United States or Prime Minister of Israel? A new Obama campaign video makes it increasingly hard to tell, and even more ominously ratchets further the Israelization of US politics.

False hopes of change

US President Barack Obama took office in 2008 amid expectations that he would be the president who would at last bring some balance – and less abject subservience – to the US relationship with Israel.

I knew this consensus was wrong, as I had documented Obama’s early pandering to extreme Zionists from the moment he decided to seek the US Senate seat he won in 2004, and wrote about it in “How Barack Obama learned to love Israel.”

Now as Obama faces a tough reelection – and accusations from Republicans that he is insufficiently subservient to a foreign state – Obama is doubling down with a shocking video in which leaders of a foreign state – many themselves responsible for war crimes – are drafted in to attest to the US president’s commitment to this foreign state and his willingless to do whatever it takes in its service.

It’s all part of a “phony war over which US party loves Israel most.”

America & Israel: An Unbreakable Bond

The 7-minute film titled America & Israel: An Unbreakable Bond alternates video and audio of Obama speaking before the Israel lobby, AIPAC, and other Zionist groups, and clips of Israeli leaders endorsing Obama’s leadership. It begins and ends with the US flag and the Israeli flag side by side – thus bringing the Israeli flag directly into the US election campaign.

Although the clips of Israeli leaders, including President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy and Ambassador Michael Oren appear to have been taken from interviews, they are cut to look as if they were provided specifically for the purpose of endorsing the president.

The film even includes a clip of Danny Ayalon, Israel’s deputy foreign minister from the Yisrael Beitenu party whose extreme anti-Palestinian policies include advocating the transfer of Palestinian citizens of Israel. Obama wants us to know he is proud to have the support of Israeli ethnic cleansers.

As such, Obama is legitimizing the role of foreign leaders – although certainly only Israeli leaders – to participate directly in US campaigns. Can we imagine Obama issuing a video in which he is endorsed as pro-Mexican by the President of Mexico, or pro-Canadian by Canada’s prime minister? It’s inconceivable.

And suppose any of the Israeli leaders featured in the video feel their words were twisted by the Obama campaign. Should they now be asked whether or not they were indeed endorsing Obama’s re-election as the video appears to suggest? It’s an open secret that Netanyahu does not want to see Obama reelected. So this only invites Israel deeper into US politics.

Recently, Sheldon Adelson a US-Israeli billionaire, whose main issue is support for Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, donated $5 million to a campaign organization linked to Republican contender Newt Gingrich.

Putting Israel first

The themes of the video touch all the familiar messaging of extreme Zionist groups that Obama has used from his early AIPAC speeches: There is a focus on the Holocaust, Hamas rockets, Israeli children suffering, and Iran, Iran, Iran.

Who can now doubt that US Iran policy is largely about appeasing Israel lobbyists, when Obama is heard boasting in a campaign video that his administration has imposed “the hardest hitting sanctions the Iranian regime has ever faced”? Confrontation if not outright war with Iran is a key message of the Israel lobby these days.

Of course there’s no word about Israel’s war crimes, occupation, routine murder and imprisonment of Palestinian civilians and children, the siege of Gaza or the ongoing theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank for Jews-only colonies.

On the contrary, Obama boasts in the video about how he helped stymie justice and torpedo the Goldstone report, and pulled the US out of participation in the UN Durban conference on racism.

The video also reassures viewers that:

Under Obama, US military aid to Israel increased to “unprecedented levels”
“Obama 2012 budget has rise in US aid to Israel”
“We are making our most advanced technologies available to our Israeli allies.”
While Obama boasts of his willingness to cut the federal budget – even as services for Americans are being slashed – he obviously feels politically safe increasing foreign aid, as long as the recipient is Israel.

Fighting for lobby support

Obama’s video comes as Republicans have intensified their attacks on the president, including a smear campaign on an Obama-linked think tank the Center for American Progress alleging that some of its bloggers used “anti-Semitic” language.

It also follows anti-Palestinian statements by Republican contenders. Newt Gingrich notoriously declared that Palestinians are an “invented people” and that he would order the CIA to murder freed Palestinian prisoners, and Rick Santorum one-upped him, saying Palestinians don’t exist at all.

[Nordic]

http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2012/01 ... sian-gulf/

Is Israel Planning ‘Pearl Harbor’ False Flag Attack in the Persian Gulf?
By Maidhc Ó Cathail | The Passionate Attachment | January 21, 2012

In a January 9 op-ed in the Jerusalem Post magazine, Avi Perry, a former intelligence expert for the Israeli government, appears to be hinting how Israel plans to induce the United States into attacking Iran:

Iran, just like Nazi Germany in the 1940s, will take the initiative and “help” the US president and the American public make up their mind by making the first move, by attacking a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian attack on an American military vessel will serve as a justification and a pretext for a retaliatory move by the US military against the Iranian regime. The target would not be Iran’s nuclear facilities. The US would retaliate by attacking Iran’s navy, their military installations, missile silos, airfields. The US would target Iran’s ability to retaliate, to close down the Strait of Hormuz. The US would then follow by targeting the regime itself.

Elimination of Iran’s nuclear facilities? Yes. This part would turn out to be the final act, the grand finale. It might have been the major target, had the US initiated the attack. However, under this “Pearl Harbor” scenario, in which Iran had launched a “surprise” attack on the US navy, the US would have the perfect rationalization to finish them off, to put an end to this ugly game.

Unlike the latest attempt at an Iranian revolution, this time the US would not shy away, rather, it would go public, openly calling for the Iranian people to join in with the US in working to overthrow the corrupt Islamic fundamentalist regime. The Iranian people would respond in numbers.

Spring would reemerge, and the Iranian people would join the rest of the Middle East – this time with the direct support of the US.

The greatest irony behind this most significant episode in 2012 is that the Iranian regime would affect their own demise. Attacking the US navy in the open seas is equivalent to carrying out a suicide bombing.

Alice has already mentioned the aircraft carrier above.

[wordspeak2]

EU to impose sanctions on Iran.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 85826.html

EU Agrees to Iran Sanctions
By JOHN M. BIERS and LAURENCE NORMAN

BRUSSELS—European Union foreign ministers Monday agreed to enact an oil embargo on Iran to take effect immediately on new contracts and to impose a full oil embargo, including existing contracts, by July 1, EU diplomats said Monday.

Under the policy, EU countries would be barred from signing new contracts to import Iranian oil as soon as the measures are officially published, expected Tuesday. But these countries could still import Iranian oil through July 1 under contracts signed before the embargo was enacted. A formal announcement by EU foreign ministers is expected early Monday afternoon.

In its most sweeping moves yet, the EU also agreed to impose sanctions on Iran's central bank and to ban Iranian exports of petrochemical products from May 1. It also added trade bank Bank Tejarat to its sanctions list, diplomats said.

The EU has agreed "unprecedented" sanctions on Iran, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters on the sidelines of a foreign ministers meeting that was ongoing Monday. Hague said the move "shows the resolve of the EU" to respond to "Iran's continual breach" of international agreements.

EU Ministers said ahead of the Monday meeting that they hoped there could still be continued diplomacy with Iran.

Under the agreement, the EU will undertake a review of the effects of the policy on member states by May 1, bowing to a condition sought by Greece. However, any move to reverse or delay the embargo would require a unanimous decision of the EU's 27 members, officials said.

EU officials have been working in recent days to allay concerns from Greece and some other countries that the embargo could further strain their economies. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said ahead of the gathering that the EU is "talking to a number of" oil producers to "ensure that there is a continuity of supply for everybody."

Ms. Ashton said the EU is still pursuing a twin-track approach to Iran, so that even as the 27-nation bloc ratchets up pressure, it is ready to talk with Iran about its nuclear activities if Tehran shows itself willing to engage.

Diplomats said the EU foreign ministers would promise to take all necessary measures to ensure all member states, including Greece, would continue to have access to oil supplies. However, Greece didn't win a special exemption giving it extra time beyond July 1 to implement the full embargo—a proposal it had made last week.

As expected, the foreign ministers were set to sign off on sanctions on Iran's central bank, diplomats said, in another move aimed at isolating the regime. The central bank will be added to the EU's sanctions list, meaning some transactions will be banned and assets frozen. However, there will be exceptions to allow Iran and Iranian companies to repay their debts and for other legitimate trading purposes, a diplomat said.

Monday's action will also ban petrochemical exports from Iran to the EU as of May 1, and bar technology transfer for petrochemicals immediately, diplomats said Monday.

The sanctions represent the most-serious EU pressure on Iran thus far over its nuclear program. France, which initially proposed the sanctions, is one of several member states that accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge that Tehran denies.

Ms. Ashton wrote to Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in October offering to relaunch negotiations. As of Friday, the EU has received no response.

Separately, the foreign ministers were set to impose sanctions on 30 Syrian firms and individuals over the repression of protesters by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The EU also took the first steps on easing sanctions on Myanmar's government in response to political reforms.

Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@dowjones.com

[eyeno]

I like Press TV. A nice change from the evil propaganda of the mainstream TV in Britain. But no more will I have the choice.

"Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster's English-language outlet, has been forced off the air in the UK after Ofcom revoked its licence for breaching the Communications Act." ( on Friday the 20th of January )

Can you use Tor?

You can also download a firefox plugin called "https everywhere" and change the header in the settings. I read a thread on reddit about people in Britain using that plug in. I tried to find the thread for you but for the life of me I can't find it again for some reason. The thread gave good directions on how to do it and a lot of people were having success at getting around some censor blocks with it. I don't know how to do it or I would explain it to you.

[AlicetheKurious]

Hague said the move "shows the resolve of the EU" to respond to "Iran's continual breach" of international agreements.

Haha. In fact, Iran, unlike the rogue terrorist apartheid state, is in NO breach of ANY international agreements, laws or conventions. NOT ONE.

But you know what? Iran's government has shown that it is filled with very smart people. Probably much, much smarter than their counterparts in the US or Israel. If we've figured out that warship thing, and almost all the commenters on PressTV and elsewhere, you can bet your bootie they have, too. Their move.

[Nordic]

Yes this is now clearly about the oil sales and nothing else. Iran is in full compliance on the nuke issue.

What they're really saying to Iran is "unless you agree to sell your oil to us using dollars, we will quit buying it from you".

[ninakat]

Unpredictable: EU Sanctions; Iran to Shut Strait of Hormuz?
EU Oil Embargo Could Lead to Soaring Fuel Prices
Monday, January 23, 2012
by Common Dreams staff

Tensions in the Gulf could reach a breaking point as a senior Iranian official said Iran would “definitely” close the Strait of Hormuz if an EU oil embargo disrupted the export of crude oil, the Iranian FARS news agency reports. The 27 EU foreign ministers officially adopted the measures later Monday. The embargo would immediately forbid new contracts for crude oil and petroleum products while existing contracts are allowed to run until July, 2012.

Meanwhile, the US, Britain and France have delivered a pointed message to Iran on Sunday, sending six warships led by the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

UPDATE: Senior Iranian Lawmaker: Iran to Make Whole World Insecure for US If Attacked

Iran's FARS news agency is reporting:

If the US seeks adventurism against Iran, the country "will make the world insecure for the Americans in the least possible time and all the US military men will be forced to leave the Middle-East region to save their lives", Vice-Chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Jahangir Kosari told FNA on Monday.

"Of course in case of military aggression and conflict, Iran will not allow the American military men to escape; therefore, it is to the benefit of the US to accept the powerful Iran and avoid military adventurism," he added.

Israel and its close ally the United States have recently intensified their war rhetoric against Iran. The two arch foes of the Islamic Republic accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Both Washington and Tel Aviv possess advanced weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear warheads.

Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran has, in return, warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv.

The United States has long stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran's progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

An estimated 40 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the waterway.

* * *

UPDATE: Israel's Netanyahu Praises EU Oil Sanctions on Iran

Reuters is reporting:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised on Monday a European Union decision to place sanctions on Iranian oil exports, but said it was unclear if the move could thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"I think this is a step in the right direction," Netanyahu said at a meeting of his Likud faction in parliament.

"For now, it is impossible to know what the result of these sanctions will be. Heavy and swift pressure is needed on Iran and the sanctions must be evaluated according to their results."

* * *

EU Oil Embargo Could Lead to Soaring Fuel Prices and Iran Closing the Strait of Hormuz

The Guardian reports:

The long-running standoff between Iran and the west over Tehran's nuclear program has shifted into a more unpredictable phase after Europe decided to impose an oil embargo on the Islamic republic.

The decision by EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels raised the stakes dramatically in the war of wits between Iran and the west.

The EU decided no further oil contracts could be struck between the member states and Iran while existing oil delivery deals would be allowed to run until July. [...]

The oil embargo represents a leap in the sanctions regime against Iran, following four earlier rounds of escalating penalties.

Senior EU officials also concede that the move could be risky and send oil prices rocketing at a time of extreme economic difficulty in the west.

"We need to ensure this does not destabilize the entire global oil market," said a senior EU official.

* * *

US Aircraft Carrier Challenges Iran; Enters Gulf Without Incident

Reuters:

A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf without incident on Sunday, a day after Iran backed away from an earlier threat to take action if an American carrier returned to the strategic waterway.

The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln completed a "regular and routine" passage through the strait, a critical gateway for the region's oil exports, "as previously scheduled and without incident," said Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet.

The Lincoln, accompanied by strike group of warships, was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to enter the Gulf since late December and was on a routine rotation to replace the outgoing USS John C. Stennis.

The departure of the Stennis prompted Iranian army chief Ataollah Salehi to threaten action if the carrier passed back into the Gulf.

"I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf. ... We are not in the habit of warning more than once," he said.

The threat led to a round of escalating rhetoric between the two sides that spooked oil markets and raised the specter of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States.