It had been a quiet week in terms of geopolitical developments out of Middle East. Too quiet, well aside for that whole US escalating once again [16] bit, and forcing Iran to eventually go over the edge. And while the role of the US and Iran has been extensively digested in the past few weeks, it is Iran that has remained in the shadows recently. No longer: as Al Arabiya [17]reports, "Israeli officials say they won’t warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to a series of top-level U.S. visitors to the country, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence, and top U.S. lawmakers, all trying to close the trust gap between Israel and the U.S. over how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions, according to The Associated Press." Needless to say, the thoroughly effete and comical US foreign policy has no response to follow up queries: "The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pentagon and Office of Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, as did the Israeli Embassy." And while there may be no comments here, look for more warnings about Israeli citizens being targetted by deranged Iranian around the world. Because when all else fails, fearmonger. Next up: the Status Quo will be telling the world how not attacking Iran would be tantamount to global destruction. The only trade off - will the spike in crude to $150 outdo the surge in Obama's popularity rating as the Nobel Peace Prize winner puts his name in the hat for a nomination in the Nobel War Prize category as well.
More from Al Arabia, about how Iraq continues to be the case study for an Iranian invasion from Israel's perspective:
Netanyahu was asked about Begin’s decision to destroy an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, according to AFP.
The successful attack is often referred to by Israeli analysts when speculating about the possibility of an Israeli military operation against nuclear installations in Iran.
When asked if he had studied how Begin reached the decision to strike Iraq, Netanyahu insisted that each case is different.
“Each decision is a separate decision,” he said.
Netanyahu had said on Sunday that Iran’s controversial nuclear program, which Western powers believe is aimed at developing an atom bomb, would be the main topic in his discussions at the White House with President Barack Obama on March 5.
In the meantime, the US continues to lose ground to Israel when it comes to foreign interests:
The behind-the-scenes warning belies the publicly united front the two sides have attempted to craft with the shuttle diplomacy to each other’s capitals.
“It’s unprecedented outreach to Israel to make sure we are working together to develop the plan to deter Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” and to keep them from exporting terrorism, said Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
He traveled there with the Intelligence Committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, to meet Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, along with other officials.
“We talked about the fact that sanctions are working and they are going to get a lot more aggressive,” Ruppersberger added, according to AP.
They also talked about presenting a unified front to Iran, to counter the media reports that the two countries are at odds over how and when to attack Iran.
“We have to learn from North Korea. All those (peace) talks and stalling and they developed a nuclear weapon,” he said. “We are going to send a message, enough is enough, the stalling is over. ... All options are on the table.”
“I got the sense that Israel is incredibly serious about a strike on their nuclear weapons program,” Rogers told CNN on Monday. “It’s their calculus that the administration ... is not serious about a real military consequence to Iran moving forward.”
“They believe they’re going to have to make a decision on their own, given the current posture of the United States,” he added.
Somehow we have a feeling that the so far peaceful war, that of words, is about to be enjoined by those "others" who have a stake in the conflict: Russia and China. And when that happens, go long Crude. Because the market has now entered the mania phase, where nothing short of a Lehman type failure can precipitate a massive deflationary collapse.
Which, incidentally, is precisely what will happen if and when WTI passes record highs in a few months.