The test-firing of a US Trident nuclear-capable ballistic missile from Saudi Arabia signaled the Gulf nations that a US nuclear umbrella was in place to protect them against a nuclear-armed Iran. Sanctions were overtaken and Israel was cut out of the military equation for Iran.

debkafile's Washington and Iran sources disclose that the G8 ministers meeting in Gatineau, Quebec, agreed to leave the door open to dialogue with Iran after they were discreetly informed that the Obama administration had launched a secret bid to engage Iran's radical Revolutionary Guards in nuclear talks.  
The initiative aimed at bypassing Iran's hardline political leaders and ayatollahs.
It was first revealed by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 436 on March 12.

While exploiting Israel's ill-timed announcement of 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem for concessions to the Palestinians, debkafile's Washington sources report Washington will keep twisting the Netanyahu government's arm until it toes the line on Iran. Obama's acceptance of Iran's nuclear program is spurned not only by Israel but also by Saudi Arabia and the moderate Arab regimes. But the president is pushing for endorsement before campaigning for US midterm elections to Congress.

 

In view of the Revolutionary Guards' apparent disenchantment with Ahmadinejad, White House Iran strategists believe they may play ball with Washington for reducing him to a lame-duck president while preparing his successor.

Gen. Petraeus reveals some Gulf rulers are worried enough about a nuclear-armed Iran to accept a US or even an Israeli military operation to abort it. Arabs, Israelis and even some US generals frown on the secret Obama dialogue with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Ahmadinejad scripted a step-by-step performance and show of allied unity to convince Washington that Iran, Syria, Hizballah and eleven radical Palestinian groups were poised to ignite a Middle East religious war. The gambit worked - at least for now.

Washington has reversed its drive for sanctions against Iran by the end of March, with or without the UN Security Council. On Feb. 25, Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak was given this early date in his talks with administration officials. On March 2, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Security Council action would take "several months." This sudden reversal has eased the strain on Tehran and left Israel high and dry.

Regime change in Tehran is now mentionable and so is a possible US attack on Iran's nuclear installations, as hundreds of US troops go to Thailand for R & R in readiness for an Iran operation. World leaders who received this message from three US presidential envoys wanted to ...

The Obama administration's decision last week to boost its military presence in the Gulf and supply its Arab allies with tens of billions of new weapons is a bid to win the galloping arms race with Iran and mark out American spheres of influence and contain Iran's drive for regional hegemony - whether or not it attains a nuclear weapon. Washington is closely watching the numbers Iran's ...

The Obama administration's decision last week to boost its military presence in the Gulf and supply its Arab allies with tens of billions of new weapons is a bid to win the galloping arms race with Iran and mark out American spheres of influence and contain Iran's drive for regional hegemony - whether or not it attains a nuclear weapon. Washington is closely watching the numbers Iran's ...

Tehran's decision to raise its uranium enrichment level to 20 percent - taking it weeks away from weapons-grade production - in the teeth of international objections, has raised no cries of outrage in Washington or Jerusalem. Asked Monday, Feb. 7, whether president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement ...

Obama's engagement strategy against Tehran's nuclear armament has failed. From February, Tehran will be able to build a nuclear device if it so chooses. Israeli must decide by May whether or not to take up its military option for knocking out More...