One International Crisis, Coming Up

Looks like Joe “Nostradamus” Biden’s prediction of an international crisis if Obama is elected may come true even sooner than he thought: Top Iran officials recommend preemptive strike against Israel.

Senior Tehran officials are recommending a preemptive strike against Israel to prevent an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear reactors, a senior Islamic Republic official told foreign diplomats two weeks ago in London.

(Hat tip:Chas)

Iran Sets Preconditions for US Meeting

Barack Obama may intend to meet with Iran without preconditions (yes, he did say it, no matter how he tries to deny it now), but Iran isn’t granting Obama the same courtesy: Iran’s Vice President Sets Two Preconditions for Talks with US.

They’re very simple conditions, really. Just remove all US forces from the Middle East, and abandon Israel to the wolves.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Vice President for Media Affairs Mehdi Kalhor said on Saturday that Iran has set two preconditions for holding talks with the United States of America.

In an exclusive interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency, he said as long as U.S. forces have not left the Middle East region and continues its support for the Zionist regime, talks between Iran and U.S. is off the agenda.

It is the Americans who are in dire need of reestablishing ties with Iran, he underlined.

Iran is not obliged to reestablish ties with the U.S., he said. “If they take our advice, grounds for such talks would be well prepared,” he said.

(Hat tip:Chas)

US Shelves Iran Diplomatic Outpost

Last weekend the Bush administration quietly abandoned plans to send diplomats to Iran.

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration has shelved plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran, in part over fears it could affect the U.S. presidential race or be interpreted as political meddling, The Associated Press has learned.

The proposal to send U.S. diplomats to Tehran for the first time in three decades attracted great attention when it was first floated seriously over the summer but has now been placed on indefinite hold as November’s election nears and Iran continues to defy demands to halt suspect nuclear activities, officials told the AP.

(Hat tip:Charlie)