Israel recently conducted a long-range rehearsal for an air attack on Iran. The 100 aircraft, 900 mile / 1400km mission around the Mediterranean was intended to train Israeli pilots for a long range air attack. Each leg requires the aircraft to refuel three times.
Since then, Israel has stepped up the rhetoric and made it clear that it wants Bush to attack Iran before he leaves office. Other reports suggest the Israeli air force is not ready to launch such a complex air mission over such a distance.
Iran, understandably, has taken a dim view of threats to attack it.
Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, said an attack would turn the region into a "fireball". He also said he would resign if there were a military strike. The IAEA is charged with monitoring Iran's compliance with the Nuclar Non-Proliferation Treaty which Iran is signatory to. The most recent Board report from the IAEA in early June found nothing amiss, but did ask Iran to respond to allegations made by the US and Israel about its nuclear programme.
The news of the Israeli attack training was leaked to the New York Times by the Pentagon. Oil prices immediately went up. Maybe that was the aim: monster Iran for added oil profits. Time will tell.
Interestingly, the CBS News reports linked to here do not make it clear that no one has presented any proof that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. CBS viewers are told Iran has a nuclear weapons program as though it were established fact. These claims by the US and Israel are not questioned or described as allegations, which is what they are.
You would think American media might have learned from the build up to the attack on Iraq to question more deeply, but apparently not. CBS is still parroting the White House and Pentagon line, unquestioned, in their primary news bulletins. This may be understandable as CBS's parent company, Westinghouse, is one of the largest weapons contractors in the United States.
War, or threat of war, is their bread and butter.
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