...... also known as "looking for trouble?" or "bring it on!"
Preparatory measures taken to sell oil in euros
TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (MNA) - The Chairman of the Majlis Energy Commission, Kamal Daneshyar said here, on Friday, that preparatory measures have been taken to sell oil in euros instead of dollar, adding that such a measure is quite positive and should be taken as soon as possible.
Speaking to the Persian service of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), he went on to say that Iran should at the first phase sell its oil in both Dollar and Euro, and then gradually move toward Euro as the mere source.
As for the probable consequences of such a decision, Daneshyar said that when such a measure is taken, the United States would soon realize that it is not the one who can always inflict economic damages on the Islamic Republic and that Iran can also get even with it.
Daneshyar who also represents Mahshahr in the Majlis noted that prior to this the way was not paved for undertaking such a program, adding that fortunately the present government possesses the necessary management bravery to prepare the ground for taking such a measure.
Source for this one is http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=260851
Perhaps the item has some relevance, somewhere -
Israel slams Russia for selling anti-missile system to Iran Tehran defends its right to buy arms
Compiled by Daily Star staff Monday, December 05, 2005
Israel on Sunday lambasted Russia over the sale of anti-missile systems to arch-enemy Iran, the latest round of what the local press has dubbed the "Iranian-Israeli arms race." Iran, already under intense international pressure over its nuclear activities, has reportedly bought 29 mobile air defense systems from Moscow in a deal worth more than $700 million.
Defending the Russian deal, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said: "Is this a problem? Do we need permission?"
"We have contracts with other countries to buy or sell arms. This is not the first time we have signed a contract with the Russians. We have done so in the past with Russia and other countries like China," he told AFP in an interview.
Reacting to the arms deal, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokes-man Marc Regev said: "When a country sells arms to Iran, it strengthens the military strength of the state and serves only the interests of the most negative elements in the region."
The contract with Russia coincided with an Israeli announcement it had successfully test fired an Arrow defense missile against a mock Shahab missile. Iran has been constantly upgrading the Shahab-3 missile, a single-stage device that is believed to be based on a North Korean design and have a range of at least 2,000 kilometers - meaning that arch-enemy Israel and U.S. bases in the region are well within range.
"For the first time we have verified the Arrow's capabilities against the Iranian Shahab and this test has allowed us to demonstrate that we have the means to counter Iranian threats," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday.
The latest test of the Arrow, or Hetz in Hebrew - which is not yet operational - followed a pledge by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that Israel would never allow Iran to come into possession of nuclear weapons.
The Shahab-3, which means "Meteor" or "Shooting Start" in Farsi, was once described by Israel's Mossad spy agency as the greatest threat to the Jewish state's existence since its creation in 1948.
First launched in 1988 during the now-defunct Star Wars strategy under former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, the U.S.-inspired Arrow program was stepped up after Israel was hit by 39 Iraqi Scud missiles that left two people dead during the 1991 Gulf war. Development of the Arrow is half-funded by the United States.
Its army chief Dan Halutz predicted Sunday diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions would fail but suggested a military strike was not yet on the cards.
"The Iranians are determined to get a nuclear capability. From Israel's viewpoint such a situation is unacceptable ... We should be prepared for the worst scenario," he said.
Asked how far Israel was ready to go to stop Iran's nuclear project, Halutz quipped, "2,000 kilometers."
Mofaz said the United Nations should step in. "This is a hot potato which should be placed on the table of the Security Council."
Russia's news agency ITAR-TASS on Friday quoted an unidentified top Russian Defense Ministry official as saying the deal involved 29 Tor M-1 mobile systems capable of bringing down both aircraft and missiles.
Larijani said with a smile that Iran's air defenses "do not have many weaknesses," but went on to dismiss fears that his country was also seeking to equip itself with long-range ballistic missiles.
"We always announce the range of missiles we test. There is nothing secret," he said.
Israeli newspapers noted the weapons build-up with some alarm, with respected military commentator Alex Fishman calling the arms race a "cancerous illness" in a column in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
"The Iranians do not yet have nuclear weapons, but we are already at the early stage of the game: we are running an arms race against them for defensive weapons, trying to understand where they're headed and to run a few steps ahead," he wrote.
"The race will go on unless some sort of miracle happens to stop this lunacy, which sucks billions of dollars from each side." - Agencies
Source for this one is http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=20514
