MAhmadinejad just can’t stand people trying to make peace in the world, at least not while Israel is a nation and there’s one Jew left. While Bush was meeting in Maryland with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was mocking the meeting. Peace would be the worst thing in the world for him to see come about.

Abbas is currently in a bitter power struggle with Hamas for control of Palestinian territory. Hamas, which currently controls Gaza, opposed negotiations and supports continued armed resistance against Israel. Hamas, which the United States and Israel label a terrorist group, won Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, ousting the long-ruling Fatah party that Abbas heads. Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led government earlier this year after Hamas forces seized control of Gaza.

As Iran continues to build it’s nuclear capability, the watches and wonders.

Iran may be militarily impotent but a U.S. first strike would throw the Middle East into chaos while leaving Iran’s nuclear program largely intact, an Israeli military expert has reported. Yet, there’s as many reports of Israel doing a first strike as the U.S.: maybe more.

Iran’s leadership is in a panic, with the September bombing by Israel of a nuclear installation in Syria and implied threats by the U.S. of similar action in Iran. In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other officials are “lashing out in all directions.”

And we’re worried about 2012?

If struck, there is little Iran could do to retaliate. Its air force is a sorry collection of old U.S.-made aircraft left over from the Iran-Iraq War, some Russian-made fighters and homebuilt Saeqeh jets modeled after the American F5 Tiger, an aircraft last updated in the 1960s and rejected by the U.S. Air Force. But, Iran could foment terrorist attacks against the U.S. and Israel, but, at best, they would be ad hoc events with little strategic impact, he adds.

Where this is going to go, no one knows, but as the rhetoric increases, can anything good come from it? No one really wins!

The dictator of Venezuela who is only kept in office because of $100 a barrel oil is blowing off more steam again. This time it is towards the West (physically speaking) and not towards the North (America). Oh yes, and he’s kept in office by playing on the vulnerabilites of the poor by giving them rum, scotch, and other alcoholic pleasures while giving guns to his key informants in the community.

Everyone knows that he wants to rule the West (from Canada to the Antartica) while Ahmadinejad rules the East (and we’re talking more than just the Middle East too). So, when Chavez & Ahmadinejad is not assailing the United States, Israel, Spain, and anyone else that’s had an interest in democracy, he’s now bellowing insanities against Colombia.

He’s still smarting from the defeat on being installed as a dictator for life.

Chavez ordered tank battalions to the Colombian border and mobilized warplanes on Sunday after Colombian troops struck inside Ecuador in an attack on rebels. He also ordered the shutting of Venezuela’s embassy in Colombia and the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff in the dispute, warning Colombia’s actions could spark a war in South America.

Reminds me of how high schoolers act.

Colombia’s military said on Saturday troops had killed Raul Reyes, a leader of Marxist FARC rebels, during an attack on a jungle camp in Ecuador in a severe blow to Latin America’s oldest guerrilla insurgency. The operation included air strikes and fighting with rebels across the frontier.

Does this remind you of Turkey going after rebels in northern Iraq?

On Saturday, the anti-U.S. Chavez warned Colombia against doing the same in Venezuela because he would interpret it as a “cause for war.” On Sunday, he said he would send Russian-made fighter jets into U.S. ally Colombia if its troops struck in Venezuela. As though they were going to. It’s just more political grand-standing by a man that wants to be thought of as a bigger than he is on the world’s stage.

The leftist, anti-U.S. Chavez has been in a diplomatic dispute with his ideological opposite, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, for months because of the Venezuelan’s mediation with FARC rebels over their hostages. Uribe has accused Chavez of using the mediation to meddle in Colombian affairs.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

President Hugo Chavez ordered Venezuela’s embassy in Colombia closed and told the military to send 10 battalions to the border after Colombian troops killed a top rebel leader. Hugo also told his defense minister to “Move 10 battalions for me to the border with Colombia, immediately.” He ordered the Venezuelan Embassy in Bogota closed and said all embassy personnel would be withdrawn.

And when the dust settles NOTHING will be done because Chavez doesn’t want to risk his reputation being tarnished. But “appearing MACHO” sure plays well in the press!

What was looking like a very close election in Iran turned out to be a landslide for the encumbent. With internal polling showing the possibility of an upset and the challenger winning, turned out to be the exact opposite. So, what’s one to conclude as a result of a landslide for Ahmadinejad? Only time will tell, but something smells in places other than Denmark! 

The landslide defeat of Ahmadinejad’s leading opponent, Mir Hossein Moussavi, who some analysts predicted would win the election, triggered angry protests in Iran and other cities around the world. “I’m seeing something that I’ve never seen before,” one Moussavi supporter told CNN earlier in the day. “Young people are getting abused, sabotaged, hit with batons.” The Moussavi supporter, whose name CNN is concealing for security reasons, reported hearing gunshots and seeing men in plainclothes breaking windows.

A group of 20 to 30 men, carrying clubs and metal pipes, banged on the door of an apartment building in a Tehran neighborhood.

The group was agitated. They chanted and shouted and kept banging on the building’s door. Inside, they suspected, was a person who had chanted a slogan against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This scene was witnessed by CNN reporters in Tehran on Sunday. But in the confusion and controversy that has followed Ahmadinejad’s re-election, many stories like this have been told through social networking Web sites such as Twitter — despite reports that the Iranian government has clamped down on such services and mobile phones.

Iranian authorities criticized international media reports and took steps to control the flow of information from independent news sources as anti-government protests raged in the country for a second day Sunday.

The British Broadcasting Co. said that electronic jamming of its news report, which it said began on election day,  Friday, had worsened by Sunday, causing service disruptions for BBC viewers and listeners in Iran, the Middle East and Europe. It said it had traced the jamming of the satellite signal broadcasting its Farsi-language service to a spot inside Iran.

A range of communications have been disrupted inside Iran since election day, including those which could be used to organize protests. Iran restored cell phone service Sunday that had been down in the capital since Saturday. But Iranians still could not send text messages from their mobile phones, and the government increased its Internet filtering in an apparent attempt to undercut opposition voices. Social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter were also not working.

Iran’s government has not commented on the restrictions but has accused international media of exaggerating the extent of the street protests in Tehran and of trying to destabilize the government.

It’s a fine mess Iran has gotten them selves into Ollie!

Are We Living In The End Times is a commentary put together by Dr. Alfred Adams author of the best selling book Nearing Midnight. Dr. Adams illuminates world events with the light of biblical prophecy. http://www.nearingmidnight.com

President Ahmadinejad of Iran predictions of the soon return of the Mahdi

Iran state media is broadcasting predictions of the soon return of the Mahdi, the 12th Imam or the Islamic Messiah. Some Islamic sources state that the Mahdi may come during a Spring equinox. The Mahdi was believed to have disappeared several centuries ago, but is expected to reappear in the end times to conquer the world for Allah. The reappearance of the Mahdi has been predicted several times by President Ahmadinejad of Iran, who is actively preparing his people and the nation for his arrival. At the start of this year, sources close to Ahmadinejad stated they believed the coming of the Mahdi was as close as a few years away. Part of Iran’s preparation for the Mahdi includes the development of nuclear weapons, enabling Iran to become a powerful force in the Middle East and defeat the enemies of Islam (namely Israel).

Quote: “”The Mahdi’s far sightedness and firmness in the face of mischievous elements will strike awe. After his uprising from Mecca all of Arabia will be submit to him and then other parts of the world as he marches upon Iraq and established his seat of global government in the city of Kufa. “Then the Imam will send 10 thousand of his forces to the east and west to uproot the oppressors. At this time Allah will facilitate things for him and lands will come under his control one after the other,” the website declared. “After his appearance the Imam would remain in Mecca for some time, and then go to Medina… a descendant of the Prophet’s archenemy Abu Sofyan will seize Syria and attack Iraq and the Hejaz with the ferocity of a beast… finally Imam Mahdi sends troops who kill the Sofyani in Beit ol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem), the Islamic holy city in Palestine that is currently under occupation of the Zionists,” the IRIB added.

Muslims believe that the Mahdi will return with the Prophet Jesus as his “Lieutenant”, who will kill Dajjal (the Muslim Antichrist) and rule over Jerusalem for a period of seven years. This Prophet Jesus will then kill the pig and break the cross until Islam is the only religion left. After 40 years the Prophet Jesus will die and be laid to rest beside Mohammed.

Quote: “Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts.

This is of course remarkably similar to the end time scenario as described in the Old and New Testaments. The Bible states that the Antichrist will effectively rule from Jerusalem for a period of seven years, with his false prophet who will be given power by Satan to work all manner of lying wonders (Revelation 13:13-15, 2nd Thessalonians 2:9). This false prophet will cause all who do not worship the image of the Beast to be killed. In the Scriptures, Satan also persecutes the woman (Israel – the “pigs”) who brought forth the manchild (Jesus Christ), and those who keep the testimony of Jesus (the “crosses” – tribulation saints) – Revelation 12:17.

It’s important to remember that while the Muslims may have part of the “truth” regarding the end times, they don’t have it all. Satan knows the Scriptures better than we do and has deceived Muslims in such a way that the ultimate goal for them is to worship Satan as God. For the “Christian” world – all those who didn’t have salvation, had no teaching on the rapture and remain behind after it has taken place, it will be the natural thing to listen to what the false prophet is saying (Revelation 13:11). And for the Jews, a time of trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) that has never been experienced before, nor will be after (Matthew 24:21).

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilisations dating from as far back as 4,000 BC. The Iranian Medes unified Iran into a kingdom in 625 BC. They were succeeded by three Iranian empires, the Achaemenids, Parthians and Sassanids which governed Iran for over a thousand years. This was followed by a period of foreign occupation and short lived native dynasties that lasted for centuries. However, it was once again re-unified as an independent state in 1501 by the Safavid dynasty. The Safavid dynasty promoted Twelver Shi’a Islam as the official religion, this was a monumental turning point in the history of Islam. Iran was a monarchy ruled by a Shah almost without interruption from 1501 until the 1979 when Iran officially became an Islamic republic on 1 April 1979. Iran suffered several wars with Imperial Russia during the Qajar era, resulting in Iran losing over half its territories to Russia and Britain. However, in spite of the Great Game, Iran managed to remain sovereign and was never colonised. In 1925, Reza Khan overthrew the Qajar dynasty and became Shah, he introduced progressive policies of industrialisation, railroad construction and the establishment of a national education system. He sought to balance Russian and British influence in Iran, but during World War Two, alarmed at Iran’s growing ties with Germany, both Russia and Britain invaded, forcing the Shah to abdicate in favour of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. In 1951, Mohammed Mossadegh was elected Prime Minister, he became popular after he nationalised Iran’s oil reserves. In response, Britain placed an embargo on Iranian oil and collaborated with the United States to depose Mossadegh. The operation was successful, Mossadegh was arrested and the Shah’s rule became increasingly autocratic. With American support, the Shah was able to rapidly modernise the Iranian infrastructure but he crushed all forms of political opposition. The Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution began in January 1978 with public demonstrations against the Shah resulting in his fleeing the country in January 1979. In December 1979, a theocratic constitution was approved by the country whereby the Ayatollah Khomeini became Supreme Leader of the country. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein decided to take advantage of the disorder that he perceived in Iran following the takeover coupled with the negative attitudes that Western governments now viewed Iran with. On 22 September 1980, the Iraqi army invaded at Khuzetan, thus starting the Iran-Iraq war. Iraq initially steam-rolled the Iranian forces but by 1982, Iran turned the tide and managed to force the Iraqis back into Iraq. The war dragged on until 1988, when a truce was accepted that was mediated by the UN.

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Ref: 0901-NASA-006 of 14-Jan-2009
War Drums Beating on Iran -Attack Imminent
CAUTION: Following situation is based on strong media reports. The events may or may not happen. However, we try to err on safe side. Please exercise your discretion. Do not take holiday if you are seized up with large portfolio.

News – Date of News or Event: 2009/01/14

There are reports that

1. Israel is planning massive strike on Iranian Nuclear facility with the blessings of United States.
2. Iran had earlier mentioned that should Israel or US attack Iran, there will be counter attacks on Israel and 32 US bases in Middle East. There could be battery of attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas from Palestine.
3. Although President Bush has officially denied any support for such operations, his ex-hawks in United Nations Mr. Bolton has indicated such actions are more closer to reality.
4. There is a growing feeling  that Bush wants to get into the final act of the war before he officially departs on 20th of January, 2009. It will be final act of devastation from the reckless President of United States who will leave a legacy of not only bankrupt banks and economic mess, but also physical blood and body parts flying around.
5. The attack may take place in next 5 days.
6. There could be a war between India and Pakistan due to recent non cooperative attitude of Pakistan in dealing with the terrorists. If the war erupts, watch out for the damage on refineries in Gujarat as Pakistani Intelligence strongly dislike Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
7. In short, Middle east will be the hot bed of war on multiple front.
8. BEWARE of WAR DOGS

Analysis  

Logically, a sitting and departing President is not supposed to get into war gears, but the President Bush, a republican and his War Monger Vice President Mr. Dick Cheney, want to help the war industry as much as they can during final phase before Obama takes over. They want to leave such legacy that President Obama will be left with no choice except to adapt to war and be dictated by what is left behind.

This will be a foreign policy matter which will be managed by another hawk Hillary Clinton. She is in deep debt after losing primary democratic election. It is said that she is in debt in excess of US$ 7 millions. The only way she can mitigate the debt is to appease the War Industry in United States who need desperate orders after sudden calm in Iraq and Obama’s avowed intention to leave Iraq as soon as he can.

There is more logic in above reports. Recent Israeli incursion in Gaza, largest since 1967, was a preparatory exercise and practice ground to launch massive attack on Iran. Israel killed over 800 people and lost only 5, 3 of whom from its own friendly fire, which clearly shows the disproportionate use of force. The attack was also intended to incite Iran into action which may justify the war later on. Iran so far has avoided such instigations.

If the war does erupt, there will be wholesale chaos every where.

1.      Oil prices will suddenly spurt to extremely high level.

2.      Oil Futures for February will be expiring on or about 19 January, so the rise in oil prices will be a distinct possibility.

3.      Gold and Silver may rise, if US$ falls as result. Of course, the forces are at play to prop up the dollar and spread its acceptance as “haven” in the time of war.

4.      Government of India who wanted to reduce oil prices further, may be forced to wait  on such announcement or may make sudden U turn on its proposed policy.

5.      Oil; Producers like ONGC may rise

6.      Refiners may fall due to contraction of their margin again. Reliance Industry may have to prolong the closure of Petrol Pump stations much longer as result.

7.      Government of India may be forced to suspend any announcement on lifting of price control on the petrol.

8.      Fear of inflation amid deflation and recession will rise. Interest rates may also perk up on Libor front

9.      Rupee may weaken by 2% to 3% due to rise in oil bill and lower export revenue due to Satyam saga affecting Software industry. It will be a time to send remittances to India during sudden weakness.

Strategy

1.      To stay away from Air Line stocks for the time being.

2.      to stay away from Auto Stocks of high value. Take this opportunity to build position in Ashok Leyland

3.      Although refiners may suffer, the stocks are so beaten up that this is perhaps last time you may be seeing the lower level. These stocks, especially State Owned Enterprise like HPCL, BPCL and IOC are showing signs of good strength. War related weakness provide good buy opportunity.

4.      To build up the position in Cairns energy slowly. The company may come into production at good time – rising oil prices again. Watch this counter to buy in correction. The company may come into production in June 2009

5.      Gas stocks may rise again. To build up position in Petronet and Gail

6.      Metal stocks may gain due to rise in inflation. Commodities may rise a bit.

7.      Australian currency may also gain due to rise in metal stocks and commodity prices.

8.      Interest rates may not rise due to rise in inflation. Government is in dilemma – to go here or there. That is if they raise interest rates, the recession will deepen, and if they do not do anything, the inflation will raise its head near election.

9.      Major blue chips and finance stocks may go south or lower.

10.  Cash rich companies like HLiver, ITC may do better.

11.  There may be good correction in mid caps after strong rally in last 1 month or s.

12.  Avoid banks and financial stocks. We may also see some bad news coming from this sector in USA during reporting season for Dec 08 quarter.

Actions    

1.      Reduce the position by 60% in non core stocks as above

2.      If war does not take place before Bush leaves White House, you may re-enter

3.      Gas stocks are the best choice in the world. In India, Petronet, GSPL and Gail are the best

4.      Please note that the situation may go either way. The market risk has increased. So do not attempt to get rich in 3 days.

Anil Selarka – Hong Kong

Blog: http://anilselarka.com

Ref: NASA – 0901-006 of 09.01.14

TEHRAN, Iran

– An American journalist jailed in Iran has been convicted of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison just days after she was tried behind closed doors, her lawyer said Saturday, dashing any hopes for her quick release.

The verdict was the first time Iran has found an American journalist guilty of spying, and it was unclear how the conviction would affect recent overtures by the Obama administration for better relations and engagement with Washington’s longtime adversary.

Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen, was arrested in late January and initially accused of working without press credentials. But earlier this month, an Iranian judge leveled a far more serious allegation, charging her with spying for the United States.

She appeared before an Iranian court behind closed doors on Monday in an unusually swift one-day trial. Her lawyer was permitted to attend, but had declined to discuss any details. The Fargo, North Dakota native had been living in Iran for six years and had worked as a freelance reporter for several news organizations including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.

“Saberi has been sentenced to eight years in jail. I’ll definitely appeal the verdict,” lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told The Associated Press. It was not immediately known when she was convicted.

The United States has called the charges against Saberi baseless and has demanded her release, and the conviction and prison sentence could put strains on efforts to improve ties.

President Barack Obama has said it wants to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program and other issues — a departure from the tough talk of the Bush administration.

Iran has been mostly lukewarm to the overtures, but Iran’s hard-line president gave the clearest signal yet on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic was also willing to start a new relationship with Washington.

In a speech, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was preparing new proposals aimed at breaking an impasse with the West over its nuclear program.

But it was uncertain how Washington would react to Saberi’s conviction. On Thursday, the State Department said Saberi’s jailing was not helpful and that Iran would gain U.S. good will if it “responded in a positive way” to the case.

North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan called on the Iranian government to “show compassion” and release Saberi. “This is a shocking miscarriage of justice,” the Democrat said in a statement issued Saturday.

Some conservative Iranian lawmakers played down Saberi’s conviction, saying the verdict would not affect any ongoing efforts to build trust between Washington and Iran.

“Although there is a wall of mistrust between Iran and the United States, the judicial verdict won’t affect possible future talks between the two countries. The verdict is based on evidence,” said lawmaker Hosseini Sobhaninia.

The United States severed diplomatic relations with Iran after its 1979 Islamic revolution and takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Relations deteriorated further under the former President George W. Bush, who labeled Iran as part of the so-called “Axis of Evil” along with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea.

Iran’s judiciary is dominated by hard-liners, which some analysts say are trying to derail efforts to improve U.S.-Iran relations.

Saberi’s conviction comes about two months ahead of key presidential elections in June. Ahmadinejad is seeking re-election, but the hard-liner’s popularity has waned as Iran’s economy struggles with high-inflation and unemployment. The June 12 vote is pitting the hard-liners against reformists — led by a former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi — who support better relations with the U.S.

Human rights groups have repeatedly criticized Iran for arresting journalists and suppressing freedom of speech. The government has arrested several Iranian-Americans in the past few years, citing alleged attempts to overthrow its Islamic government through what it calls a “soft revolution.” But they were never put on trial and were eventually released from prison.

Journalist watchdog groups criticized the conviction. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement on Saturday that her trial “lacked transparency.”

“We call on the Iranian authorities to release her on bail pending her appeal,” Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the group’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in the statement.

Iran has released few details about the charges against Saberi. Iranian officials initially said she had been arrested for working in the Islamic Republic without press credentials and she had told her father in a phone conversation that she was arrested after buying a bottle of wine.

An Iranian investigative judge involved in the case charged that Saberi was passing classified information to U.S. intelligence services.

Her parents, who traveled to Iran from their home in Fargo in a bid to help win their daughter’s release, could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.

Her Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, has said his daughter, who was Miss North Dakota in 1997, had been working on a book about the culture and people of Iran, and hoped to finish it and return to the United States this year.

In the constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, President of Iran is the highest elected official and responsible for the functions of the executive. The post has significant government influence as it supervises the affairs of the executive branch. The other functions of the Iranian president involves appointing and supervising council of ministers, coordinating government decisions, and selecting government policies to place before the Islamic assembly. Iranian presidential election holds great value in its constitution.

The Iranian president is elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term. The candidates for Iranian Presidential election must be above 18 years of age. The most important fact is the candidature of the aspiring candidates must be approved by Council of Guardians consisting of 12 members. The approval process of presidential candidates is a process of checking the power of the candidates as a president and it picks few numbers of eligible candidates.

Election Procedure of Iranian President

The Council of Guardians is directly or indirectly selected by the Supreme Leader of the country. And the candidates who are approved by the Council of Guardians as well as the Supreme Leader are permitted for the run in the Iranian Presidential Elections. Generally, Iranian president is elected with majority of popular votes. Iranian presidential elections may require a runoff election to select a single winner. The tenure of the president is for four years, and the person is also eligible for a second term after the completion of his tenure.

The Iranian President has to take an oath of office on assuming the responsibilities of the post. He has to sign to it at the session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in the presence of the Head of Judiciary and the members of the Guardian Council. After being elected in the Iranian Presidential elections, the president is responsible to the people, the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The people of Iran have vested their interests in him and he has to live up to their expectations.

The Position of The Iranian President

According to the Constitution of Iran, the Iranian President is the highest authority in the country, second only to the Faqih, or the Supreme Leader. He must be a Shia Muslim and of outstanding political stature. He has the right to approve the nominations of Ministers, sign laws and bring them into force and veto decrees issued by the Council of Ministers.

Special Rules of Iranian Presidential Elections

The person who gets an absolute majority of the polled votes in the Iranian Presidential elections becomes the Iranian President. But in case no one is able to gain a clear majority in the first round, a second round of votes will be taken on the Friday of the following week. Only the two people who have got the highest and the second highest votes in the first round will participate. Sometimes, one of these people tends to withdraw from the elections. In such a case, the two persons with the highest number of votes in the first round will be considered. The supervision of the entire elections is done by the Guardian Council.

The new Iranian President has to be elected within one month of retirement of the outgoing President. The outgoing President continues to perform the duties of the President until the new one assumes office. The Constitution also says that if the President dies ten days prior to the D-day, the elections will be postponed for two weeks. The same will happen if the candidate dies between the first and second rounds of voting of the Iranian Presidential elections.

The United Nations is proving once again how irrelevant it is in preventing wars and resolving conflicts. Three rounds of impotent United Nations Security Council sanctions have not acted as a deterrent in stopping Iran from its path of uranium enrichment.

In fact, it would appear that any further sanctions in the next several months will prove equally futile as well. As a result, many international experts now believe that Iran is only six months away from enriching uranium and the procurement of its own nuclear weapons.

The reality of a nuclear Iran presents serious ramifications for the global community to consider. First, the entire Middle East will be transformed into a nuclear arms race so other countries can maintain military equality with Iran.

In addition, terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah will gain direct access to new Iranian weapons of mass destruction. Iraq would become increasingly destabilized and the existence of the state of Israel will be directly threatened.

Consider that, for many years, Iran has made no secret of its dubious long-term intentions. Israel’s destruction has long been its fundamental objective. Iran’s Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said in a sermon on Iranian television on December 15, 2000, “Iran’s position, which was first expressed by the Imam Khomeini and stated several times by those responsible, is that the cancerous tumor called Israel must be uprooted from the region.”

Iranian threats have only increased during the last several years. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for action to “wipe Israel off the map”. Then, his government sponsored a conference titled “A World Without Zionism” in October, 2005. His most recent outrage was calling Israel “a stinking corpse” on the occasion of its 60th birthday.

Indeed, Ahmadinejad’s intentions were unequivocal when he told a crowd of thousands gathered at a rally in support of the Palestinians in Tehran: “This regime, thanks to God, has lost the reason for its existence. Efforts to stabilize this fake (Israeli) regime, by the grace of God, have completely failed. You should believe that this regime is disappearing”.

Ahmadinejad also called Israeli leaders a “group of terrorists” and has threatened any country that supports the Jewish state. “You imposed a group of terrorists … on the region,” Ahmadinejad said, addressing the U.S. and its allies. “It is in your own interest to distance yourself from these criminals… This is an ultimatum. Don’t complain tomorrow.”

So, in less than a year, a nuclear Iran under the leadership of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will appear on the world stage. It will be a country that successfully defied the sanctions of the United Nations and its nuclear capability will destabilize the entire Middle East and the world community. Based on history, it is also a prospect that would threaten Israel directly.

So, consider that the most important election in the world this fall may well be held in Israel. The Kadima Party primary election will be held in September, 2008. The election features Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, competing against hardliner and former Army Chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz. Recent public opinion polls show that the race between the two candidates is very close. A Mofaz victory could well lead to the bombing by Israel of various nuclear power facilities in Iran.

It is also possible that the next Kadima leader would not be able to form a coalition government. In that event, new elections would be called, and held early in 2009. Currently, the overwhelming favorite to win any new election in Israel would be former Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu certainly fears the threat of a nuclear Iran. He left few doubts about his position on the problem of a nuclear Iran in December 2005, when he said the solution was “a pre-emptive strike similar to the 1981 attack ordered by then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin that destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor.”

” I will continue the tradition established by Menachem Begin, who did not allow Iraq to develop such a nuclear threat against Israel, and by a daring and courageous act gave us two decades of tranquility,” Netanyahu told the Maariv Daily. “I believe that this is what Israel has to do.”

His statements in November of 2006 also point to his increasing fear of Iranian nuclear capability: “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany. And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs,” Netanyahu told delegates to the annual United Jewish Communities General Assembly. In his address, he repeated a phrase several times, like a chorus, “Believe him and stop him,” Netanyahu said of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “This is what we must do. Everything else pales before this. “While the Iranian president “denies the Holocaust,” he is preparing another Holocaust for the Jewish state.”

The multi-year international crisis with Iran is nearing its conclusion. Several months from now, Iran will have successfully achieved the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. Sadly, international diplomacy and an ineffective United Nations will not deter Iran from its nuclear ambition.

The result is that the world is well on the path to another international military confrontation. Indeed, the ongoing threats from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appear to leave Israel very little choice. In the next six months, Israel will act to prevent a nuclear Iran.

The Iran political structure and Iranian presidential elections have global significance from the standpoints of its unique electoral system. The Iranian president, who is elected as the highest official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader, by and large, serves a four-year term after getting elected directly by the citizens of Iran. However, according to the Iranian constitution, the Iranian president can not serve for more than two consecutive terms.

The Position Of Iranian President

The Iranian president assumes a great significance although he is not conferred with the highest power of the nation. As per the constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, the Iranian president is responsible for the functions of the executives which include the following areas:

O Signing International agreements and treaties

O Signing agreements and treaties with any International organizations

O Appointing ministers, governors, ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament

O National Planning and Budget

O State Employment Affairs

Role of Iranian President in The State

As the head of the state, the Iranian president performs a host of established functions including accepting the credentials of the ambassadors. After the Iranian constitution removed the position of Prime Minister and decided to merge all the primer ministerial duties with the President’s in 1989, the role of the of the Iranian president has assumed greater importance than ever before.

Moreover, elected as the highest official directly in the Iranian presidential elections, the Iranian president is responsible and accountable to the people. Although, he is accountable to both the Supreme Leader as well as the people of Islamic Republic of Iran, he can independently take decisions and develop certain government policies of the country.

Other Functions of The Iranian President

The Iranian president can formulate foreign policies with the help of National Security Council and approval of the Supreme Leader. However, all foreign policies are usually executed by minister of foreign affairs and secretary general of the security council. As a matter of fact, the secretary general of the security council plays a more important role in decisions related to the national economy and nuclear energy policies.

The Iranian president also enjoys a great deal of power in the nomination and appointment of members to the parliament, called Majlis. Similarly, he has the discretion to sack any of the government members. Moreover, the Iranian president appoints the secretary of national security council, the ambassadors to foreign countries and the governors of the provinces in Iran as well.

Earlier, the discretion of appointing of city mayors was also with the Iranian president. However, according to the new rules of the Iranian constitution, the power of electing the mayors of the cities now lies with the local assemblies that are elected directly by the people of Iran.

The position of the Iranian president in Iran political structure has become stronger after the Iranian constitution merged the prime ministerial responsibilities with those of the president.