While the world has been focused on the Middle East and the Arab Winter (Spring means new growth and that is not what is happening in the area) Iran has quietly been working out a relationship with Venezuela to place medium range missiles there. Now where might those missiles be aimed? Cuba? Mexico? The US?
Apparently this news was broken last year and for some reason, I had not heard it. How about you?
Die Welt broke the story and for some reason our media has not seen any reason to let us know. Could it be that they do not want to further hurt their President? Regardless of the motivation, we as observant, informed citizens must take notice and let others of our ilk know what really is occurring.
Does anyone have any other information on this obvious violation of our Monroe Doctrine? I would like to know what you have heard and I will post it either as comments or as a posting itself.
My information comes from a blog called Richocet and the article is written by Judith Levy. I did check out the Die Welt article for confirmation. Here is the article.
Iran Building Missile Base in Venezuela
Judith Levy · May. 17 at 12:56am
There's a situation developing south of the border that has the potential to become President Obama's very own missile crisis.
Die Welt reports that in fulfillment of a commitment made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran in October 2010, Iran has now entered the concrete planning phase for constructing launching pads for Iranian intermediate-range missiles in Venezuela. The missiles Iran intends to deploy at the site are believed to be Shahab 3s (1300-1500 km range), Scud-Bs (285-330 km) and Scud-Cs (300, 500 and 700 km).
Note that Venezuela is about 2000 km from Florida. And according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran is making "robust strides" in its attempts to manufacture longer-range ballistic missiles "with the apparent aim of being able to deliver nuclear warheads."
Citing "Western security insiders," Die Welt claims that Iran is building the launching pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, which is on the coast of Venezuela about 75 miles from Colombia. This would appear to be the first stage of a larger project to establish a military base that will eventually be manned by Iranian missile officers and soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as well as Venezuelan missile officers who are to receive intensive training from the Iranians.
When the agreement between Iran and Venezuela was signed last fall, the Hudson Institute noted the significance of the timing: it coincided with NATO's Lisbon summit (19-20 November 2010), which set up a missile defense capability to protect NATO's European territories against ballistic missile attacks from the East (i.e., Iran). "Iran's counter-move consists in establishing a strategic base in the South American continent -- in the United States's soft underbelly," the Institute wrote.
The plan is now in motion. Engineers from Khatam al-Anbia, a construction company owned by the Revolutionary Guards, visited Paraguaná in February. According to Die Welt, their delegation was approved by Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force. The project is believed to entail command and control stations, bunkers, barracks and watch towers, and twenty-meter deep rocket silos. It's being financed by Iranian petroleum revenues, and Iran is said to have already paid in cash for the preliminary phase of construction.
The missile base, when armed, will constitute a multi-level threat. Chavez agreed at the 2010 meeting in Teheran to fire on Iran's Western enemies if Iran is itself attacked, and Iran agreed to allow Venezuela to use its missiles for "national needs" -- a phrase that should cause some sleep to be lost in Bogotá and elsewhere in the region.
The base will also, as the Hudson Institute notes, represent a means by which Iran and its suppliers can sidestep UN sanctions. After the latest round of sanctions, "Russia decided not to sell five battalions of S-300PMU-1 air defence systems to Iran," the Institute wrote in December 2010. "These weapons, along with a number of other weapons, were part of a deal, signed in 2007, worth $800 million. Now that these weapons cannot be delivered to Iran, Russia is looking for new customers; according to the Russian press agency Novosti, it found one: Venezuela."
Apparently this news was broken last year and for some reason, I had not heard it. How about you?
Die Welt broke the story and for some reason our media has not seen any reason to let us know. Could it be that they do not want to further hurt their President? Regardless of the motivation, we as observant, informed citizens must take notice and let others of our ilk know what really is occurring.
Does anyone have any other information on this obvious violation of our Monroe Doctrine? I would like to know what you have heard and I will post it either as comments or as a posting itself.
My information comes from a blog called Richocet and the article is written by Judith Levy. I did check out the Die Welt article for confirmation. Here is the article.
Iran Building Missile Base in Venezuela
Judith Levy · May. 17 at 12:56am
There's a situation developing south of the border that has the potential to become President Obama's very own missile crisis.
Die Welt reports that in fulfillment of a commitment made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran in October 2010, Iran has now entered the concrete planning phase for constructing launching pads for Iranian intermediate-range missiles in Venezuela. The missiles Iran intends to deploy at the site are believed to be Shahab 3s (1300-1500 km range), Scud-Bs (285-330 km) and Scud-Cs (300, 500 and 700 km).
Note that Venezuela is about 2000 km from Florida. And according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran is making "robust strides" in its attempts to manufacture longer-range ballistic missiles "with the apparent aim of being able to deliver nuclear warheads."
Citing "Western security insiders," Die Welt claims that Iran is building the launching pads on the Paraguaná Peninsula, which is on the coast of Venezuela about 75 miles from Colombia. This would appear to be the first stage of a larger project to establish a military base that will eventually be manned by Iranian missile officers and soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, as well as Venezuelan missile officers who are to receive intensive training from the Iranians.
When the agreement between Iran and Venezuela was signed last fall, the Hudson Institute noted the significance of the timing: it coincided with NATO's Lisbon summit (19-20 November 2010), which set up a missile defense capability to protect NATO's European territories against ballistic missile attacks from the East (i.e., Iran). "Iran's counter-move consists in establishing a strategic base in the South American continent -- in the United States's soft underbelly," the Institute wrote.
The plan is now in motion. Engineers from Khatam al-Anbia, a construction company owned by the Revolutionary Guards, visited Paraguaná in February. According to Die Welt, their delegation was approved by Amir al-Hadschisadeh, the head of the Guard’s Air Force. The project is believed to entail command and control stations, bunkers, barracks and watch towers, and twenty-meter deep rocket silos. It's being financed by Iranian petroleum revenues, and Iran is said to have already paid in cash for the preliminary phase of construction.
The missile base, when armed, will constitute a multi-level threat. Chavez agreed at the 2010 meeting in Teheran to fire on Iran's Western enemies if Iran is itself attacked, and Iran agreed to allow Venezuela to use its missiles for "national needs" -- a phrase that should cause some sleep to be lost in Bogotá and elsewhere in the region.
The base will also, as the Hudson Institute notes, represent a means by which Iran and its suppliers can sidestep UN sanctions. After the latest round of sanctions, "Russia decided not to sell five battalions of S-300PMU-1 air defence systems to Iran," the Institute wrote in December 2010. "These weapons, along with a number of other weapons, were part of a deal, signed in 2007, worth $800 million. Now that these weapons cannot be delivered to Iran, Russia is looking for new customers; according to the Russian press agency Novosti, it found one: Venezuela."
The most interesting part of that story is the last sentence. The Russians can get around the U.N. sanctions of sales to Iran by selling to Venezuela.
ReplyDeleteWith our modern satellite spying capability, it is impossible to build a military base anywhere without the U.S. knowing it. The State Dept. says it knows nothing of any such launching pad in Venezuela.
That's not to say it couldn't happen. It is not a violation of the Monroe Doctrine for Venezuela to have a military base, or to buy missiles from Russia. The Russian missiles are better quality than anything Iran has, and I'd bet -- for the right price -- they'd sell them to Venezuela.
Of course, Chavez (or Iran) would have to have a death wish to even think of attacking the U.S. We have a lot more serious things to worry about, beginning the with the debt ceiling vote next month. I fear the inmates have taken over the asylum in Congress.
--David
I have no doubt that the government/State Department/POTUS/DOD have information on the missile bases in Venezuela but I wonder why we have not heard about it. Why is it that a German paper is the one that exposes it? Why is it not our media? Are we being distracted by Dancing With The Stars and other mind candy rather than real news?
ReplyDeleteIt is a violation of the Monroe Doctrine, just like the Cuban Missile Crisis. At that time Russia was placing missiles in Cuba and now they are installing them in Venezuela. I see no difference.
I also agree that the debt ceiling is a big issue that no one in Congress has the intestinal fortitude to tackle. The last budget agreement which was supposed to be 3 billion really turned out to be 500 million--a lie by both parties. When will be get adults in Washington?
The State Dept. says that they have no evidence that any such launching pads exist. So far, the only evidence (if you want to call it that) is a story out of Germany with unnamed sources.
ReplyDeleteThe Monroe Doctrine has been reinterpreted and expanded far beyond its original intent, which was only designed to prevent further colonization by European countries in the Americas. If it is the U.S. policy is to block weapons sales to South American countries, then the policy deserves its own name.
The Russians have already sold missiles to Venezuela, but none of them have range to reach the U.S. However, I can't say I trust the Russians not to sell them long-range missiles if the price is right. The Soviet Union is gone, but Putin is an old KGB operative, and still thinks like one. Their interference with our military base in Kyrgyzstan comes to mind.
I hope you will sometime start up a discussion on this new way Congress does business -- the "Gang of X". We have a gang of 5 men who will take weeks of secret meetings to come up with a budget plan. By the time they are done, there will be no time left to debate any alternatives. It will be like Hank Paulson going to Congress with a 3-page document promising that the world economy will implode if he doesn't get $700 billion by next week.
--David
enjoy the give and take that David and I have been having. Others are welcome to join in. We can disagree agreeably, right?
ReplyDeleteOur government is out of control and I will try get some articles that illustrate the issues. However, I do totally argee that the Paulson document, which by the way changed after he got the money, will be shown in the future to be a wonderful money grab for the big banks with little or no supervision. What a piece of garbage perpetuated on a gullible congress.
I doubt very much that the world would have come to an end, maybe some of the banks might have, but not the world.
May 25, 2011 11:15 AM