Not the entire world is wishing for a different Iran, although it does seem like that at times. Superpowers China and Russia are charting their own course, and in spite of their modern relationships with the West, there are still a lot of differences.

News reports on Iran are now following each other in rapid succession, and together they form a new step towards a military conflict. [...] What follows is an analysis of these fast-moving developments

It is clear that all the pieces are being put into place for a war against Iran. It is a long-term project demanding many years worth of preparation, and the ultimate goal is getting closer all the time. One component of this preparation is the covert arming of Syrian rebels.

While the world is getting the impression that a war with Iran has drawn a few steps closer, representatives of Israel and the U.S. are making some remarkable statements about the Islamic Republic. These statements are remarkable in part because, at the same time, the build-up to a military confrontation would seem to be continuing apace.

The issue of Iran is immersed in a fog of propaganda, deception, fear and interests. Once you step out of the fog and rise above the news coverage about Iran you see that a battle is being waged on multiple fronts. It is a war about power.

The information war that is currently raging around Iran is part of the ongoing conflict with the country. It is one component of the preparations for war against Iran that have been underway for years, and which follow the template used to conquer Iraq.

In an article responding to the report released by the IAEA CNN headlines: 'Iran developing nuclear bombs'. Media and politics worldwide make bold statements as to what to do about the Iranian 'situation'. But what are the facts? 

Iran is once again finding itself at the top of the agenda. Pressure is being stepped up on all of the parties involved. This is a new step on the road to the next war - this one against Iran.

'America's Pro-Israel Lobby', as AIPAC calls itself, holds the biggest conference in its history today, yesterday and the day before in Washington. 'This year, the lobby has built its annual conference, and its entire lobbying agenda around the issue of Iran', writes Haaretz. AIPAC is very influential, and Washington fears the long arm of the lobby. One of the resources it employs is the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI).

The battle against Iran has already begun. War is only one phase of this process - just as it was with Iraq. The preparation is the most important part of the battle. Whoever thought that the preparation for war ended when Barack Obama took office is advised to take note of the views of critical thinker Noam Chomsky in the previous installment of this DeepJournal series. He says that Obama's policy on Iran is a continuation of the policy of his predecessor, President Bush. Anyone who cares to look at the facts will see that he is right.

Also under President Obama Iran continues to dominate the world agenda. Iran is being presented as a crucial problem that must be solved. The Iran Problem is one with several layers. The uppermost layer is that Iran is a potential threat to world peace. What are the facts and the fiction that make up this first layer?

For the first time in a year international talks are being held with Iran. The question is whether or not these talks are designed to arrive at a solution. Or do these discussions - and the sanctions which will no doubt follow - represent an uptick in the direction of a military conflict, just as was the case with Iraq?

Video over de mogelijke overeenkomsten tussen de zachte revoluties in Oost-Europa en de Groene Revolutie in Iran. Ook wordt duidelijk wat de reden is dat Iran onder vuur ligt van het westen plus Israël. Wat blijkt, is dat de strijd tegen Iran al is begonnen. Oorlog is daarin slechts een fase.

With the recent voter uprising in Iran, accusations are going back and forth over possible Western support for the demonstrators. Accusations coming from the Iranian side don't sound so plausible because they are issued from an extremist regime that puts a low priority on human rights - appearances are against them. But what are the facts?

On the possible influence of the West in the uprising in Iran there is a difference of opinion. Some influential commentators share their vision on current affairs. In order to not be mislead by those current affairs and reach the core of the issue, in this article the three layers around the problem of Iran are exposed.

The uprising in Iran has reminitions of non violent and violent actions by the west to overthrow governments. Is the Green Revolution entirely sponteneaous? In this article I quote from my book The Next War - The Attack on Iran - A Preview.

DD: Daan, we now have Obama - the man of change - in Washington. Bush is gone, and with him goes the American threat to Iran. Or so you'd think. We're still hearing that trusty "Bush rhetoric" out of Washington. [...] Are we dealing with schizophrenic American policy here? How do you explain this American position?

Van Houcke houdt rekening met een militair conflict tegen Iran omdat de regionale ambities van Iran een gevaar vormen voor de belangen van het westen en Israël, omdat het olie- en gasrijke Iran niet autonoom mag blijven, omdat de Amerikaanse economie op instorten staat en de het militair-industrieel complex behoefte heeft aan oorlog, omdat Amerika nood heeft aan een gezamenlijke vijand vanwege de interne coherentie, omdat de Obama-regering uitgesproken pro-Israëlisch is, omdat de Nethanyahu bezig is met het vormen van een regering in Israël en altijd zeer anti-Iran is geweest.

Persbericht bij het boek De Volgende Oorlog - De aanval op Iran: Een voorbeschouwing.

Earlier this month the Annual Threat Assessment was released by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell.  The assessment, provided as a testimony for the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, offers an insight into the current outlook of the president's most important intelligence advisor. In his testimony McConnell emphasizes Iranian attempts to enrich uranium as well as Iran's capacity to fire long-range weapons. The combination of these two are now being presented at the highest levels of power as the central argument for branding Iran as a danger to world peace. As if the National Intelligence Estimate never even existed.