Iran said to deny reports of spy arrests
November 17, 2008 Leave a comment
It appears that Iranian news agencies are now denying earlier reports by Reuters that ten people of unknown nationality (but allegedly working for the British secret service) were arrested in Iran’s southeastern border while trying to enter the country illegally. Interestingly, the arrestees were reportedly found to be in possession of sophisticated cameras, maps of selected areas in Iran and around $500,000 in cash —the latter a clear sign of a covert infiltration operation. The Iranian denial of the Reuters report is in fact more interesting than the covert operation itself. Watch this space for more information on this developing story. [JF]
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Israeli military intelligence chief wants dialogue with Iran
November 17, 2008 by intelNews Leave a comment
The Bush Administration continues to equate dialogue with its perceived enemies with appeasement. Yet even the Israelis are now showing signs of abandoning this policy. Earlier today the head of Israel’s military intelligence, Major General Amos Yadlin, stated that he was “not opposed to direct talks between Iran and the United States”, because “dialogue is not appeasement”. He also expressed the elementary diplomatic axiom that the spectacular drop in oil prices has rendered Iran “very susceptible to international pressure”. Yadlin also described Barack Obama’s capture of the US Presidency as having been received “with a sigh of relief in the Middle East, with cautious hope for peace”. So much for hawkish Israeli hardliners who are said to have hijacked US foreign policy toward Iran. [JF]
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