Report: U.S. preparing for an Israeli strike on Iran

Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. officials are becoming increasingly concerned that Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities; U.S. wants to give sanctions more time.

Israel Air Force F-16 Photo by: Eliahu Hershkovitz

From Haaretz…

The United States has stepped up contingency planning in case Israel launches a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

According to the report, U.S. defense officials are becoming increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to carry out such a strike.

U.S. Warns Israel on Strike

(AP) Iranians on Friday carried the flag-draped coffin of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a scientist working in Iran's nuclear sector assassinated in Tehran.

From WSJ…

WASHINGTON—U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard U.S. facilities in the region in case of a conflict.

S&P Cuts Ratings on France, Italy, Other European Countries

From FBN…

Standard & Poor’s on Friday downgraded the debt of nine European countries, including France and Austria, two large economies which until recently were thought to be strong.

Germany, by far the strongest economy in Europe, was not included in the downgrades.

The move by S&P, rumored for weeks, is being viewed as the latest troubling development in the long-running European sovereign debt crisis.

Quote Of The Day

From ZeroHedge…

Ironically with Europe imploding, it is America that is the source of our quote du jour (via BBG):

• OBAMA SAYS NEED TO `FUNDAMENTALLY RETHINK’ HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS
• OBAMA CALLS ON CONGRESS TO GIVE HIM POWERS TO STREAMLINE GOVT

Let’s just give Obama unlimited powers to fix all government…. and indefinitely detain anyone for “domestic terrorism purposes” as well (wait, that already happened) Sure. Why not. If we felt like it we would chart how under Obama, debt held by the public will have increased by over $5 trillion by the end of his first term, compared to $6.3 trillion under all other presidents. We don’t feel like it.

First NDAA, Now Enemy Expatriation Act

From Infowars…

On the heels of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), otherwise known as the “Indefinite Detention Act,” comes another draconian bill designed to give the federal government the power to turn American citizens into enemies of the state for virtually any reason it deems necessary. Stephen D. Foster, Jr. has the story.

“Congress is considering HR 3166 and S. 1698 also known as the Enemy Expatriation Act, sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Charles Dent (R-PA). This bill would give the US government the power to strip Americans of their citizenship without being convicted of being ‘hostile’ against the United States. In other words, you can be stripped of your nationality for ‘engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.’ Legally, the term ‘hostilities’ means any conflict subject to the laws of war but considering the fact that the War on Terror is a little ambiguous and encompassing, any action could be labeled as supporting terrorism.”

Cashless Society: India Implements First Biometric ID Program for all of its 1.2 Billion Residents

From Infowars…

Over the past few months, I have written several articles dealing with the coming cashless society and the developing technological control grid. I also have written about the surge of government attempts to gain access to and force the use of biometric data for the purposes of identification, tracking, tracing, and surveillance.

Unfortunately, the reactions I receive from the general public are almost always the same. While some recognize the danger, most simply deny that governments have the capability or even the desire to create a system in which the population is constantly monitored by virtue of their most private and even biological information. Others, either gripped by apathy or ignorance, cannot believe that the gadgets given to them from the massive tech corporations are designed for anything other than their entertainment and enjoyment.

France Downgraded by S&P, Losing Triple-A Status: Report

From CNBC…

Standard & Poor’s ratings agency has downgraded France’s credit rating, French television channels reported on Friday, citing a government source.

Use of force tops agenda on Iran

From Financial Times…

How close is the west getting to all-out conflict with Iran? As 2012 gets under way, the question is right at the top of the international security agenda. Hardly a day goes by without some striking news from the region – be it Iran’s decision to enrich uranium at a new underground site; or the unexplained killing of another Iranian nuclear scientist; or Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Brotherhood’s ‘Lenin’ Plotting Islamic Super-State

Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi

From CBN News…

WASHINGTON — Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been called the most influential Islamic cleric in the world.

During the past year, he’s used his clout to promote the so-called Arab Spring.

For al-Qaradawi, the rise of radical Islamic governments across the Middle East and North Africa means a giant step towards his vision of a united Islamic super-state — or caliphate — governed by Sharia law.

The West Blinks – Iran Embargo Likely To Be Delayed By Six Months

From ZeroHedge…

UPDATE: Oil Sub $100.

And so the escalation ends, if only for the time being, as Iran chalks a (Pyrrhic?) victory.

• EU IRAN OIL EMBARGO SAID TO BE LIKELY DELAYED BY SIX MONTHS

Why? Because the world slowly realized that the potential surge in oil prices would tip a world already on the verge of a recession even deeper into economic contraction. Not rocket science, but certainly something the US president apparently has been unable to comprehend, especially if hoping that he would merely transfer exports from Iran to his close ally Saudi Arabia which would cement its European market monopoly even further. Or, perhaps, someone just explained to Obama that Embargo in January + QE3 in March = No Reelection…

In other news, crude is now dumping.