U.S. may be preparing for Iranian strike

Examiner.com - According to an Aviation Week report, evidence is mounting that the Obama White House views 2013 as a window of opportunity to strike Iranian nuclear and missile facilities. With the Syrian crisis is full mode presently, the attack could be timed to coincide with the chaos.

The weekly publication suggests that “Iran’s intransigence over shutting down its uranium-enrichment program will not buy it much more time. The tools for such an attack are all operational.” The U.S. suspects Iran has already conducted a nuclear test in North Korea.

America's differences with Syria promoted this speculation after a June 29th meeting between the American diplomatic delegation and Syria's military and economic ally, Russia. The failed attempt took place between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in St. Petersburg. Russia.

The Russians are opposed to any deal that removes Bashar Assad as Syria's besieged leader.

The UN/Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, has also failed to bring a halt to the violence that has steadily escalated since its inception last March. In his plan, the Syrian government would include opposition representation. The Russians are weary of any change with their staunchest ally in the region.

Annan hoped pressure from the five U.N. Security Council veto-wielders, the Arab League and Syria's neighbor Turkey (a member of NATO) would deliver some sort of settlement to the crisis.

But without the cooperation of the Russians who supply virtually all of Syria's military hardware, experts see little chance of movement in peace talks.

Saudi King Abdullah called for a military alert last Thursday. Saudi forces are grouping for staging along the Jordan/Iraq border. Turkish military troop movements have been reported since the downing of one of their reconnaissance planes by Syrian anti-aircraft batteries last week.

The Saudi units are poised with tanks, missiles, special forces and anti-air batteries to enter Jordan with two military objectives: Safeguard Jordan's King against potential Syrian or Iranian reprisals and then head north to southeastern Syria. There a security-like zone can be established.

A wary eye looks east towards Iran and their powerful Revolutionary Guard. As an ally of Syria, they feel threatened by the West – especially any movement by the United States and/or Israel.

Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq (all American allies) are also nervous at the now very real possibility of spreading regional conflict.

It was reported last week that Russia had agreed to an Annan peace formula, even though it entailed evicting Bashar Assad from power. Experts are skeptical that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would approve such a plan. However, Foreign Minister Lavrov stepped in to address the rumor stressing an Annan plan could work without “any outside interference or imposition of recipes in Syria.”

Obviously this statement is referring to the intensive military movements afoot around Syria.

Clinton and Lavrov are expected to continue serious negotiations on the Syrian issue. The final outcome of these talks could determine whether the Western-Arab-Turkish alliance escalates into a full-blown military operation within Syria.

Failure of such talks could signal a Western-Arab military intervention. In turn that could lead to Iranian participation on the side of Syria.

Thus the strong rumors that this may be a planned moment to take out Iran's nuclear capability with the Russians looking the others way if we leave their Syrian puppet in power.