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The A-O Report's

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MIDEAST WAR WATCH

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Developments for 2/8/10

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Editor's Note: This page may be updated during the course of the day with the latest news articles posted at the start of the news article listings which begin below.

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Updated: 7pm Eastern USA Time

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Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei announced on Monday that his nation is going to deliver "a punch in the mouth" that will stun world powers on February 11th, the anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei stated: "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned."

The Ayatollah's comments echo a similar statement issued by Iran's President Ahmadinejad last week. The comments also come as Iran presented a letter to the UN outlining Iran's advancement of enriched uranium to a higher level grade.

Iran's political opposition to the ruling regime is planning mass protests on February 11 to protest the fraudulent presidential election of last June. Protest organizers believe millions of Iranians will take to the streets to protest the ruling government and call for immediate changes. Government officials are warning that such protests will be dealt with as harshly as in the past.

For more information - LINK HERE. An AFP Newswire report LINK HERE. Persian Gulf News Report - LINK HERE.

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The US and the EU are united in the conviction that more sanctions are needed against Iran, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said Monday, various news agencies reported.

“We don’t have any other option than to go to the Security Council for further measures,” Morin was quoted as saying following a meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “On the Iran nuclear issue, our views totally converge.”

Also speaking on the Iranian nuclear issue was French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who was quoted by AFP as saying Monday afternoon that Iran’s usage of “blackmail” over its atomic program was forcing Western powers to insist on sanctions. “Negotiation is not possible,” he reportedly said.

After announcing Sunday that it would begin to enrich uranium in defiance of repeated entreaties by the UN and Western leaders, the regime in Teheran declared on Monday that it would enrich the potentially fissile material to 20 percent.

Iran’s announcement also served as a final, official rejection of a UN-brokered plan which would have required the Islamic republic to ship most of its uranium abroad to France, where it would undergo further processing into metal fuel rods. For more details, LINK HERE.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Sunday that Western support of Israel was ineffective, telling a top Palestinian militant leader that its obliteration was imminent according to the will of God.

In his comments, Khameini joined a long list of top Iranian officials, especially President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who have said on several occasions in the past that Israel should be destroyed. For more on this story, LINK HERE.

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An Iranian Air Force commander was quoted by Iranian news media as saying that Iran will soon unveil its own domestically built air defense system with the same capabilities as Russia's vaunted S-300 system.

The news comes as Iranian officials continue to be frustrated by Russia's failure to follow through on an agreement to sell its S-300 air defense system to Iran. There have been conflicting remarks by Russian officials on whether or not the proposed sale will go through. The two nations reached an initial agreement on the proposed sale back in December of 2005.

The prposed sale was vehemently objected by both Israel and the United States and last year, President Obama is thought to have reached an agreement with Russia to cancel the sale in exchange for the U.S. cancelling plans to install a missile shield in eastern Europe - something the Russians had vehemently opposed. Since then, Russia has continued to drag its feet on the Iranian deal, much as it has delayed the start up of the Russian-built nuclear reactor at Bushehr, Iran.

The S-300 anti-aircraft defense system is lauded by military analysts as being the most effective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system ever built. The system is mounted on mobile truck platforms and is sometimes referred to as the SA-20. It has an effective range of about 90 miles and can track 100 targets simultaneously. It can down aircraft as well as cruise missiles quite easily. Russian experts believe the system could protect Iran's nuclear facilities from being damaged by US or Israeli airstrikes.

While the Pentagon acknowledges the S-300 as an admirable weapon, many US Air Force officials believe the S-300 is highly overrated and can easily be overcome by electronic counter-measures, despite Russian claims to the contrary. It is believed that an S-300 radar was operational in Syria in September of 2007 when Israeli war jets sneaked across Syrian airspace and engaged electronic counter-measures that blinded the S-300 radar as well as Syrian and Turkish radars.

Regardless of Pentagon confidence, the Pentagon has no desire to go up against such a weapons system in the event the White House would order air operations over Iran to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities.

For more on this story, LINK HERE to a Russian News Report.  Also, LINK HERE for a Reuter's newswire report.

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The Saudi government on Monday urged a firm stance by the international community regarding what it called threats by Israel against Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians.  More details, LINK HERE.

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US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates told European leaders on Monday (2/8) that the world has no other choice but to impose economic sanctions on Iran.

Gates stated: "We must still try and find a peaceful way to resolve this issue. The only path that is left to us at this point, it seems to me, is that pressure track but it will require all of the international community to work together."

Gates comment came during a joint news conference with French Defense Minister Herve Morin after weekend meetings in Munich, Germany with NATO allies and a brief group meeting with Iranian diplomats.

For more on Gates' remarks, LINK HERE.

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Iran has announced it will begin building unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) capable of launching attacks much like the drones now being used by the US Air Force in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For more details, LINK HERE.

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