(30.8.2015)

(…)

(24.August) The kidnapping of a group of U.S.-trained moderate Syrians moments after they entered Syria last month to confront the Islamic State was orchestrated by Turkish intelligence, multiple rebel sources have told McClatchy.

The rebels say that the tipoff to al Qaida’s Nusra Front enabled Nusra to snatch many of the 54 graduates of the $500 million program on July 29 as soon as they entered Syria, dealing a humiliating blow to the Obama administration’s plans for confronting the Islamic State.

Die USA spielten dabei eine undurchsichtige Rolle. Man kann annehmen, dass sie darauf drängten, dass sich die Türkei mit den Angriffen auf IS-Stellungen der Kritik entziehen, die auch ein ungutes Licht auf die Abmachungen zwischen der USA und der Türkei werfen.

Opponents of the Iran nuclear deal in Congress admit they can no longer kill the accord. Their focus now is making sure there will be a vote on the agreement at all, and salvaging some political benefit from their well-funded bid to stop it.

Dear Representatives Boehner and Pelosi and Senators McConnell and Reid:
As you know, on July 14, 2015, the United States and five other nations announced that a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been reached with Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. In our judgment as former senior military officers, the agreement will not have that effect. Removing sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars to its regime over the next ten years is inimical to the security of Israel and the Middle East. There is no credibility within JCPOA’s inspection process or the ability to snap back sanctions once lifted, should Iran violate the agreement. In this and other respects, the JCPOA would threaten the national security and vital interests of the United States and, therefore, should be disapproved by the Congress.

(3.Februar 1991) Although Cheney did not specify nuclear weapons, that was his clear implication. „I have no idea“ whether Israel would use tactical nuclear weapons, Cheney continued. „That‘s a decision that the Israelis would have to make, but I would think that he (Hussein) has to be cautious in terms of how he proceeds in his attacks against Israel.“

Cheney was later asked whether the United States would use nuclear weapons in the war against Iraq.

„We don‘t rule options in or out. . . . We‘ve got a wide spectrum of capabilities. The President decides how we respond to various and sundry events, and we don‘t speculate.“

(25.Januar 2003) As the Pentagon continues a highly visible buildup of troops and weapons in the Persian Gulf, it is also quietly preparing for the possible use of nuclear weapons in a war against Iraq, according to a report by a defense analyst.

Although they consider such a strike unlikely, military planners have been actively studying lists of potential targets and considering options, including the possible use of so-called bunker-buster nuclear weapons against deeply buried military targets, says analyst William M. Arkin, who writes a regular column on defense matters for The Times.