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Today's Middle East Round-up

By Reid Smith on 11.29.11 @ 3:18PM

So, as you may have read, it's just another slow news day in the Middle East.

As they say in Cairo...mumtaz! Turnout is reportedly high for a second straight day of voting in Egypt's first post-Mubarak election. Although anti-government demonstrators continue to reject the elections from Tahrir Square, the Supreme Military Council are pointing to the apparent success of the polls as validation of their benign, interim rule. Of course, with a name like the Supreme Military Council, who would possibly suspect that your intentions are anything other than Madisonian when it comes to the promise of liberal democracy?

Just across the Sinai, Hizbullah's decided today's the day to kick off rocket attacks against Israel for the first time since 2009. The Israelis were kind enough to return the favor. Although no casualties have been reported, it's anybody's guess when these two states will literally cool their jets. Interestingly, the Lebanese rockets were reportedly fired from the town of Rmeish...a small(ish), predominantly Christian village that's filled with churches. This may strikes you as a curious collaboration, but Hizbullah often launches their Katyusha rockets from Christian villages, so they have a shield from return fire.

Taken in context of the political fault-line next door in Syria, it's anybody's guess how this conflagration will test the fragile geopolitical balance.

Most alarmingly, Iranian protesters stormed the main British embassy compound in Tehran, following Westminister's vote to impose new sanctions on the Islamic Republic's central banking system. Predictably, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reserved "regret" for "unacceptable behavior" perpetrated by a small number of "protesters." No mention was made of the diplomatic vehicle that was torched, the Molotov cocktails tossed or the windows smashed by these enthusiastic dissidents. Nor was there specific apology made for the six members of the British embassy who were briefly held at a nearby consular facility.

The attacks follow Iran's parliamentary vote on Sunday to downgrade diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. The BBC reports that several MPs in the hardlineMajlis chamber chanted "Death to Britain" during the vote which passed with nearly 90 percent approval.

My instincts tell me the attack on the British embassy was not a spontaneous demonstration of nationalism, but a carefully orchestrated political swipe at Her Majesty's diplomatic proxy. The Iranian government has a nasty habit of assaulting symbolic targets when foreign adversaries act against the regime. In 2007, Iranian forces captured a crew of 15 British sailors and Marines the day before the United Nations Security Council approved new sanctions against the Islamic government. The British servicemen and women were later forced to "confess" to illegal entry.

I'm personally too young to remember the 1979 seizure of the American embassy, and the subsequent hostage crisis, but given today's events, "flashback" is clearly warranted.

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Occam's Tool| 11.29.11 @ 7:21PM

Apparently, the Iranian bomb program is hitting a few bumps---or, more accurately, BOOMS (From today's NROs Morning Jolt):

"Iran's Mysterious Explosions Need a Big-Bang Theory

Eh, what's that? Iran's economy is booming, especially in the cities where the nuclear program and missile sites are housed?

Oh, you meant a different kind of booming:

An explosion rocked the western Iranian city of Isfahan on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, adding that the blast was heard in several parts of the city.

According to reports, frightened residents called the fire department after the blast, forcing the city authorities to admit there had been an explosion.

Speaking with Fars news agency, Isfahan's deputy mayor confirmed the reports and said the authorities are investigating the matter. However, after the incident was reported in Israel, the report was taken off the Fars website.

Careful with those detonators, fellas! Jeff Dunetz notes other recent unexpected big bangs over in Iran:

Less than two weeks after a mysterious explosion destroyed an Iranian missile development base, and the same day the Israeli Military reported on the effect of that explosion, Iran's official news agency FARS reported that a loud blast was heard in the city of Isfahan at 2:40 pm local time (6:10am EST). . . .

It will be interesting to see if this explosion (and the one two weeks ago) is the result of Iranian incompetence, bad luck, or some outside source.

Meanwhile, at Checkpoint Washington, the Washington Post's national-security blog, Jason Ukman says whatever happened at that missile development-base was big:

Two weeks after a mysterious explosion at an Iranian missile base, a Washington-based research group has released a satellite image showing extensive damage to the site.

The image of the compound, near the city of Malard, doesn't provide any clues as to what caused the Nov. 12 explosion, which Iranian authorities described as an "accident" involving the transport of ammunition. But it does make clear that the facility has been effectively destroyed. . . .

Paul Brannan, a senior analyst for the Institute for Science and International Security, which specializes in the study of nuclear weapons programs, said it's impossible to tell from the image whether the blast was caused by sabotage, as [has been] speculated in this explosion and others at transport facilities, oil refineries and military bases in Iran.

When performing work with missiles, there are a variety of "volatile processes" that could cause an explosion, Brannan said.

You know what that means: Don't try missile construction at home, kids!

I guess the "number of days without an accident" sign at Iran's military headquarters has to be set back to zero again."

Too bad it wasn't a China syndrome. Between Iran's bom setback and Barney (co-sponsor of the Pot Bill) Frank's resignation speech, Ronnie Paul's having a vewy bad daywa.

Occam's Tool| 11.29.11 @ 7:21PM

Sorry, "bomb." Second hand MJ smoke from the Paul camp.

Clint| 11.29.11 @ 7:44PM

Screwball Israel Firster Propaganda Squad Maniac,Tool Job Is In The Building.

Dr.Ron Paul's Foreign Policy Advisor, Michael Scheuer, Former CIA Chief of The bin Laden Unit,

"On Iran, The President should,

"2.) Publicly state that there will be no U.S. surprise attack on Iran, and no U.S. attack at all on Iran unless the president asks for a formal declaration of war and the Congress votes its approval in a constitutional manner.
3.) Call in Israel's ambassador to the United States and tell him that we understand that Israel believes Iran is a threat to its survival, and that we agree that Israel has every right to defend itself. If Israel believes it must go to war with Iran, then so be it. But also tell the ambassador that if Israel attacks Iran, the U.S. administration will declare U.S. neutrality in the war and immediately cut off military and financial support to all combatants in the war.
4.) Speak to the American people and tell them to expect to be brutally propagandized by U.S. citizen Israel-Firsters through AIPAC, their ubiquitous media shills, and the men and women they own in the U.S. Congress and federal bureaucracy. Urge Americans to ignore this effort by U.S. Israel-Firsters to get them to send their soldier-children to fight in a religious war in which the U.S. has no genuine national interest at stake, and in which U.S. participation would further bankrupt the country, require the reintroduction of conscription, and put America at war with all of the Muslim world -- Shia and Sunni -- for the foreseeable future."

The Tea Party Rebellion Is here And In Iowa.