Evening Update: Middle East

Ahmadinejad Threatens - or Bluffs - To Halt Oil Exports

Whether bluff or bluster, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for a total halt to cure oil exports, a move that could be economic suicide but also could cause a worldwide depression. Iran relies on oil for approximately 80 percent of its foreign income, which Ahmadinejad needs to continue his race for nuclear capability.

Iranian media, controlled by the government, reported Tuesday that he accused world powers of manipulating the oil industry and that halting exports of crude oil would put pressure on oil producers. ”The real price of oil should have been very much higher in the market than what it is presently,” he said.

For all of his threats, Ahmadinejad’s comments may reflect both a growing concern that the sanctions are working and the need to win over doubters at home, where the economy is suffering from sanctions despite his mocking the United States and its allies.

Claim: U.S. Forces On Syrian Border

Maybe we should take this one with a grain of salt, as it hasn't been verified anywhere else, but its worth a glance:

Russian intelligence has information that U.S. troops are in Turkey near the country’s border with Syria, a senior Syrian official told WND today.

The official said the Russians observed American forces taking part in Turkish military measures to secure the Syria-Turkey borders.

The official said the information about a U.S. military presence in Turkey has led to a debate within the Syrian leadership about whether to move the Syrian military to its highest alert level.

Currently, the Syrian army is on its second highest alert.

The U.S. repeatedly has denied directly arming the rebels, stating it is only providing non-lethal aid.

Any aid to the rebels is highly controversial.

There are now widespread reports of al-Qaida fighters among the ranks of the opposition, with some jihadist branches reportedly officially joining the U.S.-supported Free Syrian Army.

The opposition is currently intensifying the fight against Assad’s forces in the key city of Aleppo amid claims, denied by the rebels, that the Syrian military has retaken the city.

The official, speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, said Assad ordered his military to rid the Damascus region, including Aleppo, of rebels by the end of Ramadan on Aug. 18. He said Assad believes he can clear the opposition from the region of Homs by Sept. 10 and end the insurgency by October.

The official admitted the coming weeks will be “bloody.” He affirmed Russia stands squarely in the Syrian camp.

Another "take with a grain of salt" article - as mentioned so many times before - with the "news" these days we have to take it all in, look for the same story from different sources, seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and be discerning with the news. That reminder is always worthwhile.

Was America's Economic Collapse Planned?

In his endorsement of Kevin Freeman’s eye-opening book, “Secret Weapon: How Economic Terrorism Brought Down the U.S. Stock Market and Why It Can Happen Again,” former Congressman Fred Grandy mentions the “steady progress of jihad against America and its allies.”

That’s a very interesting phrase, and I think provides a key plank in understanding Freeman’s thesis that finance is as much tied to terror as bombs. “Secret Weapon” is breaking new ground in research, and I was impressed with it.

From 2007, he writes: “I sensed that world markets were becoming unstable, an inkling that was confirmed by the collapse of Bear Stearns in early 2008; one of America’s oldest investment banks fell victim to a short-selling blitzkrieg in just a few days. It was very rare for something of that size to disappear overnight. When I dug deeper, the story became even more unnerving – most of the selling appeared to be an illegal manipulation. Worse, no one seemed to care.”

He also makes a fascinating point in Chapter 4: “America’s enemies can be grouped into three categories: terrorist groups, state terror sponsors and individuals who want to see America’s capitalist economy replaced with a more redistributive one.”

Elsewhere, Freeman also points out that we still face an uphill battle in finding a solution to these problems, these attacks. Here I appreciate his realistic bent. He points out that a huge problem for our economic recovery is that when it comes to true oil price manipulation, “the OPEC nations are still kings of the hill.”

How baffling that our nation’s leaders have placed our fate in our enemies’ hands.

Freeman points out that a well-orchestrated, global effort is in place to hijack more than planes. Spain’s intelligence services believe foreign speculation is designed to bring down the nation’s economy, and Greece’s intelligence services has investigated both U.S. and U.K.-based firms “for allegedly launching financial attacks on their money markets.”