Iran's Secret Plan For "Judgement Day"

Eight fundamentalist Islamist organizations have received large sums of money in the last month from the Iranian intelligence services, as part of a project to strike U.S military and economic installations across the Middle East Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. The plan, which also includes the carrying out of suicide operations targeting US and British interests in the region, as well as their Arab and Muslim allies, in case Iran is attacked, was drawn up by a number of experts guerilla warfare and terrorist operations, and was revealed by a senior source in the Iranian armed forces' joint chief of staff headed by the veterinary doctor Hassan Firouzabadi, The source added that the forces of the Revolutionary Guards’ al Quds Brigades, under Brigadier General Qassim Suleimani is responsible for coordinating and providing logistical support for the groups taking part in the execution of the plan, codenamed al Qiyamah the Islamic word for "Judgment Day".The plan includes three steps, which Asharq al Awsat has examined in earlier reports. The source gave more details about how the plan will be implemented. He said, “Most of Iran’s visitors in the last four months, including the leaders of revolutionary groups in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the heads of Hezbollah cells in the Persian Gulf and Europe and North America were asked, when they met with the Iranian intelligence minister Gholamhossein Mohseni Ezhei and his aides: are you ready to defend the Islamic revolution and vilayat e faqih? If you agree to take part in the great jihad, what would you need to be ready for the great fight? Amongst the leaders who visited were the head of one of the Iraqi armed group who was very clear and honest. He said his men would transform Iraq into a hell for the Americans if Iran were attacked. The source also said that the military training camps of the Guards were opened for the fighters of the Mehdi army in Iran to receive the necessary training. Iran had also increased its financial assistance to Moqtada al Sadr to more than 20 million dollars. The same applied to Islamic Jihad in Palestine which has received large sums of money, large quantities of arms and military training for its cadres in Isfahan, including street fighting methods. As for the Lebanese Hezbollah, several loads of arms have been sent to; they include rockets, explosives, and guided missiles. Hezbollah's arsenal includes more than 10 thousand rockets short-range rockets and missiles including Fajr, Nour, Arash, Hadid. An estimated 80 members underwent private training last year on how to carry out suicide operations from the air (through the use of kite planes) and undersea operations using submarines. While denying that Hamas had joined the list of organizations ready to help Iran in its likely war with the U.S, the source indicated that the external success of the movement, which enjoys considerable Iranian support both financial and military, was strengthened following the latest visit by its leaders to Tehran. This was translated in the Palestinian masses’ support for Iran, against Israel and the United States.
According to Iran, the latest military plan includes:

1- A missile strike directly targeting the US bases in the Persian Gulf and Iraq , as soon as nuclear installations are hit.

2- Suicide operations in a number of Arab and Muslim countries against US embassies and missions and US military bases and economic and oil installations related to US and British companies. The campaign might also target the economic and military installations of countries allied with the United States.

3- Launch attacks by the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards and Iraqi fighters loyal to Iran against US and British forces in Iraq , from border regions in central and southern Iraq.

4- Hezbollah to launch hundreds of rockets against military and economic targets in Israel.

According to the source, in case the US military attacks continue, more than 50 Shehab-3 missiles will be targeted against Israel and the al Quads Brigades will give the go-ahead for more than 50 terrorists cells in Canada, the US and Europe to attack civil and industrial targets in these countries. What about the last stage in the plan? Here, the Iranian source hesitated before saying with worry; this stage might represent the beginning of a world war, given that extremists will seek to maximize civilian casualties by exploding germ and chemical bombs as well as dirty nuclear bombs across western and Arab cities.

Pentagon To Test Bunker-Busting Superbomb

A U.S. Defense Department official overseeing a planned June 2 test blast in Nevada says the explosion could help with development of nuclear weapons. Doug Bruder gave reporters a tour of the test site this week, the Las Vegas Sun reported, and contradicted earlier statements from the Pentagon that the test involves only conventional weapons. The test blast, named Divine Strake, is scheduled to involve 700 tons of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, the same combination used by Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995 killing 168 people.A tunnel in this hillside at the Nevada Test Site will be the home of a large bomb June 2"It could be nuclear or advanced conventional," Bruder said. "A charge of this size would be more related to a nuclear weapon." The Defense Department wants to test "bunker-busters," bombs -- which could be either conventional or nuclear -- aimed at targets hidden deep underground like Iran's nuclear facilities. Congress has banned testing involving nuclear weapons.

Afghan Troops Arrest Anti-Govt Leader

Afghan law enforcing agencies have arrested a senior leader of anti-government militants in eastern Afghanistan, spokesman of Defense Ministry said. "Our forces captured Mawlawi Najibullah, a commander of Gulbudin Hekmatyar's group, in Omar village in Manugai district," Zahir Azimi told reporters. Nijibullah's capture is taking place amid the ongoing military operation "the Mountain Lion" in the eastern region to wipe out the militants. The operation was launched 17 days ago and would continue till the elimination of militants from the region, said Azimi. However, he did not give the exact date of Najibullah's capture.Hekmatyar, a wanted man by the United States and former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, has termed the U.S. dominated foreign troops in his country as "occupation forces" and vowed to continue Jihad or holy war till their withdrawal from the war-ravaged country. Leading a radical Islamic group, the "Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan", Hekmatyar in his rare statements from unknown locations calls on Afghans to sate uprising against foreign troops. Over two dozen supporters of Hekmatyar, including a commander from Kunar province, have laid down arms and joined the government over the past one month, according to government officials. But sources close to Hekmatyar rejected the claim, saying any one joining government does not represent him.

Israeli Warning To Norway

Israel's ambassador to Norway, Miryam Shomrat says it would harm Israel's relations with Norway if Hamas representatives will meet Norwegian authorities next month. The two representatives for the elected Palestinian Hamas-government will be received by representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs.Ambassador Miryam ShomratAmbassador Shomrat says such a meeting will imply assisting a terrorist group. She hopes the Government decides not to meet Hamas. However, a UD spokesman says that they will themselves decide who they will meet for talks, and that this time they wish to meet with Hamas. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has earlier stated that no government ministers will meet the two Hamas representatives, who have been invited to Norway by a private organization.

German Brothel Ad Angers Muslims

A Cologne brothel touting for clients with a World Cup-themed banner has blacked out the flags of Iran and Saudi Arabia after threats from Muslims. The giant banner on a high-rise building shows a semi-naked woman and the flags of the 32 countries in the World Cup, which kicks off in June. The Pascha brothel's owner, Armin Lobscheid, said a group of Muslims had threatened violence over the advert. He said they had accused the brothel of insulting Islam by using the flags. First there were telephone threats of violence, then about 30 hooded protesters armed with knives and sticks turned up outside Pascha, the local newspaper reported. "The situation was explosive," Mr Lobscheid told the paper."Some of the people compared our ad to the Danish Mohammed cartoons," he said, referring to cartoons which sparked violent protests in several Muslim countries in February. The Tunisian flag - bearing the Muslim crescent symbol - remains on the ad, however. The slogan on the ad reads: "The world is a guest of female friends" - a variant of the official World Cup slogan: "The world is a guest of friends".Mr Lobscheid said the banner had been commissioned in a normal business deal and "we certainly didn't intend to insult anyone". He said the significance of the flags' symbols had been overlooked. Prostitution is legal in Germany, where the authorities are preparing for a possible boom in the sex trade during the World Cup.

The President Selects Tony Snow As White House Press Secretary

President Bush has picked Fox News star Tony Snow as his new White House press secretary and is expected to announce the choice as early as Wednesday, a Republican official said. Snow will replace Scott McClellan, who announced his resignation last week as part of a staff shake-up engineered by new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten aimed at reviving Bush's presidency. Snow was said to have wrestled with the decision for several days on whether to take the grueling job. A former speechwriter for former President George Bush, he was treated for colon cancerous last year.Tony Snow Snow, 50, has been host of Fox News Radio's "The Tony Snow Show" and for a time was anchor of the "Fox News Sunday" program. A Washington news source said Snow decided to accept after top officials assured him he would not be just a spokesman but an active participant in administration policy debates. A reporter quoted sources as saying Snow views himself as well-positioned to ease the tensions between the Bush White House and the press corps because he understands both politics and journalism.

Space, A Dilemma For Muslim Astronauts

Muslim scientists and scholars will be discussing Islam and life in space during a two-day conference which opens in Malaysia today. The meeting aims to answer some of the questions faced by would-be Muslim astronauts about how to meet the requirements of their faith while in orbit. Malaysia is due to send an astronaut into space with the Russians next year and it is almost certain that the country's first spaceman will be a Muslim.That raises plenty of questions. For instance, water is a precious commodity in space and Muslims must wash before they pray. Likewise, the faithful face Mecca while at prayer but that will involve trying to pinpoint a moving target while in zero gravity. Prayer times for Muslims are linked to the times of the sunrise and sunset, but in orbit the sun appears to rise and set more than 12 times a day. Malaysia's Science Ministry has called together a group of experts to thrash out all these and more in what has been billed as the first serious discussion of the issues.

Sen. Hillary Clinton Wants Mexico Border Barrier

Taking her hardest line yet against illegal immigrants, Sen. Hillary Clinton told reporters she wants U.S. borders secured with a wall or fence, possibly surveillance drones and infrared cameras. Clinton's proposal _ which came just weeks after she blasted Republican crackdowns on illegal immigrants as un-Christian _ raised the ire of activists. But she tempered her remarks by saying that, while she supports a barrier to stem new illegal immigrants, she favors a legalization process for the 11 million undocumented aliens already here. Clinton envisions a two-stage plan in which border security is beefed up, followed by legalization efforts in a year or two."A physical structure is obviously important," the New York Democrat and possible presidential contender said. "A wall in certain areas would be appropriate," she said, endorsing a high-tech "smart fence" that could spot people approaching from 200 or 300 yards. Embracing both conservative and liberal goals, Clinton said she backs citizenship rather than amnesty for illegal immigrants, as long as it's "earned." At the same time, she welcomed tougher enforcement of federal laws punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants. Clinton also does not support a work and school boycott by advocacy groups set for May 1. At a planning meeting Saturday for a human chain demonstration in the five New York City boroughs that day, immigrant advocates booed Clinton's get-tough stance.

Japan Extends Military Support

The Japanese government said it had extended for six months a logistical support mission in the Indian Ocean for US-led military operations in Afghanistan. Japanese supply ships have been refueling naval vessels from the United States, Britain and eight other countries in the Indian Ocean in what was a landmark mission for the officially pacifist country. The current six-month mission is to expire on May 1. Defense Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga said it was too early to tell what would happen after the latest extension. “We have decided on the six-month extension. We will make our decisions after this,“ Nukaga told a regular press conference. Japan has so far extended the term of the mission every six months since December 2001, when the country began the “anti-terrorism“ mission in the Indian Ocean in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States. It was the most far-reaching military mission yet for Japan since it renounced war following its defeat in World War II. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi later, however, went further by deploying a reconstruction mission to Iraq, the first time since World War II that Japanese soldiers have been in a country where fighting is underway.

Chechen Prime Minister In Sauna Sex Scandal

His public image as a devout Muslim warrior who frets about the morals of Chechnya's peoplehas been carefully constructed by spin doctors. But Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's pro-Moscow Prime Minister, has become ensnared in an embarrassing sex scandal that has made his loud moral preaching appear rather hollow. The scandalis potentially embarrassing for President Vladimir Putin since the Kremlin has chosen Mr Kadyrov as its point man in the strife-torn republic. Mr Kadyrov's aides have laughed off the grainy video of a man identical in appearance and voice to him in a sauna with two prostitutes, as a "provocation".Ramzan KadyrovTrue or not, the footage is damaging for the 29-year-old Prime Minister, since he is married with children and has made a name for himself by criticising the media for broadcasting "immoral programmes" and by urging Chechen women to wear headscarves. In recent months he has outlawed gambling, clamped down on alcohol sales and partially introduced Shariah law. He was also recently reported to have issued an order for women's mobile phones to be monitored to ensure that wives are not in contact with ex-boyfriends. The sauna footage was shot on a mobile phone and first appeared on a Chechen rebel website. The rebels regard Mr Kadyrov as a "phoney Muslim" who is trying to hijack Islam to quell separatist sentiment. Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian reporter who specialises in Chechnya, has added credibility to the clip's authenticity by claiming that she too has been sent footage of a man identical in appearance to Ramzan. Her claims go beyond debauched infidelity. She told a website: "On them [the clips] were the murders of federal servicemen by Kadyrovtsy [his private army], and also kidnappings directed by Kadyrov ... On the basis of them, a criminal case and investigation should follow." But Mr Kadyrov has become too powerful for the Kremlin to remove easily and is expected in time to become the republic's President, a job his father did before he was assassinated. Yesterday he was back on state television - ironically he was talking about a beauty contest he is organising for Chechen girls. His public image as a devout Muslim warrior who frets about the morals of Chechnya's peoplehas been carefully constructed by spin doctors. But Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's pro-Moscow Prime Minister, has become ensnared in an embarrassing sex scandal that has made his loud moral preaching appear rather hollow.Ramzan KadyrovThe scandal is potentially embarrassing for President Vladimir Putin since the Kremlin has chosen Mr Kadyrov as its point man in the strife-torn republic. Mr Kadyrov's aides have laughed off the grainy video of a man identical in appearance and voice to him in a sauna with two prostitutes, as a "provocation". True or not, the footage is damaging for the 29-year-old Prime Minister, since he is married with children and has made a name for himself by criticising the media for broadcasting "immoral programmes" and by urging Chechen women to wear headscarves. In recent months he has outlawed gambling, clamped down on alcohol sales and partially introduced Shariah law. He was also recently reported to have issued an order for women's mobile phones to be monitored to ensure that wives are not in contact with ex-boyfriends. The sauna footage was shot on a mobile phone and first appeared on a Chechen rebel website. The rebels regard Mr Kadyrov as a "phoney Muslim" who is trying to hijack Islam to quell separatist sentiment. Anna Politkovskaya, a Russian reporter who specialises in Chechnya, has added credibility to the clip's authenticity by claiming that she too has been sent footage of a man identical in appearance to Ramzan. Her claims go beyond debauched infidelity. She told a website: "On them [the clips] were the murders of federal servicemen by Kadyrovtsy [his private army], and also kidnappings directed by Kadyrov ... On the basis of them, a criminal case and investigation should follow." But Mr Kadyrov has become too powerful for the Kremlin to remove easily and is expected in time to become the republic's President, a job his father did before he was assassinated. Yesterday he was back on state television - ironically he was talking about a beauty contest he is organising for Chechen girls.

From Burka To Beachwear For Drug Using Muslim Model

The Australian model Michelle Leslie, a convicted drug user and Muslim convert, returned to the catwalk. It had been assumed her career was over after Indonesian police caught her with two Ecstasy tablets in Bali. Jailed for three months, she was sacked by her agency as soon as she got home after her release. Leslie was criticised by some Muslims for wearing a burka during parts of her trial, and she later said she had chosen to wear it because it was a "sign of public privacy and modesty".Her latest appearance, as the final model in the Azzollini 2006-7 swimwear collection, could hardly have been more different. Azzollini's co-owner, Kate Nicholes, dismissed the Bali scandal, saying: "We make swimwear. She looks great in it. We are happy to have her in our show. She is a great personal and professional friend, and she has always supported us."

Bomb Scare On Irish Flights

A flight from England to Ireland had to be diverted to Scotland after cabin crew found a note claiming a bomb was on board. Two RAF Tornado jet fighters escorted the Aer Arann flight to Prestwick airport where passengers and crew disembarked and waited in the airport terminal. The note was declared a hoax. It was the second such incident in four days, with a Ryanair flight from Beauvais (Paris) to Dubin forced to land at Prestwick last Wednesday because of a bomb alert. Army bomb disposal experts searched the Boeing 737 but did not find a bomb. Strathclyde police said five crew and 167 passengers were escorted off the plane and questioned at the airport. The police said a passenger had handed the pilot a note written on a page of a magazine, which claimed a bomb had been hidden underneath a seat on the aircraft. An inquiry is underway to establish whether the passenger wrote the note or innocently discovered it. No arrests were made, but passengers were being questioned about the incident.

Gingrich Warns Republicans

The Republican Party is in serious danger of losing political ground in November elections if it does not enact reforms that eliminate waste and hold the federal bureaucracy to higher standards, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Sunday. "I think they're in very serious danger of having a very bad election this fall," Gingrich told reporters. "You have to respect the right of the American people to say they want change," he said, criticizing the federal government's bungled efforts to cope with Hurricane Katrina and the Republican-led Congress' failure to enact immigration reforms. "Are they going to learn some lessons and get their act together?" Gingrich asked.Newt GingrichRepublicans currently outnumber Democrats 231-201 in the House and have a 55-44 advantage in the Senate. The former representative from Georgia said the "debacle" over measures to strengthen U.S. borders and create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants "was one more piece of the puzzle" for many voters who have lost faith in Republican leadership. "The country absolutely wants control of the borders," Gingrich said. "The country absolutely wants us to insist that becoming an American citizen requires that you passed a test in English." A well-designed guest worker program would have the support of 75 percent to 80 percent of the American people, he said. With the federal budget deficit at record levels, Gingrich said Americans are losing patience with "pork," the discretionary spending earmarked to benefit local political constituencies. "We were sent here to reform Washington, not to be co-opted by Washington," he said.

Former Joint Chiefs Chair Defends Rumsfeld

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld did not intimidate members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during planning of the Iraq war as some retired generals have charged, a former chairman said Sunday. Richard B. Myers, the Air Force General who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 2001 until last fall, also dismissed criticism that military leaders failed to stand up to Rumsfeld and President Bush when they disagreed with those civilian officials. "We gave him our best military advice and I think that's what we're obligated to do," Myers said on a Sunday news program. "If we don't do that, we should be shot." A half-dozen retired generals have called for Rumsfeld's ouster, citing mistakes in the conduct of the war in Iraq. Some have suggested that intimidation by Rumsfeld kept military leaders quiet even when they thought policies were flawed."You'd have to believe that everybody in the chain of command is intimidated, and I don't believe that," Myers said. He added that Rumsfeld allowed "tremendous access" for presenting arguments. "In our system, when it's all said and done ... the civilians make the decisions," he said. "And we live by those decisions." Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Bush is making "a good call" in retaining Rumsfeld. Facing a large agenda of foreign-policy issues, the president should not be distracted by operational disputes, said Lugar.

Aruban Police Make Arrest in Holloway Case

Authorities have made an arrest in the case of a young Alabama woman who disappeared while vacationing in Aruba, an Aruban official said. Mariaine Croes, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office, said Aruban authorities were not prepared to disclose why the person was arrested. Croes also would not say how the arrest was linked to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway nearly a year ago, on the final night of her high school graduation trip to the Dutch Caribbean island. Croes would only say that the person who was arrested is 19 and has the initials "G.V.C." In Aruba, when an arrest is announced, officials usually release only a suspect's initials, and not a full name.Natalee HollowayHolloway, an 18-year-old honors student from Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen on May 30, 2005, leaving an Aruba bar with Dutch national Joran van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. The young men were arrested in June but were released after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them. There have been a number of false leads in the investigation, and at least three other people were detained without being charged in the case. In recent weeks, Aruban police have searched sand dunes on the northern coast of the island. Dutch Marines, the FBI and hundreds of volunteers have previously searched for Holloway.

Muslims Favor The Democratic Party

An organization representing Muslims in Minnesota held its third annual convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center.The women sat separately from the men and the Democrats spoke separately from the Republicans, but there was a mingling of politics and religion at two sessions at the third annual convention of the Muslim-American Society of Minnesota Saturday. MASM, which considers itself a religious, social, cultural, educational and charitable organization, provided a bit of all those things at various sites around the Minneapolis Convention Center. The two political sessions, each attended by several hundred people, were indeed segregated by party. Democratic candidates Mike Hatch (for governor), Amy Klobuchar (for U.S. Senate) and Colleen Rowley (U.S. House, second district) spoke at a late-morning session titled "Democracy in America: A return to our Democratic ideals."Although the MASM is nonpartisan, Hesham Hussein, president of MASM who moderated the event, made his own Democratic leanings clear. "Every time we get slammed, we see a Republican fist behind it," he said. "Every time we get a pat on the shoulder, it's a Democratic hand doing it." Republicans Mary Kiffmeyer (seeking reelection as secretary of state), Jeff Johnson (candidate for attorney general ) and Lloyd Cybart (reelection to the state House) spoke in the afternoon on the theme "Building a More Diverse Minnesota: Is there room for Muslims?" Ikramul Huq, imam of the Muslim Community Center-- Masjid Al-Rahman in Bloomington, moderated and identified himself as an active Republican, but acknowledged that Muslims want reassurance that the GOP welcomes them in Minnesota. Speaking as a private citizen and as a state official, Kiffmeyer said: "Yes, you are welcome in Minnesota." And speaking as a Republican: "Yes, you are welcome in our party." Asked why the politicians were scheduled at separate events, Hussein said half jokingly: "There's enough violence without bringing Democrats and Republicans together."

Have Illegals Build The Border Wall

Ann Coulter has an answer for illegal immigration apologists who say it's simply too expensive to build a wall across the entire U.S.-Mexican border: Hire illegal aliens already in the U.S. to help with the construction. Asked how she would solve the illegal immigration problem, Coulter told Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly "I'd build a wall. In fact, I'd hire illegal immigrants to build the wall." Coulter told O'Reilly that she also favors deporting illegal aliens wherever they turn up, noting that immigration authorities missed a perfect opportunity to get a head start on the effort with the recent wave of pro-illegal protests. "We could have done it very easily in the last week," she explained. "You could have just sent paddy wagons to the protests."Ann CoulterHer views on illegal immigration are firmly in the mainstream of U.S. public opinion. A Time magazine poll released last weekend showed 56 percent of those surveyed support building a wall along the entire 2,000 mile Mexican border. Just 40 percent opposed. Even on the question of deporting illegal immigrants, Coulter is in the majority. Asked whether the U.S. would be better off if "all illegals" were deported, 51 percent of Americans said yes, with just 38 percent disagreeing.The celebrated conservative said the disconnect between what the American people think about illegal immigration and what Washington plans to do is unprecedented. "I've never seen an issue where public opinion seems so strongly on one side, but because of corporate interests, the government is acting the other way," she told O'Reilly. "How about putting this to a vote?"

Philippine Troops Kill Abu Sayyaf Leader

The Philippines military says a leading member of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group has been killed in a clash with troops. An army spokesman says Amilhamja Ajijul's death is a "big blow" to the Muslim militant organisation. Colonel Edgardo Gidaya says Ajijul was killed in a firefight which erupted after soldiers raided a suspected rebel hideout in southern Zamboanga city.Philippine soldiers killed a leader of Muslim rebel group Abu Sayyaf wanted for a series of fatal bombings, including an attack which killed a US soldier in 2002.Another Abu Sayyaf suspect was killed while four others were arrested. Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for a wave of bombings and kidnappings in the Philippines. Mr Ajijul is wanted for an attack on two shopping malls in Zamboanga in 2002. Police also want to question him about the kidnapping of 53 students and teachers at a school on Basilan island in 2000. Abu Sayyaf is fighting to establish a Muslim state in the southern Philippines. The Philippine and US governments consider it a terrorist group and claim it has links to the al Qaeda network.

If You Want Nukes, You Got It

The Bush administration has drawn up detailed plans to use nuclear weapons against Iran to prevent it acquiring its own atomic warheads, claims an investigative writer with high-level Pentagon and intelligence contacts. President George W Bush is said to be so alarmed by the threat of Iran's hard-line leader, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, that privately he refers to him as "the new Hitler," says Seymour Hersh, who broke the story of the Abu Ghraib Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Some US military chiefs have unsuccessfully urged the White House to drop the nuclear option from its war plans, Hersh writes in The New Yorker magazine. The conviction that Ahmedinejad would attack Israel or US forces in the Middle East, if Iran obtains atomic weapons, is what drives US planning for military attacks to destroy Teheran's clandestine nuclear program.Hersh claims that one of the plans, presented to the White House by the Pentagon, entails the use of a bunker- buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One alleged target is Iran's main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, 322 kilometers south of Teheran. Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is intended only for civilian purposes, US and European intelligence agencies are certain that Teheran is trying to develop atomic weapons. In contrast to the run-up to the Iraq invasion, there are no disagreements within Western intelligence about Iran's plans. The Sunday Newspapers disclosed recently that senior Pentagon strategists are updating plans to strike Iran's nuclear sites with a blitz by long-distance B2 bombers and submarine-launched missiles. And last week, the Telegraph reported on a secret meeting at the Ministry of Defence in London at which military chiefs and officials from Downing Street and the Foreign Office discussed the consequences of an American-led attack on Iran, and Britain's role in any such action. The military option is opposed by London and other European capitals. But there are growing fears in No 10 and the Foreign Office that the British- led push for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear stand-off will be swept aside by hawks in Washington. Hersh says that within the Bush administration, there are concerns that a pummelling by conventional weapons may not destroy Iran's often buried nuclear plants. Iran has been developing a series of bunkers and facilities to provide hidden command centers for its leaders and to protect its nuclear infrastructure. The lack of reliable intelligence about these subterranean facilities, is fuelling pressure for tactical nuclear weapons to be included in the strike plans as the only guaranteed means to destroy all the sites simultaneously. The attention given to the nuclear option has created serious misgivings among the joint chiefs of staff, and some officers have talked about resigning, Hersh has been told. The military chiefs sought to remove the nuclear option from war plans for Iran without success, a former senior intelligence officer said. The Pentagon consultant on the war on terror confirmed that some in the administration were looking seriously at this option, which he linked to a resurgence of interest in tactical nuclear weapons among defence department political appointees. The election of Ahmedinejad last year, has hardened attitudes within the US administration. The Iranian president has said that Israel should be "wiped off the map." He has drafted former fellow Revolutionary Guards commanders to run the nuclear program, in further signs that he is preparing to back his threats with action. Bush and others in the White House view him as a potential Adolf Hitler, a former senior intelligence official told Hersh. "That's the name they're using. They say: `Will Iran get a strategic weapon and threaten another world war?' " Despite America's public commitment to diplomacy, there is a growing belief in Washington that the only solution to the crisis is regime change in Iran.

Family Held Hostage At RED LOBSTER

Kay Guild and her three children were on that most exciting of shopping expeditions, buying beach shoes and sunscreen for spring break — and paying for the purchases by check. It was getting late, the kids were hungry, and they begged to stop at the Oakdale Minnesota Red Lobster for dinner. The Guilds, who are from Stillwater, were shopping in Woodbury. Since it was a long way home, Guild agreed, even though the family rarely eats out. They had a good meal — until the bill arrived. "I pulled out my checkbook to start writing a check," Guild recalled, and then the waitress told her the restaurant doesn't accept checks. Guild wasn't carrying enough cash to cover the $34.77 bill, plus she'd forgotten her debit card in the pocket of the slacks she'd worn the previous day. The sympathetic waitress assured her that a check would be fine this one time.Kay Guild tried and was refused when she tried to write a check for a $34.77 meal at the Oakdale Red Lobster. "I was speechless. It was so embarrassing, in front of my kids," she says.Then a manager arrived at her booth. He told Guild that he would not take a check, period, and that she was not leaving the restaurant until she settled the bill. He made no effort to lower his voice or to crouch to her level to keep the matter private, she said. Guild tried calling people who could bring her the money. But her husband was at work, many friends were already on spring-break trips, and her neighbors were 20 minutes away. She managed to contact one friend, but the woman's children were sick so she couldn't leave home. Banks were already closed. The family was sequestered in their booth while the manager informed her about a sign banning checks. But the sign was posted on the front door, she found out later, and she hadn't seen it because her oldest child had held the door open for the rest of the family when they entered the restaurant. The younger children were close to tears, Guild said, as was she. "I was horrified," she told reporters when she called to complain a few days later. "I felt like a criminal."Theoretically, the Red Lobster manager could have called the cops, said Oakdale Police Chief Bill Sullivan. If a place doesn't take checks, that's the customer's legal problem. His best advice is not to plan to use a check anywhere; that's especially true in restaurants, he said, since many have given up pursuing bad checks. Even so, Sullivan said, "It'd be hard for me to imagine that they're going to tackle her in the parking lot. There probably were some other options. Nonetheless, the store's not in the wrong. It's just a question of how you want to handle it." Fortunately for Guild, a group in a nearby booth, who couldn't help but overhear the fuss, offered to help. Mike Leasure of Oakdale offered to pay Guild's bill in exchange for her check; she gratefully accepted. "The manager, he was way out of control in our opinion," Leasure said. "We asked him to step over to our table after she had left, and we told him that was uncalled for." The then-apologetic manager gave Leasure a free meal along with free desserts for everyone at the table. "We just walked out of there shaking our heads," Leasure said. But he'll check back weekly to see if the restaurant has made the "no checks" signage more prominent. That's also the recommendation of John McCullough, director of the Retailers Protection Association. A "no-checks" policy should be posted on the door, at the hostess stand and on the menu, he said. That could be especially necessary in Minnesota, which McCullough called a "very check-friendly state."When Guild called Red Lobster headquarters the next day to complain, the operations director apologized and offered Guild a $35 gift certificate. Guild says she'll never set foot in a Red Lobster again but will forward the certificate to Leasure. Red Lobster spokeswoman Wendy Spirduso wouldn't comment on the situation but said the company will be looking at whether there's a better way to handle such incidents. Other options might have included having Guild leave her check and contact information; later, when she called in her debit-card number, the manager could have torn up the check. Or she could have left something of value, such as her wristwatch, until she returned to pay. Customers can't always depend on the kindness of strangers, which turned out to be Guild's salvation. "If it'd been anybody else in the booth, I'd still be there washing dishes," she said.

School Officials Implement Zero Tolerance Policy On Patriotism

Officials in at least two schools in Colorado and a school district in California have banned students from bringing in flags in an effort to calm emotions surrounding the debate over the country's immigration policies. Parents, students and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, are criticizing the bans -- which include flags from all countries -- saying they encroach on students' free speech rights while failing to address the increased tensions. The temporary bans were implemented after tens of thousands of students across the country walked out of classes last week amid protests of immigration reforms being debated in Congress. A rally in downtown Denver drew more than 50,000 people on March 25. The Oceanside Unified School District in Oceanside, Calif., closed middle and high schools Thursday and Friday last week because of the protests. Superintendent Kenneth Noonan then temporarily banned flags, as well as signs and clothing deemed disruptive. "He really felt that these items were helping escalate conflict on the campuses," district spokeswoman Laura Chalkley.More than 50 percent of the northern San Diego County district's 20,426 students are Hispanic, she said. Flags also were banned at Skyline High School in Longmont and at Shaw Heights Middle School in Westminster, where students also can't wear overtly political clothing, camouflaged clothing, banners or bandanas. All schools continue to have flags in classrooms and other areas. Shaw Heights principal Myla Shepherd implemented the flag and clothing ban last week after several incidents, including one in which about 25 students wore camouflaged clothing on one day, said Deb Haviland, director of communications and community relations for Adams County School District 50. The school has 650 students, of which about 46 percent are white and 41 percent are Hispanic. "As the tension increased, (Shepherd) saw that the clothing was starting to be the issue," Haviland said. "The thing that we have to always do is protect our students. Schools do have a right to address things like this in order to protect the safety and non-disruptive behavior in classrooms." Skyline High School Principal Tom Stumpf has said he enacted the flag ban after American flags were brazenly waved in the faces of Hispanic students, and in one case, a Mexican flag was thrown into the face of another student.A 1969 Supreme Court decision said the First Amendment protects students during school hours if they don't "materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school." Kirsten Golgart, a 14-year-old eighth grader at Shaw Heights, said she was forced to change her camouflaged pants she said she had worn to show support for U.S. troops. She said she was not aware of the policy until then. "They should discipline the kids who were causing problems and not the whole school," Golgart said. "This isn't about race. This is about how they shouldn't be able to take away our rights." Kirsten's father, Eric, has started an online petition to overturn the policy. Tancredo also sent a letter to Shepherd, urging her to reverse what he called an "unpatriotic policy" created out of hyper-political correctness. He said he received a complaint from a relative of a student who was threatened with discipline for wearing red, white and blue clothing. Haviland denied the incident and said students could wear any color combinations they choose. "I believe they should be encouraging all the kids in the school to have respect for the American flag," said the congressman, a vocal opponent of strengthening immigration laws. "They should be teaching children about the need to attach themselves politically and emotionally to this country."

Critical of Bin Laden

Newly disclosed evidence shows al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and the chief architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. terror attacks were frequently at odds. The man who orchestrated the attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, was captured in Pakistan in 2003, and part of his testimony was revealed during the Virginia sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. During interrogation, Mohammed said he succeeded in rejecting three attempts by bin Laden to accelerate the plot, and that bin Laden had meddled with other aspects of the attack.Khalid Shaikh MohammedHe claimed bin Laden had a knack for forcing him to take operatives who couldn`t follow directions or keep their mouths shut, the newspaper said. The interrogation report said Mohammed recalled Moussaoui to Pakistan and asked bin Laden for permission to expel him from the organization, but bin Laden refused and said Moussaoui was to be a participant in a second wave of planned attacks to follow Sept. 11.

United States To Sell Military Planes To Australia

The US Defence Department has approved a possible sale of up to four Boeing C-17 cargo planes and associated equipment to Australia in a deal worth up to $US2 billion. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the Australia government had requested the sale of the C-17s, up to 18 F-177 engines made by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, and up to four AN/AAQ-24 infrared countermeasures systems made by Northrop Grumman. Politicians now have 30 days to reject the proposed sale, which also includes night vision goggles and assorted other equipment, but Congress has rarely acted to block a sale. Boeing C-17DCSA, which oversees major arms sales, said the sale would give Australia a heavy airlift capability, which it currently relies on the US air force or contract carriers using Russian aircraft to provide. "The C-17 will greatly improve Australia's capability to rapidly deploy in support of global coalition operations and will also greatly enhance its ability to lead regional humanitarian/peacekeeping operations," the agency said. It said the proposed agreement would likely include offset agreements with Australian companies, but said those would be determined in negotiations between Australia and the contractors during detailed discussions if the sale is approved. The proposed sale is welcome news for Chicago-based Boeing, which has been lobbying Congress to continue production of C-17 cargo planes beyond the current cap of 180 set by the US air force, which would mean shutting down the production line in fiscal year 2008.

Afghan Troops Arrest Anti-Govt Leader

Afghan law enforcing agencies have arrested a senior leader of anti-government militants in eastern Afghanistan, spokesman of Defense Ministry said. "Our forces captured Mawlawi Najibullah, a commander of Gulbudin Hekmatyar's group, in Omar village in Manugai district," Zahir Azimi told reporters. Nijibullah's capture is taking place amid the ongoing military operation "the Mountain Lion" in the eastern region to wipe out the militants. The operation was launched 17 days ago and would continue till the elimination of militants from the region, said Azimi. However, he did not give the exact date of Najibullah's capture.Hekmatyar, a wanted man by the United States and former Prime Minister of Afghanistan, has termed the U.S. dominated foreign troops in his country as "occupation forces" and vowed to continue Jihad or holy war till their withdrawal from the war-ravaged country. Leading a radical Islamic group, the "Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan", Hekmatyar in his rare statements from unknown locations calls on Afghans to sate uprising against foreign troops. Over two dozen supporters of Hekmatyar, including a commander from Kunar province, have laid down arms and joined the government over the past one month, according to government officials. But sources close to Hekmatyar rejected the claim, saying any one joining government does not represent him.

Irans New High Speed Underwater Missile

Iran announced its second major new missile test within days, saying it has successfully fired a high-speed underwater missile capable of destroying huge warships and submarines. The tests came during war games that Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have been holding in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea since Friday at a time of increased tensions with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. The Iranian-made underwater missile has a speed of 223 miles per hour, said Gen. Ali Fadavi, deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards' Navy.That would make it about three or four times faster than a torpedo and as fast as the world's fastest known underwater missile, the Russian-made VA-111 Shkval, developed in 1995. It was not immediately known if the Iranian missile, which has not yet been named, was based on the Shkval. "It has a very powerful warhead designed to hit big submarines. Even if enemy warship sensors identify the missile, no warship can escape from this missile because of its high speed," Fadavi told state-run television. It was not immediately clear whether the ship-fired missile can carry a nuclear warhead. The new weapon could raise concerns over Iran's naval power in the Gulf, where during the war with Iraq in the 1980s Iranian forces attacked oil tankers from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, prompting a massive U.S. naval operation to protect them. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet is based on the tiny Arab island nation of Bahrain in the Gulf. Cmdr. Jeff Breslau of the 5th Fleet said no special measures were taken by U.S. forces based on Bahrain in reaction to the Iranian war games, even after the latest missile test. "They can conduct excercises whenever they want and they frequently do, just as we do. We conduct excercises throughout this region," he told The Associated Press by telephone. On Friday, the first day of the war games, Iran test-fired the Fajr-3 missile, which can avoid radars and hit several targets simultaneously using multiple warheads. The Guards said the test was successful. More than 17,000 Revolutionary Guards forces are taking part in the weeklong maneuvers. On Sunday, paratroops practiced a drop in an attack on a mock enemy position, and warships, jet fighters, helicopters and sophisticated electronic equipment were used in other exercises. Iran, which views the United States as an arch foe and is concerned about the U.S. military presence in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, says the maneuvers aim to develop the Guards' defensive capabilities. Iran has routinely held war games over the past two decades to improve its combat readiness and test locally made equipment such as missiles, tanks and armored personnel carriers. The missile tests and war games coincide with increasing tension between Iran and the West over Tehran's controversial nuclear program. The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran denies that, saying its program is for generating electricity. The U.N. Security Council is demanding that Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities. But an Iranian envoy said its activities are "not reversible." Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane.

Indians Gamble On Abortions

In South Dakota, where lawmakers last month passed a near-total ban on abortion, the leader of one of the state's American Indian tribes is proposing to circumvent the legislation by establishing an abortion clinic on an Indian reservation — within reach of women who need the service but outside the reach of the strict new law, which takes effect July 1. Cecelia Fire Thunder, a former nurse who is the first female president in the history of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said it was "an eye-opener" when legislators approved a law that prohibits abortion in nearly all cases, even when the pregnancy is the product of a rape or incest. The only exception is to save the mother's life. "An Indian reservation is a sovereign nation, and we're going to take it as far as we can to exercise our sovereignty," Fire Thunder said. "As Indian women, we fight many battles. This is just another battle we have to fight." Federally recognized American Indian tribes are, in many respects, treated as foreign nations. In many cases, they are not required to abide by state law, so a clinic could operate lawfully at the Pine Ridge Reservation even with a ban in place, South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long said. Currently, about 800 abortions a year are performed at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux Falls, where doctors fly in once or twice a week from Minnesota. It is the only clinic in the state.

New Minuteman Border Patrols Start This Weekend

Volunteers with the Minuteman anti-illegal immigration group will begin a new, month long lookout for immigrants illegally crossing the nation's borders.Arizona Minutemen look through binoculars at US-Mexico borderMinuteman patrols are scheduled for the next 30 days along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas and in Washington along the U.S.-Canada border. In addition, Minuteman patrols are planned for the next week along the U.S.-Canada border in Vermont, New Hampshire and Vermont.