An intelligence source said: “There have been several signs that the Iranian regime has been working to expand its influence in the Middle East and beyond over the past six months, much to the displeasure of Sunni militants and Al-Qaeda activists.
“The main driver is Iran’s funding of an international campaign to convince Sunnis to [...]

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Europe gets forty percent of its oil through the Persian Gulf. But by an accident of history (and civilized policy — ours, that is) it is the United States that guards the Gulf from madmen like Ahmadinejad. Well, so be it. We gain from world peace and free trade, and it is better to keep [...]

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The capture by Iran of fifteen British sailors and marines while they were inspecting a trading dhow in international waters for smuggled goods could be the spark that ignites the next war.
Whether that happens or not will not depend on us, or on the Brits. It will depend on President Ahmadinejad, his backers in Tehran, [...]

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Around the world, these words [Israel must be wiped off the map] — the first such declarations by a head of state since World war II — were condemned. But there also were eager apologists who said that the president was misunderstood, that, for example, he did not say “wiped off the map,” but “wiped [...]

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(by Martin Weiss)
3/26/2007 8:00:00 AM

Martin Weiss here with an urgent update on the breaking Iran crisis and its potential impact on your money.

On Friday, precisely when the United Nations was preparing to slap new, tougher sanctions on Iran, President Ahmadinejad’s gunships captured 15 British sailors and marines on a routine patrol off the waters of southern Iraq.

And just in the past 24 hours, Iran’s leaders have unleashed the most venomous diatribes against the West since their capture of U.S. embassy hostages nearly 28 years ago:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned the British for their “interventionist and suspicious move” against Iran’s sovereignty.
After moving the 15 British captives to Tehran for “interrogation,” Iran promptly declared that they “have confessed the illegal entry of territorial waters of the Islamic republic,” an act of “blatant aggression.”
500 Iranian students, gathered on the shore near where the soldiers were captured, shouted “Death to Britain” and “Death to America,” urging the government to hold the detainees until the U.S. grants Iran a series of unlikely concessions.
British officials are hoping — and praying — that the Iranians will come to their senses and release the hostages within the next few days.

However, on Saturday, even as British diplomats were trying to reason with Iranian officials in London, the U.N. Security Council in New York not only voted unanimously to pass the new sanctions against Iran … but also promised even tougher punishment within 60 days.

This confirms and double-confirms everything Larry Edelson has been warning you about.

Our view: Even if the current hostage crisis is resolved, there’s nothing of substance that could soon end the broader, brewing conflict with Iran.

Some analysts still hope the Iranians will finally respond favorably to the carrots the U.N. continues to offer.

But don’t hold your breath, because, right now …

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