0710 GMT: We begin this morning with a snap analysis noting the shift in media emphasis --- following President Obama's line against an Israeli military attack and the announcement of new talks over Iran's nuclear programme --- talking down "war" and talking up attention to the realities of, rather than the propaganda about, Tehran and The Bomb.
Yet, at the same time, we have an illuminating example of how, even in the effort to avoid an Israeli attack on Iran, tension can be maintained and even escalated.
American officials use journalist Marc Ambinder to put out this clever line: there is no need for an overt assault because Tehran can be undermined more discreetly:
The U.S.'s significantly ramped-up American covert sabotage and non-proliferation campaign has convinced the Israelis that the U.S. is more sensitive about Israel's "red lines" -- the no-way-back developments that the Jewish state can't tolerate and would pre-emptively strike to prevent. This, in turn, fortifies Israel's caution. Despite the hue and cry of Republican candidates, the two sides are actually moving closer together. (That doesn't mean that either country is preparing for action, and the U.S. remains committed to a policy of direct military action only as a last resort.)
Yet far from easing the situation, Ambinder's PR feeds the Iranian projection of "threat", not from its nuclear programme but from the enemies trying to overthrow the regime. Press TV headlines, "US Significantly Ramps Up Covert Ops Against Iran: American Journalist".
Posted via email from lissping
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