THE NUKES OF AUGUST?

What is so significant about August 22? According to this article in the New York Times, the Iranians are insisting that the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia dn China, as well as the rest of the E.U. and the U.N, will have to wait until August 22 to get their answer to the nuclear proposals which would, if enacted, create a compromise solution to the stand-off.

Iran promised again on Thursday to respond to an international package of incentives on Aug. 22 but warned that it would reconsider its position if its case was sent to the United Nations Security Council.

The announcement was in a statement issued by Iran’s National Security Council. The council is led by Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani.

What is so important about waiting until August 22? Well, consider these tidbits from Con Coughlin about the Iranian connection with Hezbollah's initiation of hostilities with Israel.

Just how much responsibility Teheran bears for initiating hostilities remains unclear, but certain facts are now emerging that indicate the timing of the Israeli soldiers' abduction was no coincidence. To start with, there is the visit Mr Larijani paid to Damascus last week after his discussions in Brussels with Javier Solana, the EU's foreign affairs representative, ended without agreement. Apart from fulfilling his duties as chief nuclear negotiator, Mr Larijani, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, is chairman of Iran's national security council and a close confidant of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spiritual guardian of the Islamic revolution and the driving force behind the attempts to acquire a nuclear weapons arsenal.

During his stay in the Syrian capital, Mr Larijani briefed Syrian intelligence officers about the nuclear talks and the latest developments in Iran's mutual defence co-operation with Damascus. Mr Larijani then met senior Hizbollah representatives.

The following day, Hizbollah launched its operation against Israel's northern border, kidnapping two soldiers and killing eight others.

Coincidence? It seems hard to believe. But Mr. Ali Larijani seems to be at the center of it all. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, who tells the world they won't have a response on the nuclear issue until August 22, is also the same man who goes to Damascus, meets with the Syrians and Hezbollah, and the next day Hezbollah takes an action guaranteed to bring an Israeli military response.

I can't quite figure this out, as of yet. But it seems rather suspicious, and ominous.