An adviser to Iran's supreme leader has warned that the country's missiles can reach ships passing through the Gulf region. Why is this so alarming? Because forty percent of the world's oil passes through the southern end of the Gulf. "At a time of war no ship can pass through the region of the Persian Gulf without being in the reach of the Revolutionary Guards' coast-to-sea missiles," Yahya Rahim-Safavi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told an Iranian newspaper.

Those weren't the only tough words out of the Iranian regimeover the past week. At a military parade on Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his armed forces would "break the arms of aggressors" if they try to "overstep the boundaries of the Islamic Republic." He added, "Iran will not be lenient toward aggressors...Those who deprived Iran of the simplest defensive technologies and slapped economic sanctions on Iran should closely look at the defensive achievements made by Iranian armed forces."

Ahmadinejad spoke with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over the weekend about continuing to expand cooperation between the two countries. Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying, "Fortunately, the morale of imperialism has weakened in the world and this calls for collective cooperation of countries such as Iran and Venezuela to create conditions for development coupled with strength." The Iranian leader arrived in New York City yesterday, while Chavez made his way to China today.

Ahead of his trip, Chavez announced over the weekend that Venezuela would purchase combat and training aircraft from China. The purchase will be made on the six-country "strategic interest" trip Chavez is taking this week to Cuba, China, Russia, Belarus, France, and Portugal. Venezuela already sends 500,000 barrels of oil per day to Beijing and that is expected to double by 2012.

And as Chavez heads abroad, a Russian Navy squadron set sail for Venezuela yesterday, an action reminiscent of the Cold War years. A Russian spokesman said the Peter the Great nuclear cruiser and three other war ships will sail 15,000 miles to conduct exercises with the Venezuelan navy.