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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Nuclear-capable Iran is imminent: Israel | |
| 2005-01-25 | |
| LIBERATED JERUSALEM — The chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency said yesterday arch-foe Iran was on the brink of enriching uranium, a process key to building a nuclear bomb. "The assessment is that by the end of 2005 the Iranians will reach the point of no-return from the technological perspective of creating a uranium-enrichment capability," Mossad head Meir Dagan told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is for energy needs only, agreed in November to suspend uranium enrichment under a European Union-brokered deal. Israel and the US suspect Iran of buying time while it covertly seeks the bomb. "The Iranians are striving to secure from the Europeans an agreement that would allow them to continue enriching uranium, even on an intensified level, under supervision and with guarantees," Dagan said. "The moment that you have the technology for enrichment, you are home free," he said, adding that from that point it would take Iran around two years to manufacture nuclear weapons. Believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear power, Israel has hinted it could hit Iran militarily to stop it getting the bomb. An Israeli air strike on the Iraqi reactor at Osiraq in 1981 dealt a severe blow to Saddam Hussein's nuclear programme. Iran — and any Israeli pre-emption — are core concerns for US President George W. Bush in his second term in office. "If, in fact, the Israelis become convinced the Iranians had significant nuclear capability, given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards," US Vice-President Dick Cheney said last week. But Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres sounded a note of caution, saying the Jewish state should defer to its US ally. "The Iranian issue is an international issue," Peres told Army Radio yesterday. "The party that will decide is the US and not us."
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #11 Moral of the story is: Izrael That little shitty country should cease to exist 5, 10, 15, 20... years... fact is it will go bum mm pretty sure |
| Posted by: nostradamus 2005-01-25 10:47:41 AM |
| #10 Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Particularly if the jury (like international opinion) carries no force. |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-01-25 6:18:20 PM |
| #9 Go take a long walk off a short pier, nostradamus. |
| Posted by: Korora 2005-01-25 3:12:23 PM |
| #8 It's Shimon Peres from the Labour Party, guys. He doesn't speak for the government of Israel, and may well not even be privy to the decision making. Note Dick Cheney's comment -- if Israel is deferring to America's decision, that has already been made, and made public. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-01-25 1:26:11 PM |
| #7 [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted] |
| Posted by: nostradamus TROLL 2005-01-25 10:47:41 AM |
| #6 AC---from my reading, IIRC, the USSR made an antimissile defence using nuclear tipped missiles. Kinda made up for the lack of advanced technology that a true missile interceptor would need, witness our system now. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-01-25 9:50:50 AM |
| #5 AC the old Nike Hercules systems employed both conventional and nuke warheads for air defense. The intent was to blow down of mass bomber formations. The US had no problem with employing the setup in case its security was threatened in the late 50s through the 70s. Just hope the Israelis have EMP hardened their defense grid beyond the first shot. |
| Posted by: Don 2005-01-25 9:40:13 AM |
| #4 AC - If faced with that decision, then it seems prudent for Israel to go ahead and launch their own counter strike nuclear missiles at Iran. Why leave them sitting on the ground if Iran is firing nukes themselves (and like you pointed out, you pretty much have to assume that they are). Israel needs to make it know to Iran, and the rest of the barbarians around them, that if anybody launches a missile at Israel, then Israel will assume that's its a nuke and will let fly. Leaves the decision on whether or not to get nuked entirely up to the Iranians and anybody else looking for trouble. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2005-01-25 9:07:30 AM |
| #3 " Peres told Army Radio yesterday. âThe party that will decide is the US and not us.â I know Iran is our problem also but come on ..... This is literaly in Isreals backyard. I expect a little stronger stance than this from Peres. Isreal is playing a trump card right now. It has worked in Iraq, now they are hoping the Mullahs are next. Isreal knows the U.S. does not want them in any " large " conflict anywhere in the Region in fear of a major escalation of the conflict. Isreal is watching with a careful eye hoping American blood will eliminate their enemys. |
| Posted by: tex 2005-01-25 7:28:00 AM |
| #2 As I said day before yesterday on the missile-defense thread, I strongly suspect that some of Israel's Arrow interceptors have nuclear warheads. This is the best way to be sure that an oncoming ballistic missile is killed dead rather than just damaged or knocked off course. This raises a sticky political problem: Any ballistic missile coming from Iran must be assumed to have a nuclear warhead. It may not have, but it will too late by the time this is definitely determined, most likely by a rising mushroom cloud. Hence the nuclear Arrow would have to be launched without definite knowledge that the target was also a nuke, which would be "first-use" and therefore condemned by the global moonbat-appeasement community. The PM would have about 60 seconds to decide, and he would have to get it right. Personally, I would give the "go" signal and tell the "international community" to get stuffed. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-01-25 3:20:53 AM |
| #1 i hope mr. oslo perez has recognized his limitations--nice posture of weakness shimon--dreamer |
| Posted by: SON OF TOLUI 2005-01-25 2:40:16 AM |