After a prominent Iranian lawmaker claimed that Tehran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons, an Israeli official said it was evidence of a military dimension to their nuclear program.
The intelligence communities in the U.S., Europe, and Israel all agree that there is no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program and that the leadership in Tehran has so far demonstrated no intention of starting one. Still, many hawks in the U.S. and Israel argue that a latent weapons program does exist.
Many analysts have characterized Iranian enrichment as a defensive policy meant to signal to adversaries like the U.S. and Israel that Iran could build nuclear weapons quickly if it were attacked. Essentially, it is a deterrent strategy. As former head of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei said, Iran is “absolutely determined to have the technology because they believe it brings you power, prestige and an insurance policy.”
Many attempts have been made to conflate the distinction between Iran getting nuclear weapons and having nuclear capability. In February, Congress considered a bill that would have made it the policy of the United States to prevent Iran “from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability” and it “rejects any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran.”
An anonymous Israeli official on Saturday reiterated demands to the Associated Press that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “issued last month: Iran must stop enriching uranium, remove all military-grade enriched material from the country, and dismantle its Fordo nuclear research site.”
f**k off Israel.
Why is Israel allowed to demand anything from Iran when they themselves have a secret nuclear weapons program with about 300-400 warheads? They aren't even signatories to the NPT, but they are somehow able to take center-stage along with the IAEA and make demands? Why isn't the IAEA "concerned" about Israel's nuclear stockpile, which unlike Iran's, actually exists? How is it that the Americans and their Euro-flunkies parade around as if they have some sort of moral high-ground by pretending like Israel has no nuclear weapons? has the world gone mad?…Seriously.
Baselees allegations against Iran from regime with stockpile of undeclared arsenal of WMD. Baseless and arrogant aqusations from most terrorist regime of late 20 century. Endless crimes against humanity from Zionist Israel leeds to world conflict….World should unite against this ""colonial and brutal enterprice called Israel" event. vote on its peacefull disolution. Its rasism and endless terror blocks any attemts for World Peace and Justice.
Zionism should be vieved like "Satanism and confronted by Whole of Humanity" at any cost peter czech
Israel needs to shut their trap, get rid of their nuclear arms, sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and allow unfettered access to all of the their nuclear energy/weapons sites by UN inspectors. Then, and only then would they have a possible legitimate gripe about Iran's nonexistent nuclear weapons program.
Can someone just tell Israel and their spokesman to just shut the hell up. Once they open up their nuclear program to the IAEA then they will be in a position to make comments about other countries supposed nuclear ambitions.
'He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.'
Oh the old anonymity warmonger. He/she probably does not want to be known incase that if we lose another 5,000 kids/ 30,000 crippled in another war of choice for our special friend the world will require that they wear a sign liar and shame. I wonder how anyone can push for war for personal profit. It is a shame that the war mongers cannot be the people on the front line but as usual they will be too busy feeding their face at the best restaurants.
Wisdom — Born of experience
"Iran must stop enriching uranium, remove all
military-grade enriched material from the country,
and dismantle its Fordo nuclear research site.”
And if Iran thought that doing all of the above would reduce the chance of war, surely they would do it. But Iran knows by bitter experience how void of integrity is Empire USA, knows that such actions would only make the chance of war even greater and armed with such wisdom acts accordingly.
Case in point: Libya.
Foresight — Born of experience
And if Iran thought that doing all of the above would reduce the chance of war, surely they would do it. But Iran knows by bitter experience how void of integrity is Empire USA, knows that such actions would only make the chance of war even greater and armed with such knowledge acts accordingly.
So the policies of the US and Europe vis a vis Iran are now decided by Benjamin Netanyahu.
From the NY Times:
"WASHINGTON — The Obama administration and its European allies plan to open new negotiations with Iran by demanding the immediate closing and ultimate dismantling of a recently completed nuclear facility deep under a mountain, according to American and European diplomats."
"They are also calling for a halt in the production of uranium fuel that is considered just a few steps from bomb grade, and the shipment of existing stockpiles of that fuel out of the country, the diplomats said."
Or is the NY Times just accepting the reality and asking Israel diplomats to cut out the middlemen?
BTW, I just love it when the US demands that Iran enters negotiations without preconditions. The level of hypocrisy is amazing and I doubt the White House even realizes how hypocritical they are.
So, if we use the Israeli logic, since Israel has the KNOWLEDGE of how to create ricin and other biological agents that may be used as weapons, they are therefore guilty of biological warfare.
Or, since the Israelis have the KNOWLEDGE of how to implement a policy of genocide…oh, wait…
"Or, since the Israelis have the KNOWLEDGE of how to implement a policy of genocide…oh, wait.."
Are you referring to the holocaust, or are you referring to the Holodomor?
There are many examples of genocide throughout history. So, yes.
Iran's nuclear capabilty is proof of Iran'smilitary dimnension? Please, what in the HELL is that really supposed to mean?
And, Israel's continued theft of Palestinian land is proof that they're not interested in peace.
So as our "best friend" in the ME, we should give them honest and thorough scrutiny as well.
Baselees allegations against Iran from regime with stocckpile of undeclared arsenal of WMD. Baceless lke always…
I think Isreal has proven who it is that wants to annihilate whom and push them into the sea.
Well, they're able to throttle this propaganda because the decline in critical thinking and reading comprehension among the American public has reach alarming levels. For example, a baseball player for the Marlins recently created a controversey by claiming he had "respect for Fidel Castro" for managing to last this long and not end up dead. The ever dependable media picked this up as "he said he LOVED Fidel Castro." Naturally, the Little Havana Cuban community in Florida was demanding the ballplayers head for soemthing he clearly didn't say. This is the same type of innuendo and straw-man baiting that American and Israeli leaders/journalists use when discusiing Iran.
So now the Iranian nuclear threat is really a deterrent to anyone else attacking them? And somehow- even assuming there IS a weapons program- giving your nation a credible defense capability is a bad thing and a threat to someone else?
If the 'red line' for the US is proof of a weapons program- and no proof is produced- what is the purpose of antagonizing Iran to begin with? What is the 'red line' for Israel- at what point are they so existentially threatened that they take matters into their own hands and go on the attack?
None of this makes any military or political sense until you start looking at the Israeli and US personalities driving the circumstances and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that insanity is the order of the day. I'm not going to say that Iran is a peaceful little dove in the corner, but it's not Iran threatening to destabilize the entire Middle East and, indeed, the world economy.