A newly leaked Colin Powell email, dated from 2015, offers new insight into Israel’s always nebulous nuclear weapons arsenal, referring to the nation as having 200 nuclear weapons, “all targeted on Tehran.” The comments were made addressing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech against the Iran nuclear deal back in March of 2015.
Netanyahu railed against the deal, insisting it wouldn’t stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, prompting a dismissive response from Powell, who noted, “negotiators can’t get what he (Netanyahu) wants. Anyway, the Iranians can’t use one if they finally make one. The boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands.”
Powell went on to note that Iran couldn’t even realistically test a nuclear weapon without getting attacked, and that they would have no practical utility for a fledgling arsenal with huge amounts of weapons already targeted at them, and that actually getting one nuke would do damage to their security.
Powell went on to insist Netanyahu’s claims that Iran was “a year” away from a nuclear weapon were nonsense, and that it would take many years, adding that Iran has “every right to enrich for energy.” Since the signing of the P5+1 nuclear deal, however, Iran’s right to enrich is severely limited, even for such civilian purposes.
More than one hundred years later still: “Im Westen nichts Neues” except that machine guns are replaced by nuclear bombs on one side and the trenches are much further apart.
However President Obama and the “five” have prevented a nuclear Verdun.
They haven’t done ANYTHING to reign in Israeli nukes
Glad to see Powell had the sense to see that Iran has no “use case” for nukes. Iran has been saying that for years. An Iranian nuke (or even several) would be completely useless to them. Almost anyone they could attack with one or more would result in Iran being destroyed by nukes. They aren’t that stupid.
such a tiny country has 200 nukes ? Where the hell is it hiding? In case of a war , the Hezbollah might steal one nuclear missile ! Its dangerous for the entire world ! USA must take notice ! LOLOLOLOL
What would be the point of nuking Israel anyway if it takes out the Palestinians as well? The zionists should be grateful the Palestinians are there to protect them.
But gratitude isn’t their strong suite.. Just ask any survivor of the USS Liberty.
“What would be the point of nuking Israel anyway if it takes out the Palestinians as well?”
Surely you jest. The Arab states and Iran have no more interest in the welfare of Palestinian Arabs than Israel does. They’ve demanded that Palestinian Arabs remain as propaganda poster figures in what they themselves characterize as “open air concentration camps” for 70 years now rather than offer them homes and citizenship.
If Iran wanted to nuke Israel, the fate of the Palestinian Arabs wouldn’t make their list of top 10 concerns or problems with the idea.
But there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that Iran wants to nuke Israel.
Why should Iran act as an enabler of Israel’s program of ethnic cleansing? They have their own poor to feed and with sanctions, they’re hard pressed to do even that.
Even if what you said was true, Jerusalem is a city revered in Islam as much as Mecca. No way would they ever even contemplate its destruction.
I wasn’t expressing any opinion as to what Iran and the Arab states should or should not do. I was just pointing out that with respect to the Palestinian Arabs, what Iran and the Arab States are doing and have done for 70 years is, as you put it, acting as Israel’s enabler. When Israel plays rock, they play hard place.
That’s simply not true. Syria has been a refuge for tens of thousands of Palestinians, as is Lebanon, as was Iraq before we “liberated” it. The bonds between Iran and Palestine are strong ones. It was the PLO who provided security for the Ayatollah Komeni when he returned to Iran after his exile.
Now, if you’re referring to the Kingdom and Gulf states – they’re a different matter entirely.
“All aimed at Tehran”? Not likely. It’s a cinch Israel has one or two aimed at Mecca, and for a very good reason. Two of Islam’s five “pillars” are centered there; it could not stand on the remaining three. Destroy Mecca, and you destroy Islam. No doubt India and Russia have it targeted as well.