Military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities will be a “real possibility” under the incoming Trump administration, Axios reported on Monday.
The report said Trump is expected to face an Iran crisis this year due to the country’s nuclear activity, although there is no evidence Iran has decided to build a nuclear weapon, something that’s recently been acknowledged by the CIA.
Incoming Trump officials have called for a return to “maximum pressure,” referring to the previous Trump administration’s Iran policy, which involved withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, imposing crippling economic sanctions, and assassinating Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
The Biden administration essentially continued the same policy and added more sanctions on Iran, although Tehran has increased its export of oil to markets in Asia where buyers aren’t afraid of US sanctions.
Trump advisors told Axios that the “maximum pressure” strategy might not work, making a military option possible. Sources said that Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer left a meeting with Trump in November believing it was highly likely he would either support Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities or order a direct US strike on Iran.
Back in October, Trump criticized President Biden for advising Israel not to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They asked him, what do you think about Iran, would you hit Iran? And he goes, ‘As long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.’ That’s the thing you want to hit, right?” Trump said at a campaign rally.
The Axios report also said that there are officials within the Biden administration arguing for the US to bomb Iran before Trump’s inauguration. The outlet reported last week that Biden was presented with options to attack Iran but said there are currently no active discussions about doing so.
The hype about Tehran’s nuclear program is based on the fact that Iran is enriching some uranium at 60% purity, which is still lower than the 90% needed for weapons-grade. Iran took the step enrich at 60% in 2021 in response to an Israeli sabotage attack on the Natanz nuclear facility. The JCPOA limited Iran’s uranium enrichment to 3.67%.
Israeli aggression in the region has prompted calls from members of Iran’s parliament to rethink the ban on building nuclear weapons, but there’s no sign that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is considering lifting his 2003 fatwa that prohibited the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Iran is also a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and all of its nuclear facilities are for civilian purposes. In contrast, Israel is not a signatory to the NPT and has a secret nuclear weapons program that the US does not officially acknowledge. It’s estimated that Israel has somewhere between 90 and 300 nuclear warheads.
First. I will place a wager that Trump will not attack Iran. He makes a lot of noise but usually does nothing.
Second. To take out Iran's nuclear facilities will require a major war with both the support of NATO and Saudis.
Third. 60% enrichment has no civilian purpose. It is the last step to making weapon grade U-235. It is an easy step from there to weapon grade. The amount of energy needed to enrich U-235 from natural to 60% is 34 times greater than energy need to go from 60% to 90%.
Fourth. 90 % enrichment is needed for an efficient bomb thus the term weapon grade. However, a bomb can be made with lower enrichment. The Hiroshima bomb was 80%. With a good neutron reflector and tamper, a 60% grade bomb is possible, it just will not have that high of yield.
Crap…! It's vise versa…! You forgot to read the entire AI search…!
Higher enrichment levels require more energy:
"While the initial stages are the most energy-intensive, enriching uranium to a very high level (like weapons-grade) still requires considerably more energy than enriching to levels used in typical nuclear reactors"
• Enriching from 0.7% (natural uranium) to 60% might take about 75–80% of the total effort required to reach 90%.
• Enriching from 60% to 90% adds the remaining 20–25% of SWU costs.
Crap numero dos…!
When enriching U-235 to bomb grade from natural Uranium, the energy needed to get to the 60% level is significantly greater than the energy needed to get from 60% to 90% .
The statement you quoted reference going from natural level to reactor level vs natural level to bomb level. That is not the same as natural level to 60 % vs 60% to 90%.
The amount work need to separate U235 from U238 is measured in SWU. (Separation Work Units) There are online programs that will calculate the SWU. Go run and play with the numbers.
There is a reason why the US invaded and did a "regime change" in Iraq, but left North Korea alone. Can you guess why? What possible reason could Iran want a nuclear weapon?
And can you guess why the USA and Israel don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons?
Because the USA and Israel don’t feel safe attacking adversaries with nuclear weapons.
Hehe… Good one!
60% enrichment has no civilian purpose.
And no one claimed it did. They enriched it to 60% after the US refused to be in compliance with the JCPOA.
Exactly, that is the point. Iran is one or two simple steps from making nuclear weapons. Iran is getting to the "go / no go" point where the US and Israel will have to make a decision on what to do. My bet is that Trump will do nothing if Iran goes nuclear. What do think trump will do if Iran goes nuclear?
Easy decision. Re-enter the JCPOA and cut off Israel until they come clean about their nukes. But that just makes too much sense. We might end up with peace. And If Iran "goes nuclear", Trump, or any other US president, will have to live with it just like they do with NK.
Trump is not going to do your first suggestion. You and I can agree on that. Will US and Israel choose to live with a nuclear Iran or destroyed their ability before they become the next NK? I don't know, what will happen. I do think if Iran wants to go nuclear this is time to do it, because Trump is a weak leader incapable of assembly the international support needed to take out Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The US and Israel probably aren’t capable of “destroying their ability,” even if the desire was there (so far, the evidence says the desire is not there or we’d have already seen an overt test blast some time in the last 20 years).
if the rogue state of isreal has undeclared nukes
then 'their' admitted biggest threat Iran must also have nukes, its called self defense
Your analysis is on point but you left out delusional president on his last term and captured by Bibi who needs to survive at all cost.
He is delusional and easy to manipulate. Bibi is not dumb and I can see him sucking trump into a war.
Trump and Vance said more than once, we will not attack Iran. Is that the "noise" you are referring to??? Isn't not attacking, what you call doing nothing, a great thing to do???
I am sure you have quotes from trump with dates where he said he would not attack Iran.
He did say on September 25, that Iran should be blown "to smithereens" if the Islamic Republic is involved in the harming of a US White House candidate or ex-president. That is what I mean by he makes a lot noise, like this threat, but usually does nothing.
And than there is Time Mag. interview on Dec 12 where he said attacking Iran is possible. So tell me what statements are true? It called noise and he makes a lot it.
They want to attack Iran… but Iran can defend itself unlike Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya…!
Yea Iran can defend itself better that Iraq, but not good enough to stop a US led allied attack. Yes USA will pay a higher price, but in the end Iran's nuclear ambitions will be complete destroyed.
china and russia won,t allow the US to destroy any more
of the middle east Iran has their backing, isreal/merca
will get a severe beating if they try
Not according to Trump's press conference today 1/7/25 where the king of the planet will make America the greatest nation of the world and anyone not listening to him will have hell to pay.
I was looking for his ego to explode into several tiny balloon pieces it was so over the top.
Israel couldn't even get into Iran's airspace when it tried to attack and failed. Iran is well equipped with S300 and S400 anti aircraft missile batteries. They will destroy most of the US and Israeli attempts if they are made. Furthermore China and Russia will not allow any this to happen..period.
Trump harumph!…!…!
He hasn’t done anything yet. This time, this time, this time it’s different! Maybe :0
What does that mean? Is that supposed to be a comment?
Next time, please raise your hand.
"Harrumph" is an informal expression used to convey disapproval, dissatisfaction, disbelief, protest, or dismissal:
Now exclaim: ahh, now i get it, that was smart!
I wouldn't expect less, really. I would hope for something better but that's about it. Trump's agenda is not less imperialist than that of his political rivals.
Now, good luck invading or otherwise destroying Iran, really, when you can't even reign of its much smaller lookalike of Yemen, Uncle Sam.
My take is that, as the situation is, the war will spill to all the region, with Iraq and Syria becoming complex battlegrounds and US military control of the Persian Gulf pretty much destroyed in round one (also major oil crisis, which means economic crisis and the sudden inconvertibility of the US dollar into its valuable Arab oil backer, so watch out stock market speculators). Israel will be rendered totally disfunctional, risk of nuclear escalation is very high.
The ones that guided Biden's policies are the ones who will be guiding Trump’s policies.
Is that why there were no wars under Trump, but wars started up when Biden took over??? Is that why Trump tries negotiations and Biden does not?
"no wars" War in Afghanistan is one of many. And what great negotiations did trump accomplished in his first term?
And than there is the famous Iran blasting a US air based with multiple missiles while trump watch The View TV show. And what was trump response to injured US soldiers? "They just got head aches".
trumpo also killed the Iranian general which
was the dumbest thing he done in 4yrs
AH,sorry to interrupt or to be a bother BUT WE THE PEOPLE DONT WANT WAR NO MORE…Seriously
Yeah, but who cares what WE THE PEOPLE want? Do you think this is a democratic republic or something?
Its actually WE THE PEOPLE, so that you, i, and so many others are accountable,responsible and yes, poor lil' american citizens, its like my dad said decades ago; ' You get the government you deserve'
So thats why i've been an advocate of DIRECT DEMOCRACY for some time. But we need critical thinking active,caring citizens to make it work. And it would, so very well…
Wanna do the math?
Instead of 90 out of 100 being basically adult/children needing to be told what to do and what to believe in(dog loyalty), then you have the 9 of that 100 who want to rule that 90 with whip and calculator and thats what we had for far too long. Time for an upgrade, we need to get to Collective Intelligence.
Think of it, everyone who has a phone, has a vote on whatever is up and thats it. No lobbyists bribing the representative with no reps, right?
Such attacks can destroy most if not all of Iran's ability to produce more enriched U235 but the already enriched gas is surely safely stored away in mountainous caves and available for future nuclear reactors and, in principle, for a nuclear arsenal.
An as yet unanswered question is this. Iran has had the ability to produce and test a nuclear bomb for several years but has not done so. Why?
It not enough to just destroyed the enrichments plants. A war have to force Iran to give up all the u-235 it has and that will be a big war. Much bigger than the 1991 war.
Trump vows to end all wars while he is president
WED, NOVEMBER 06, 2024 – 10:48
“We had no wars, for four years we had no wars. Except we defeated ISIS. We defeated ISIS in record time, but we had no wars. They said 'he will start a war'. I'm not going to start a war, I'm going to stop the wars,” Trump said.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4d7f4cf199cfa08ce7c3b83e47cd5e7b5c9f53d66c0f9ef6f59afc9a2a2b3314.jpg This is real
Or is it?
He also said he was against hb-1 visas.
No, no, he meant he was against herpes virus,especially the chinese variant…
LOL
His nose looks browner in this photo. Was he coming from a meeting with Bibi?
yes
You cannot say "This is real" until proven in time…!
un
goes way baccckkk
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/670a3394eecf08a3622501e1640ced7408ba4df78454e4091f619005283b829e.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2a12f45612e7465ba3dc115b73d9ef883e11c33fbd2589b2b45b82092e6024ad.jpg Which face are ya gonna trust?
Nuttinyahoo wants this war so bad and Trump is going to give it to him. Zionists have been in control of the US even before Scofield published his "Reference Bible" in 1909.
They should hurry and announce they have the bomb. The savages only respect you out of fear.
Outgoing democrat Joe Biden and incoming republican Donald Trump are two American politicians owned by the Zionist lobby. Period.
Yes, but Musk did outbid Miriem …??
Musk was instrumental in target acquisitions in Gaza. It’s the same team.
Musk, Bezos, Thiel etc vying for intelligence/military contracts.
uuumph!
Sadly they have been captured by a terrorist regime on par with ISIS and Al Queda.
Of course, those dastardly Iranians aren't going to cooperate with our outrageous demands- it's their fault we have to attack them!
This 16 year soap opera of Iran being nearly ready to use nuclear weapons is old and silly. But lots of people like to be manipulated by it. Israel loves the fear tactic to justify attacking Iran.
Axios is a junk source, why would anyone believe them? Big deal, some people claim attacking Iran is an option. There are lots of options.
Israel bombed those facilities before. Biden stopped them from doing nothing. Trump was campaigning.
Bombing nuclear facilities is a last resort, since it releases dangerous radiation.
Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak first said it in 1996. It's a lot older than 16 years.
For a guy that claims his rescue from an assassin's bullets was an act of God, he would be pressing UNGODLY acts by further involving the USA in the MIDDLE EAST RAPE with Israel! God can work wonders any way He wants I suppose. The whole premise about Iran being the "foremost sponsor of terrorism on the planet" is FALSE! Israel and the USA just "installed" a JEWISH terrorist to "lead" Syria! The "official narrative" has always been that Israel's neighbors want to "wipe it off the map", when the REAL story is just the opposite. Greater Israel means Israel wipes its neighbors off the map!
The sheer stupidity of the US and Israel is quite astonishing. US and Israeli planes will be shot down in droves along with hypersonic missiles targeting all of Israel's strategic infrastructure. Imperial hubris is just that…May China Russia and Iran hurt these belligerents where it counts.
my prediction based on history:
They will give Ukraine the Afghanistan treatment, call it a glowing success, and move all or most MIC resources to the ME, Iran? on the way to China.
The US and Israel are working furiously at present to overthrow the government. It could happen, as well.
The most useful thing the world community could possibly do is institute a true International Criminal Court – with teeth.
The planet's inhabitants need to build a solid BRICS wall around the USA and western Europe – no trade, no resources.
Did you see what happened in Brazil?
Thanks. Took a peek at the headlines. Holy shit, they're accountable!
sigh ….
I guess we have to settle for the Medal of Freedom for war criminals…
stupid raised to the nth power is ……… (drumroll please) ….. The STUPID.
Nothing about the obscene stupidity of US foreign policy gambits (disguised as diplomacy) has changed for more than 100 years, and nothing will change under Trump, who bellows about peace in the same sentences as he threatens punishment/sanctions.
Just another bullshit artist in a very long line of bullshit artists.
President-elect Trump posted this video of Jeffrey Sachs on his Truth Social platform earlier this evening. Trump knows what's going on:
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/113789043423746072
The Trump neocons are dangerous people, they are ignorant criminals, without a shred of humanity, no better and just as ignorant as the Biden gang.