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Posted on 06/28/2025 5:03:41 AM PDT by MtnClimber
As Iran calls for a ceasefire, it’s not peace it seeks—but time to finish the bomb it’s been building in the shadows.
As the world watches the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran, Tehran seeks to project a posture of strength, insisting it will fire the final shot. Yet behind closed doors, the Islamic Republic is doing the opposite: quietly pushing for a ceasefire. Not for the sake of regional stability, and certainly not for the safety of its own people, but for one singular purpose: gaining the time it desperately needs to finalize its nuclear ambitions.
Recent U.S. strikes on three well-known nuclear sites—Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan—were widely interpreted as major blows to Iran’s atomic infrastructure. But intelligence sources suggest otherwise. These facilities, long exposed and monitored, had already been emptied of their most sensitive material. The regime, fully aware of its security vulnerabilities, had preemptively moved its enriched uranium stockpiles to undisclosed underground locations beyond the reach of satellites, IAEA inspectors, or international oversight.
Within these hidden fortresses, Iran is now operating with renewed secrecy and efficiency, drawing closer than ever to the nuclear threshold. The technical knowledge, financial means, and ideological justification are all in place. What Tehran lacks is time, and a ceasefire would offer precisely that.
Interpreting recent shifts in Iran’s rhetoric or diplomatic tone as a sign of moderation would be a grave mistake. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, like the regime’s founder Ayatollah Khomeini, adheres to the Shiite doctrine of taqiyya, a religiously sanctioned practice of deceit in service of ideological goals. Under this doctrine, false assurances and strategic lies are not only permitted but encouraged when advancing the interests of the Islamic Revolution.
To believe that the Islamic Republic has abandoned its nuclear ambitions is to fall victim to the same diplomatic delusions that have haunted Western policymakers for decades. If Tehran is granted even a temporary pause in hostilities, it will use that reprieve to complete what it has long pursued in secret: a functioning nuclear weapon.
The regime’s post-conflict playbook is consistent. First, it brutally reasserts domestic control by rounding up dissenters and executing alleged collaborators, fostering fear and obedience. Then it accelerates its nuclear program under the justification of defensive necessity. Finally, it announces a strategic shift in defense policy, citing foreign aggression as the rationale for legitimizing its nuclear breakout.
This is not merely a regional threat. A nuclear Iran represents a global danger: a volatile theocracy armed with the ultimate weapon, unbound by international norms or rational deterrence theory. Its constitution mandates the export of revolutionary ideology. Its history proves a willingness to sacrifice its own people and regional peace to preserve its grip on power.
Yet there is another Iran, one represented by the millions who have taken to the streets in recent years, demanding change. The regime has never been weaker in its ability to suppress dissent, and the people have never been stronger in their desire for transformation. Under the symbolic leadership of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, a growing segment of Iranians envisions a secular, democratic, and stable future.
Such an Iran—free, peaceful, and aligned with global values—would be a far more effective guarantor of regional security than any bunker-busting missile. The international community must recognize this moment for what it is: a historic inflection point. It is not just about disarming a regime. It is about enabling the rise of a new Iran, one that safeguards not only its own people but also the shared interests of a civilized world.
***
Ahmad Batebi is a political dissident and former political prisoner who spent nearly a decade in Iranian prisons. He was arrested during the 1998 student protests after his photo appeared on the cover of The Economist, holding a bloodied shirt belonging to one of the wounded students. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was later commuted to 15 years in prison under international pressure. After nearly ten years behind bars, he managed to escape. He first fled to Iraq and was later granted political asylum in the United States.
Since arriving in the U.S. in 2009, Batebi worked as a journalist and analyst at Voice of America until its shutdown in 2025. He pursued his education through to the doctoral level in cybersecurity and has remained a regular commentator on Iranian affairs across media and think tanks. Batebi is also known for his active role in supporting the Abraham Accords and efforts to bring the people of Iran and Israel closer together.
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Another opinion on the situation in Iran for your consideration.
Chilling. The Israeli surveillance of Iran has been extensive. Anything is possible but this appears unlikely. Israel & the USA, indeed the world should remain on full alert and act swiftly if any concrete evidence emerges.
According to DJT they now have 0 chance of building anything nuclear
The date is in error.
“Intelligence sources suggest...”
Uh-huh
Israel had boots on the ground in Iran for 15 years. The US was hyper monitoring and planning since 2009. Makes Gabbard’s IC testimony likely just another head fake.
...An intelligence source told The Times on Friday that Israel had been monitoring multiple locations through intelligence agents for years, with each location having “boots on the ground beforehand”. Israel began readying its attack on Iran from as early as 2010, based on intelligence about its accelerating weapons programme...
“The regime, fully aware of its security vulnerabilities, had preemptively moved its enriched uranium stockpiles to undisclosed underground locations beyond the reach of satellites, IAEA inspectors, or international oversight.“
…using their super secret cloak of invisibility.
The US bombing of Fordow activated one of the oldest and most dangerous tropes in the nuclear warfighting library - it placed Iran in a “use it or lose it” state.
We should find out soon what resources remain, if any.
On a related note. For those familiar with Ezekiel 38, the prophecy related to Gog and the land of Magog; it gives us an interesting fact to consider. Namely, a prerequisite for the prophecy to come about is that Israel will be attacked when (paraphrase): “Israel exists as a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.”
This has not been the state of Israel with Hamas and Iran proxies attaching and killing Israelis on a regular basis. What if the '12 day war' culminates in Israel finally “dwelling safely”? If it does, it could be the fuse, the prerequisite that initiates Ezekiel 38, whose summary follows:
Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ….. “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” …. “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ….. I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man's sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’- Ezekiel 38: 10-23
I wish the left would settle on a story.
First it was Iran was not even close to going nuke.
Then it was that the bombs didn’t touch Iran’s nukes.
Then it was War Powers Act until it was shown Trump abided by the 48 hour notice.
Now it’s the non-existent nukes weren’t even where the bombs actually obliterated everything???
EC
Why are we posting this crap?
What proof does this asshat have this?
And does he think that we won’t bomb them again if we get clear evidence that they’re building a bomb?
Yeah but, use it and they lose everything is the main oldest torpe in nuclear deterrence doctrine.
VOA is straight up CIA. And Mossad is really good. Makes one wonder how deeply they have penetrated the US government.
By the way, where’s those Epstein files and tapes?
Yeah, I thought so.
“… represents a global danger: a volatile theocracy armed with the ultimate weapon, unbound by international norms or rational deterrence theory”
This fits Saudi Arabia and Israel also.
I thought Israel killed a lot of those people. IMO, Trump should have hammered Iran into the dirt. Why he didn't is a mystery to me, but it's not like we can't do it again.
In the meantime, Iran is going to be really hard on any potential internal opposition, which could have been abetted during Israel's operations. Why neither we nor Israel gave the people weapons is also a mystery to me.
“I suggest the toothless serpent’s head in Tehran take heed: Operation Am KeLavi was only the promo for a new Israeli strategy. After October 7, there is no more immunity.”
- Israel Defense Minister Katz
Actually, there is in fact Immunity
President Trump provides immunity to the Hamas terrorists residing in Qatar. He will not allow those terrorists to be touched because the President considers his deal more important than the security of Israel.
As Georgie Patton said “the politicians never let us finish the job”.
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