The Shehab deception

wnd ^ | November 25th, 2004 | Hal Lindsey

[M. Espinola]

After months of stalling, the mad mullahs in Tehran agreed to suspend their nuclear enrichment program just in time to avoid being referred to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions by the International Atomic Energy Commission.

The IAEA had been under considerable pressure from the United States to find Iran in breach of nuclear agreements prohibiting the nuclear enrichment process.

Leader of the Axis of Evil

[M. Espinola]

The Iranians continue to stand behind the transparent fiction that Iran's nuclear program is being developed for "peaceful purposes" related to domestic energy needs.

That it is a fiction is obvious – Iran's proven oil reserves, at over 100 billion barrels, ranks third among the world's oil producing nations, exceeded only by that of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

(An embargo of Iranian oil, not allowing Iranian supertankers to exit the Persian Gulf would cause mega-problems for the mullahs.

Tehran's Islamic terrorist leadership has used crude oil has a weapon in the past. Two can play at that game. Recall those long gaslines while Opec Iran laughed at US?)

Iran needs additional sources of energy for civilian purposes like Queen Elizabeth needs spare change. Iran is awash with oil – virtually up to its neck in the stuff.

Iran's nuclear program serves no discernible civilian purpose at all. But from Iran's perspective, it very much needs nuclear weapons. Iran is in the middle surrounded by nuclear powers – Pakistan, India, Russia, China, Israel – and Iraq and Afghanistan are both teeming with U.S. troops.

By agreeing to halt its enrichment program, the Iranians have simply bought more time for nuclear development. Tehran knows that it will take months – and maybe years – before it will risk being referred to the Security Council again. By most estimates, Iran will be a nuclear power well before that.

The fly in Tehran's ointment is Israel. There is no way that the Israelis will allow a nuclear-armed Iran, especially an Iran with nuclear-tipped missiles like the Shehab, which could easily reach Israel if launched from anywhere inside its borders.

Earlier this month, Britain, France and Germany negotiated an accord with Iran whereby Tehran was to suspend its uranium-conversion activities in exchange for a trade and political cooperation pact with the European Union.

"If the Europeans show wisdom and don't make excessive demands, I think the way is open and we can reach an agreement," said former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, now a senior parliamentary official. "If they resist, they will give in one day, but at a higher price."

Can this be more clear? "Either let us do what we want without interference, or the first place we will use our weapons will be against you."

The only purpose for the agreement was to prevent Iran from processing uranium. In typical diplomatic fashion, Iran denied it was reneging on the deal, even as it was in the process of reneging on the deal. And, in typical diplomatic fashion, E.U.-U.N. diplomats agreed to 'study' Iran's response, giving Iran more time to continue its bombmaking efforts.

The IAEA unanimously passed a resolution in September demanding Iran freeze all work on uranium enrichment and related activities.

The IAEA is due to issue its judgment on Iran's compliance to the Security Council by Nov. 25. It is expected to read much like the IAEA reports on Iraq. It will confirm that Tehran has been "experimenting with all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle, but that there is still no concrete evidence of a link to a weapons."

As in Iraq, Tehran has not yet offered the United Nations a "smoking gun." However, in the case of a nuclear weapon, the smoking gun would take the form of a mushroom cloud.

Iran admits its intent to enrich uranium into weapons-grade material – despite international protestations.

On top of all this, evidence of Iran's support for global terror (including funding and at times directing Hezbollah, Hamas and the deadly anti-American insurgents in Iraq) is undeniable. Sounds exactly like Iraq.

It begs another question: How would we know that any deal the United Nations, European Union, or even the United States could strike would be honored by the mad mullahs governing the country?

How could we know it isn't an effort to buy time until it is too late? Iran's mullahs are testing the waters, looking for some signal that confirm the United States won't actually take action to prevent them from becoming a nuclear threat.

Does anybody really doubt that if the mullahs acquire nuclear weapons they will use them – at a minimum to intimidate Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates; drive up the price of oil; and bring Western economies to their knees? Or that a nuclear Iran would not hesitate to use them against its arch-enemy, Israel?

From the standpoint of Israel, now facing a prospect of certain sworn adversaries armed with nuclear weapons, there is every reason to believe Israel will strike preemptively before Iran's nuclear ambitions have passed the point of no return.

Since Iran seems bound and determined to achieve nuclear status, even at the risk of a pre-emptive strike, even the cause of the Gog-Magog War seems to be set in stone for this generation.

Whether Ezekiel's scenario plays out before the Tribulation period begins, or at some point before it reaches its midpoint, one thing is abundantly clear.

It will play out in this generation.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:33-34).

IRAN IN A NUTSHELL: Population: 66,128,965 (July 2001 est.) Industries: Petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement, armaments. Exports: $25 billion (2000 est.), 85 percent oil and gas. Exports—Partners: Japan, Italy, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, France, China Energy Production Exported: 60 percent Oil and Gas Exported, in Dollars: $15.1 billion (1996 est.)

Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Economist Intelligence Unit, CIA World Factbook