Posted on 07/07/2005 7:11:55 PM PDT by freedom44
TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel's Defense Ministry has determined that Iran could destroy the Jewish state with two atomic bombs.
Officials said the ministry and the Israel Defense Forces have conducted simulations of an Iranian nuclear attack for damage assessment and response. They said authorities have determined that two nuclear bombs that explode in the center and north of Israel would destroy most of the population and all vital infrastructure.
The assessment was issued at a conference on Iran and its nuclear program. Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said two Iranian missiles tipped with a nuclear warhead could destroy Israel. Boim said even one nuclear weapon could cripple the country.
"This is a real existential threat," Boim said in an address to the Academic College in Ashkelon on May 24.
"The Iranian bombs aren't built yet"
Hmmmm?? I believe they bought bombs from Russia.
Good thing. Crusades have become so 'yesterday'. ;^)
All the talk of 'nukes' is disturbing, but no less than having someone's religion (and all the crap that goes with it) forced upon you.
My next vote for president goes to the one who promises to appoint a former national-pest-control CEO to Secretary of State. In the Middle East and China: I see termite colonies. I'd further recommed that our nation have no ties whatsoever with nations incapable of separating 'church from state'. (A sure way to end crusades)
The better response would be to merely let the Arab and Persian world know that Israel is "deadman switched" to nuke Mecca, Medina, and all capitols along with conventionally destroying the Dome of the Rock if nuclear weapon[s] are detonated on their soil.
put much of its capability in deep tunnels that our satellites can't peer into.
What the sats can't see, HAARP can...
The Russians have been peddling reactor technology to them, which is a problem enough, but the Iranians were not sold any bombs that anybody knows about.
Don't confuse hatred of the Mullahs with objections to an Iranian bomb.
But it is the Mulahs who want the bomb.
No. As I said earlier the bomb has widespread support of the population. So much so that it is one of the tools, the promises, the Mullahs use to stay in power.
Harted of Israel is very widespread as well. Whatever Iran was in the days of the Shah, generations of unremitting, ubiquitous propaganda take their toll.
By who, the same press that choses to remain silent about the large scale protests against the Mulahs in Iran for the last number of years. Or is it the Mulahs themselves saying that building nukes makes them so popular with the people of Iran.
The only sources I trust coming from Iran are the personal accounts of the protests posted here on FR and other parts on the internet.
The Western Press can no longer be trusted for they only support tyranny in almost all it's forms.
I think Jerusalem being being the religious center for Judaism, Christianity and Islam probably nobody is going to nuke it.
Believing that only the Mullah’s in Iran want the bomb is pie-in-the-sky. The popular sentiment is with a strong country that can defend itself. Why would it not be? Iran was attacked by WMD already from Iraq. Saudi Arabia is very hostile neighbor as is a nuclear Pakistan. The idea of not just another Islamic bomb, but a Shia one, is appealing to the masses. That’s not even getting into the hostility to non-Muslims like Israel.
It is probably one of the few things the general public, the Mullahs and rulers like the new President agree upon.
Don’t mistake desire for freedom and human rights with loss of nationalism, dislike of their religion or love of the US. It would not be the first time the US was seen and used as the savior and nonetheless disliked and resented. It seems to me that has happened all over the world including in Europe with whom we have a heck of a lot more in common. Also don’t underestimate the number and strength of the people who do support Islamic rule in Iran.
The famous speech Rafsanjani gave about nuking Israel was at Tehran University to a cheering audience of students, you know, the same demographic group who support overthrowing the regime.
The same polls that show support for regime change also show popular support for Iranian nukes.
http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001248.html
On the issue of weapons of mass destruction, Gerecht pointed out that Iran’s nuclear policy has widespread support in Iranian society and described a nuclear Iran as an inevitability. Although a targeted military strike against Iran could work, it wouldn’t work well since the CIA’s intelligence (Gerecht’s former employer) is not sufficiently reliable, i.e. chances of missing the targets are considerable. Currently, Iran’s program can be best checked through Israel, in Gerecht’s view.
http://www.payvand.com/news/03/may/1032.html
"They are going about this very systematically, and very rapidly," Sick said. "What's worrisome is that there is no serious debate about this in Iran. The reformers aren't up in arms. There is, in fact, quite a bit of unanimity" that Iran, given its geography, needs to go the nuclear-weapons route.
At the American Enterprise conference last week the same point was stressed by Bernard Hourcade, a specialist on Iran at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris.
"The best way to keep Iran from going nuclear is to keep the mullahs" in power, he quipped. "The democrats are just as nationalistic, and a lot more efficient."
http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2003/05/10/news/nation/nation01.txt
Poll: Iranians support for nukes conditioned
To back up my theory that maybe not all Iranians really want the Islamic regime has the Nuclear weapons, I put a poll on my Persian blog and asked what my readers think about Iran having nukes. So far, 775 readers have responded to it and here is the results:
21% agree with Iran having nuclear weapons under any circumstances
46% agree with Iran having nuclear weapons only if it is under contorl of a demoratic regime
33% totally reject the idea of Iran having nuclear weapons
I know this is not a scientific poll and therefore not a reliable one. But I hope it gives you an idea about how sophisticated the problem is and how Wetsren journalists fail to see this it more in depth.
http://hoder.com/weblog/archives/012605.shtml
Tehran - President Mohammad Khatami vowed on Wednesday that no Iranian government would ever abandon the progress that the country has made in developing peaceful nuclear technology.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1660137,00.html
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Some of the thinking on the subject of overthrowing the mullahs is prefaced on it being no big deal if Iran under a democratic government were to get nukes, you know like the US, UK, France, India and Israel. That too is utopian thinking.
You are confused, the Mulahs want nukes, the Iranians just want a strong military that is not their enemy, there is a big difference between the two.
The popular sentiment is with a strong country that can defend itself.
Every sane population wants the ability to protect themselves from foreign enemies, this includes the non-socialist U.S. population.
Your strawman arguements are becoming annoying.
I'm not confused. You're an ostrich.
No, you an idiot. I have been paying attention to what is going on in Iran for close to 8 years.
Your just looking for an excuse to nuke the country of Iran into oblivion. And I am trying to point out to you that it is the mulahs that are our enemy, not the entire country's population. You're just to dense to realize this.
It would be interesting to see Iran try it.
First stop the ad hominem cr*p. If you can't have a discussion without losing your temper you lose the argument. Don't let a little thing like facts get in your way. You can always resort to name calling and your self-proclaimed expertise if the going gets rough.
Second I don't care how long you've been following Iran if you don't know the facts and can't analyze them rationally. Yes, all Iranians except a handful of Mullahs are longing for liberal democracy and a secular state with religious freedom and tolerance for all. They all will happily give up nuclear ambitions they have harbored for decades in the face of perceived threats from Sunni neighbors one of whom is nuclear, and Israeli nukes.
Third I never said a thing about nuking anyone including Iran. Perhaps you have conused me with someone else just like you appear to have confused Iran with the Garden of Eden and its people with saints.
No need to shoot around the oil fields. It's easy to drill through glass.
The two nuke idea is bogus...it'd take two just to wipe out Tel Aviv. The reaction in the west might be interesting...with Russia and China telling the UN assembly to patiently wait...and the US setting full sail with six nuke subs to help settle the score. Iran would likely lose the majority of its Tehran population via the Israel reaction alone.
No nation has had a failure in exploding a nuke on there first try. This is 60 year old technology.
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