Posted on 02/09/2010 5:28:02 AM PST by nuconvert
Khamenei, whose public statements should be taken seriously, is promising some sort of devastating “punch” against the West on Thursday the 11th, the same day as the Green Movement is calling for a monster protest against his regime.
What might he have in mind? I don’t know; they say a lot of things just for effect, but threats/promises from the supreme leader have a certain standing. If I were an Israeli official, I’d recheck my information on Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
Some think he’s preparing some kind of attack against Israel. Surely there has been no shortage in recent weeks of nasty language against the Jewish state. Here’s Foreign Minister Mottaki a day ago:
“Iran is facing a mad nation led by insane people. This is the reason why all of us in the region – in Syria, in Lebanon, and the Palestinians – must be prepared constantly for any crazy operation against us.”
Other Iranian leaders have spoken of the “inevitability” of Israel’s destruction. Maybe they have something in mind.
The other obvious possibility is that he’s ordered a massive, Chinese-style crackdown on the opposition. Since he believes that the opposition is foreign-based and foreign-controlled, a devastating massacre might count as a big “punch” to the West.
He’s totally obsessed with bringing an end to the protests, and the nightly chants of “Death to the Dictator” that haunt him so. In the last few days he’s been telephoning opposition journalists and intellectuals, telling them to give it up, and the preparations for the crackdown have gone so far as to replace the traditional plastic garbage cans in Tehran–in which demonstrators have been setting fires to combat tear gas–with metal ones. I don’t understand the point of that, but I’m sure it annoys the sanitation workers, who will now have to heist much heavier containers.
Meanwhile, the purge of journalists and activists continues. Since June 12th, the regime has arrested slightly more than 11,000 people, more than 3,000 of whom are still in those nightmare cells. Executions continue at a regular tempo, as does torture.
The Greens expect the regime to go all out on Thursday. The leaders believe they will be arrested on Friday, and are prepared for it. In his recent interview Mousavi remarked that a large number of his best friends were in prison, and he was sad not to be with them.
He also said that the Green Movement did not depend on his leadership, or anyone else’s.
That theory may be about to be tested by Ali Khamenei, starting Thursday.
Personally, I don't think that Iran has the capability to create a massive EMP, not yet, anyway.You're right. Thanks hennie pennie.
A NUKE Test most likely and I hope it blows up in their faces before they get in the safety of a protective bunker.
THREAT POSED BY ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) TO U.S. MILITARY SYSTEMS AND CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE
House of Representatives,
Committee on National Security,
Military Research and Development Subcommittee,
Washington, DC, Wednesday, July 16, 1997.
[Excerpt:]
STATEMENT OF DR. GARY L. SMITH, DIRECTOR, APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
[...]
Dr. SMITH.
[...]
The Applied Physics Lab operates under about a dozen task order contracts with a number of major sponsors, covering between 200 and 300 separate tasks in any given year. All of our funding is derived from programs. We have no line-item support. About 80 percent of our funding comes from sponsors within the Department of Defense, and about 15 percent from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
[...]
Note that a burst on the order of 500 kilometers in altitude can cover the entire continental United States.
Mr. WELDON. What strength burst would that be?
Dr. SMITH. It is not terribly burst-strength dependent; almost any burst will produce that kind of radiation. The strength of the field will change at the various radii from the burst point, but it will cover the same area regardless of the strength of the burst.
Iran hails successful launch of satellite rocket
Posted on Wed 03 Feb 2010 02:51:50 AM MST
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2443266/posts
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/report/1984/ERD.htm
EMP
Submitted To
Mr. Wiggins
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
for Written Communications
The Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Quantico, Virginia
Major R. D. Erick
United States Marine Corps
April 6, 1984
Excerpt:
“However, the effects produced by a nuclear explosion were not fully realized until the “Johnston Island Test” in 1962. This nuclear blast had a yield of 1.4 megatons at an altitude of 250 miles. The explosion damaged a number of low earth orbit satellites and caused malfunctions and early failure of others. Another effect that was noted during the blast was a blackout up to 600 miles away of high frequency radio communications that lasted for hours. It was caused by disruption of the ionosphere. It also popped circuit breakers, street lights went out, burglar alarms rang, and power lines went down in Honolulu, about 800 miles away. In Nov. 1962, all above ground testing was halted and our testing and analysis was limited to underground testing, analysis of the existing atmospheric test data, nonnuclear simulation, and theoretical calculations.”
Iran launched its first satellite into orbit a little more than a year ago. ...and some older news.
US confirms Iran launch of first home-built satellite
afp ^ | 2-03-09 | staff
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2177582/posts
Iran military engineers on hand for N. Korea missile launch
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1664760/posts
(7/12/06)
10 Iranian Missile Engineers Visited N. Korea:Sankei reports(check on NK’s Chinese equipments)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1658850/posts
(07/01/06)
Russia, N.Korea, China give Iran missile aid -CIA
09/08/01
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/519198/posts
Over a year ago,...
Iran Satellite Launch Heightens Missile Development Concerns
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2009
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52939
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.