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Top General Suggests Administration Would Tolerate Iran Having Nuclear Weapons
Foundation for Defense of Democracies ^ | March 24, 2023 | Andrea Stricker

Posted on 03/24/2023 7:28:46 PM PDT by lasereye

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley, said at a congressional hearing on Thursday that the United States “remains committed, as a matter of policy, that Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon.” This statement, as well as a similar comment by Milley last September, suggests the Biden administration is prepared to tolerate nuclear weapons in Iran’s hands, provided the weapon is not “fielded” — that is — deployed.

At the Thursday hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Gen. Milley warned, “We, the United States military, have developed multiple options for our national leadership to consider if or when Iran ever decides to develop an actual nuclear weapon.” Yet his reference to “a fielded nuclear weapon” introduced uncertainty about whether America would use force to stop Iran from breaking out of its nonproliferation commitments and producing one or more nuclear weapons.

The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday that a National Security Council spokeswoman told the paper, “the United States is committed to never allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.” However, she did not explicitly repudiate Milley’s comment.

A shift in U.S. strategy from one of nuclear weapons denial to one of preventing their deployment — but not their production — would reflect a major policy departure. President Joe Biden has said repeatedly that the United States will “never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon” on his watch. Former President Trump insisted, “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” Former President Obama declared, “Iran will never be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon.”

In his testimony, Milley also warned, “Iran could produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks and it would only take several more months to produce an actual nuclear weapon.”

While the estimate of two weeks to produce fissile material echoes other recent statements by Department of Defense officials, Milley’s warning potentially reflects a newly reduced estimate of the time it would take Tehran to fashion a nuclear explosive device. The United States and Israel have typically estimated Iran would need at least a year to accomplish weaponization of nuclear material. Moreover, the U.S. intelligence community assessed in February that Iran had not resumed past nuclear weaponization work. However, the Institute for Science and International Security has estimated that due to Tehran’s past nuclear weapons work, it could explode a crude nuclear device within six months.

Tehran is too close to the nuclear threshold for mixed American messages. As of February, it had enough enriched uranium to produce weapons-grade uranium (WGU) for an estimated five nuclear weapons within three months and could make enough WGU for an additional two weapons soon after. Moreover, such a U.S. policy shift would be dangerous because the regime in Tehran may see it as a green light to move toward nuclear weapons production.

If U.S. policy remains unchanged, then the White House should explicitly correct Milley’s comments. The administration should make clear that the United States is prepared to use force should Tehran attempt to produce atomic bombs.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iran; milley; nuclear
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To: lasereye

Figured we’d have to throw Israel under the bus, since the rest of the world is pretty aligned against us, thanks to our wonderful Russia sanctions and our DEMANDS for Drag Queen parades in Africa.


21 posted on 03/24/2023 9:28:17 PM PDT by BobL
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To: lasereye

I think Israel is of a different opinion.


22 posted on 03/24/2023 9:31:10 PM PDT by beethovenfan (The REAL Great Reset will be when Jesus returns. )
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As long as Trump doesn’t have access, all is good


23 posted on 03/25/2023 12:46:43 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: facedown

It’s obamian coalition of Marxist Muslims seeking the death of America.

The spewn shit is purely obamian.


24 posted on 03/25/2023 2:02:45 AM PDT by himno hero (had'nff)
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Comment #25 Removed by Moderator

To: lasereye
download-8
26 posted on 03/25/2023 3:52:38 AM PDT by cuz1961 (USCGR Veteran )
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To: lasereye

Milley proposes. Israel disposes.


27 posted on 03/25/2023 4:14:16 AM PDT by Bookshelf
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To: lasereye

But not killer drones - riiight?


28 posted on 03/25/2023 4:14:57 AM PDT by trebb (So many fools - so little time...)
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To: lasereye

Iran with a nuclear bomb would be a threat to the World. This Administration is a peril because it won’t stand up to dictators.


29 posted on 03/25/2023 5:34:16 AM PDT by popdonnelly (All the enormous crimes in history have been committed by governments.)
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To: lasereye

Agree. God is sovereign. He knows everything and has his hand in everything.


30 posted on 03/25/2023 5:45:00 AM PDT by NeverTyranny
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To: lasereye
"Top General Suggests Administration Would Tolerate Iran Having Nuclear Weapons.

Well, it's only fair.... (spit)

31 posted on 03/25/2023 5:57:37 AM PDT by unread ("It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required." W. Churchill.)
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To: lasereye

The US is irrelevant when it comes to Iran and nuclear weapons.

Israel has seen to it that Iran does not have nuclear weapons. Israel has carefully and quite successfully destroyed the Iranian efforts by incremental actions for twenty years at least.


32 posted on 03/25/2023 6:01:19 AM PDT by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality day )
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To: lasereye

fast tracking to Armageddon


33 posted on 03/25/2023 6:08:27 AM PDT by SisterK (the final variant is communism)
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To: Gay State Conservative

I suspect that Netanyahu is smart enough to not tell anybody (especially Biden) that he is about to strike.


34 posted on 03/25/2023 6:13:15 AM PDT by shooter223 (the government should fear the citizens......not the other way around)
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To: lasereye

As long as Milley can hang out with transvestites he’s good with everything.


35 posted on 03/25/2023 6:15:19 AM PDT by Vision (Woke is communism and it has no place in America. Election Reform Now! Obama is an evildoer.)
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To: shooter223

Probably true...but that doesn’t necessarily means that The Big Guy wouldn’t find out.


36 posted on 03/25/2023 6:51:38 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Two Words: BANANA REPUBLIC!)
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To: lasereye

The 2 most significant sentences...

“In his testimony, Milley also warned, “Iran could produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks and it would only take several more months to produce an actual nuclear weapon.”

“As of February, it had enough enriched uranium to produce weapons-grade uranium (WGU) for an estimated five nuclear weapons within three months and could make enough WGU for an additional two weapons soon after. “


37 posted on 03/25/2023 7:01:14 AM PDT by nuconvert ( Warning: Accused of being a radical militarist. Approach with caution.)
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To: lasereye

Biden has secured new lucrative contracts with the mullahs via Jon Kerry’s secret agreements with Iran?


38 posted on 03/25/2023 7:41:42 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: lasereye

ANOTHER indication that Biden & group are treasonous, IMO.


39 posted on 03/25/2023 10:07:00 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: cuz1961

Who IS Benedict Biden???


40 posted on 03/25/2023 10:28:33 AM PDT by 2harddrive (https://rumble.com/vdptuf-best-election-fraud-video-ever-unmasked-have-we-uncovered-the-truth-about)
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