Iran Could Expedite Nuclear Bomb, U.S. Says

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON--American intelligence agencies have concluded in recent months that Iran has created enough nuclear fuel to make a rapid, if risky, sprint for a nuclear weapon. But new intelligence reports delivered to the White House say that the country has deliberately stopped short of the critical last steps to make a bomb.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[anthead]

I call B.S.

[skaprt]

It's a frightening sight to see..
A gun in the hands of a chimpanzee­..
While sane men run to hide, the
chimps little brothers shout with glee..

[SonnyBono]

And buried in the Chicken Little story is the statement that US intelligence states that the Iranians stopped planning on developing a warhead SIX YEARS ago and there is no clear evidence that they have restarted - other than the usual claims by the usual suspects - Israeli intelligence. So the actual conclusion would appear to be that the Iranians COULD expedite a bomb and that pigs could fly if they had wings.

I, for one, would support another witch hunt and resulting war AFTER we get the real enemies of the United States and its laws - George Bush and Dick Cheney and their gang - until that happens, leave the Iranians alone - look at how well we have done, meddling in the affairs of the Iraqis.

[Khirad]

Forgive me if I yawn at yet another nuclear weapons story regarding Iran and our hypocritical moralizing.

Fun with Farsi and nuclear rights: http://tehranbureau.com/nuclear/

[alysheba 3]

Seems like Israel still wants the US to start a war with Iran for them.

[Academic]

Yeah! And the US will lift its sanctions on Cuba tomorrow and pay the Cubans massive amounts of compensation for the damage they've wilfully done to that country and its people these past SIX decades.

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[Freenation]

another interesting story, seems like pro.pagand­a wagon is in full gear:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/dreyfuss/470757/robert_morgenthau_s_black_propaganda

[TheRapture]

and Canada COULD attack us with a WMD. What's his point without any concrete evidence?

Haven't we learned from Iraq?

[Blackorpheus]

It is inevitable that sooner or later Iran will attain full nuclear capability even with international sanctions and even with an Israeli attack. And why not? Among its geographical neighbors, its enemy Israel has long had "the bomb"--aided and abetted illegally by "first world" powers. Iran's sometime adversary India has the bomb. Iran's volatile kinsman-country Pakistan has the bomb.

Most of the first-world powers have the bomb, and one country which tends to view itself as the world's conscience actually exploded the bomb not once but twice with devastating consequences in Hiroshima then Nagasaki.

It is not the material possession of the bomb but consciousness that needs to be addressed diplomatically, consistently, with peace always in mind. Our benighted globe is simply incapable of doing that.

[Wisdo]

The Non proliferation treaty requires those members who already have Nukes to give them up. This was decades ago. Since then None of the nuke countries have given them up. Why do they expect the non nuclear members to stick to the treaty if they wont?

Nukes prevented war between America and Russia, and continue to prevent war between pakistan and india. Couldnt nukes prevent war between Israel and its Neighbours? As the only nuclear state in the region, Israel can attack its neighbours with impunity, and regularly does so.

[arvay]

"As the only nuclear state in the region, Israel can attack its neighbours with impunity, and regularly does so.'

This is why Netanyahu is so desperate to stop Iran from achieving "breakout" capability. Israel is incapable of stopping Hamas and Hizbollah without suffering unacceptable casualties, and can't use its nukes on them. And if Iran goes nuclear, it can't threaten them to make them stop supplying weapons to the insurgents. One or two nukes on Israel is endgame.

The US will now pursue sanctions, already nixed by Russia and China. Israel's only option now is an attack on Iran, which will trigger a catastrophe.

[groosemoose]

Netanyahu is panicking. He doesn't have his puppet Bush in the White House anymore. It'll be interesting (in the ancient, Chinese curse sense of the word) to see where this goes.

I can only hope they don't succeed in dragging us in, but considering the religious fervor of the neocons and the influence of AIPAC...

[Liberterna]

Aye, i hope America has wizened up.

[arvay]

Added to this good news is the fact that Russia is apparently working again to back Syria and Iran -- Netenyahu's panicked secret mission to Russia the other day speaks volumes.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1113570.html

There are also reports in the Israeli press that Syria has other nuclear sites.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251804538946&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Plus, Russia and China have firmly squelched US-Israeli demands for stronger sanctions.

Meanwhile, the latest Iranian proposals FINALLY seek to put the issue of Israeli nukes on the table. The US, of course, rejected the idea out of hand, but the issue will arise before the rest of the world at high volume -- the US has lost the ability to shape world opinion and many in the EU will respond to the issue.

The israelis are openly rattling their long-range F-16s again, but sor sure Iran will be able to protect its fissile "breakout" materiel by hiding it and other facilities in its vast territory.

If they do launch an attack, all it will accomplish will be a catastrophe Russia will be happy as oil prices go through the roof and China will be furious. the Ameicans also may not be too happy with $50/gallon gasoline.

[S1m0n]

Given the regularly issued threats from Israel and the United States, the fact that the United States is occupying nations on Iran's eastern and western borders (one in an unprovoked war of aggression), and finally given the fact that in the next two or three decades oil is likely to become a more and more scarce commodity, it is not difficult to see why Iran would be feeling vulnerable and in need of some GI repellant. If I was Iran, I'd do the same, as would you.

And stopping at threshhold capacity while maintaining a studied ambiguity about the 'do they or don't they' question is likely to be the most rsponsible position. They get the defensive benefit of nuclear weapons (the bomb is, after all, the defensive weapon par excellence; no nation with one can lose a defensive war) without incurring the risk that having actual nuclear weapons on hand would entail. I like it.

[S1m0n]

It's going to be a while before the US gets its credibility back on proliferation scares.

[Macready]

suspect most of this is AIPAC israeli and neo con propaganda . . . to start another war . . . so that israrel does not have to freeze settlement building, etc

I want to see israel sign up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and declare it's nuclear arsenal . . .

Iran has been open about its nuclear plans and has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and quite frankly with israel for a neighbour I would want to protect myself from their sabre rattling . . . the problem in not Iran . . it is israel

[Liberterna]

so you're saying all the millions of our money that Israel spends on PR programs to brain wash us hasn't worked?

Yikes they need to double their advertising budget.