It took the best of international detective work against a determined master of the dark arts and subversion, but at long last the UN's intrepid nuclear inspectors caught Iran red-handed in the act of atomic bomb construction. In an unusually harsh, unprecedented November 18, 2011 assessment, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) most recent report constitutes a clear and relatively convincing indictment of Iran's so-called peaceful nuclear program.
IAEA investigators revealed irrefutable evidence that Iran:
And that's not all.
The IAEA report revealed how Iran enlisted the services of a former Soviet nuclear scientist to enable it to deploy its enriched uranium onto an actual missile warhead.
Iran is undeniably a state sponsor of the big lie. If these are IAEA approved elements of a NPT-compliant "peaceful" nuclear program, well, then, I have a bridge over the East River for sale.
Taking its orders from Tehran, Iran's diehard legions of apologists wasted no time refuting the IAEA and its findings by attempting to shoot the messenger (i.e., the IAEA) -- a favorite tactic of Iran's amen choir. Others resorted to the age old bromide excusing Iran's illicit nuclear program on the grounds that Israel and the U.S. have nuclear weapons.
The atomic ayatollahs are about to reach the end of the road in their showdown with the west. This moment of reckoning has come far more quickly than anyone had contemplated.
What now to do?
"The toughest sanctions on Iran ever" (President Obama's words) had one goal: namely, to force Iran to end its illegal nuclear program. Even by its own admission, sanctions have stung, but have not deterred Tehran. In other words, existing economic sanctions have failed.
So while the Obama administration deserves high marks for constructing an innovative and biting sanctions regime, the easy part is over. The president is not doing himself any service by patting himself on the back for the sanctions the U.S. has inflicted on Iran. It has the air of the old adage "but for the patient dying, the operation was a complete success!"
And as the clock ticks to midnight, the administration has developed a bad case of cold feet, contesting congressional calls to impose financial sanctions on Iran's central bank, which would have the effect of preventing Iran from receiving income from its principal oil customers; namely India and South Korea.
Its cause for hesitation: the White House is concerned that the consequence of this sanction would cause the price of oil to escalate in an election year because Iran -- the world's third largest oil exporter -- would be unable to receive payment for its oil, and would cut its exports inducing global prices to spike. It is not an unreasonable concern given the pain Americans already feel at the pump.
But when the Secretary of Defense bares his understandable hesitations against the use of military force, which he did last Friday -- no matter how meritorious they are -- it only undermines the signals his administration is broadcasting. Sometimes one wonders whether the left hand and right are working at cross purposes. If all options are on the table, why is the Secretary of Defense throwing ice water on the option in public?
Its not hard to see that President Obama's Iran policy has been focused on kicking the Iran nuclear can down the street as long as possible, hoping that a miracle in its diplomacy would rescue it from facing the tough choices it itself asserts are necessary.
But between unfair Republican bellicosity, accusing Obama of "appeasement" and the IAEA's findings, the White House is being backed into a corner without a coherent strategy going forward despite its protests that Iran with a bomb is a direct national security threat to the United States.
So, is there anything more that can be done to turn back Iran's drop dead hour before a mushroom cloud erupts over an Iranian desert testing ground?
Covert Sabotage
More robust and coordinated covert action by western and Arab nations against Iran's nuclear facilities must become an urgent priority. Mysterious computer viruses such as the Stuxnet worm, undeniably set back Iran's spinning uranium enrichment centrifuges. But their success was short lived. Assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists may have created a climate of fear, but also have not prevented Iran from moving more quickly to its finish line.
Last week's "accidental" explosion which destroyed one of Iran's largest solid-fuel missile construction bases was a gift that may keep on giving. It not only killed a key Revolutionary Guard commander in charge of missile solid fuel rocket development, the explosion also compels Iran to rely more on liquid fuel missiles that are easier to detect on the ground via satellite surveillance.
The escalating use of stealth drones conducting surveillance above Iran is an indication that the administration is not reluctant to push the covert envelope. The question is what to do with the treasure trove of data the drone surveillance program yielded?
Accidents do happen. Bigger "accidents" are needed. Rather than relying further on economic sanctions, we need a more effective "accidents regime" that may do what economic sanctions have failed to do. Of course, Iran has demonstrated a huge tolerance for international isolation and economic pain. There is no assurance that escalating covert action will achieve a better outcome than economic sanctions... but its worth the risk given the stakes involved.
There are targets aplenty throughout Iran, including remote pipelines, ships bound for Iran supplying oil distillates, banking computer networks, and aviation facilities. And the regime has a lot of enemies, including many of its own citizens to do the dirty work. No return U.S. address needed.
Shipping Embargoes
Draconian as it sounds, a quarantine of international shipping to Iran should be on the table. Although an overt embargo is an act of war, a market-driven embargo on Iran's ports by shipping companies worried about escalating insurance costs may do the trick. How? Denying shipping companies that trade with Iran access to U.S. and allied financial institutions and reinsurers could do what a more risky front line naval embargo would do.
Additionally, as ironic as it may sound, the world's third largest oil exporter has to import refined gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. A concerted U.S. and European financial and insurance embargo on companies that export refined petroleum products to Iran should be implemented.
A More Effective Persian Gulf Trade Embargo
As much as Sunni Arab states detest Shiite Iran's regional aspirations, a continuing supply of trade and consumer goods ply the waters between Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Privately, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have imposed some restrictions on cross-Gulf trade, but not enough given what could be smuggled under the camouflage of commercial goods.
In the final analysis there are no magic bullets given Russia's and China's refusal to really turn the financial screws on Iran that could bring the Ayatollahs to their knees. But there is a lot more pain that can be inflicted on Tehran without resort to overt military attack. It's time to take off the gloves and put on the black camouflage fatigues.
Actually, this story was debunked at least 24 hours before the report was released. it turned out that the alledged nuclear scientist was not a nuclear scientist at all, but an expert in teh production of nano diamonds. The scienitis was also invited to give presentations on his research in the US in January.
There is nothign illegal about Iran's nuclear program. As a signatory to the NPT, Iran is fully entitled to enrich uranium for civlian purposes. and the 2007 and 2011 NIE confirm that this is all Iran has been doing.
>> Created computer models of nuclear explosions
There is absolutely no evidence provided in the report that suports this claim. The report alludes to computer models, but does not specify what those simulations were, let alone produce any evidence of them
>> Conducted experiments on nuclear bomb triggers
False again. The IAEA report does not produce any evience that Iran conducted experiments on nuclear bomb triggers. It states that claims made by member states (ie. the US and Israel) make these claims, but the initial story about nuclear bomb trigges were themselves based on forged documents
>>Engaged in research on how to transform enriched uranium into an actual warhead.
False again. There is no such evidence presented in the report. These claims are based on a stolen laptop that has never been forensically examined. In fact, all 16 US intelligence agencies have looked at all the so called evidence and concluded that they are not credible claims.
So has Robert Kelly, former IAEA Secretary, who has seen all this so called evidence. If any pof these claims were legtimate, they would not merely have appeared in the appendix of the report, but would have been included in the body of the actual Safegurds Report.
You are clearly out of your depth on this topicm, so perhaps you shodl go back to playing with your toy trains.
The IAEA does now have the laptop, it's in the hands of the CIA and Sy Hersh, among others, have reported that the authenticity of the laptop and it's contents is unverified and highly suspect within the US intelligence community.
There is little question that the nuclear crisis is a crisis of convenience. Aside from that, since US and Israel are nuclear weapon states that constantly threaten Iran, unless they are willing to offer Iran security guarantees, they are not in a position to complain.
Former IAEA Inspector: Misleading Iran Report Proves Nothing
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7594
The real enemy who is destroying this country are certainly not the Iranians.
The economic ills hurting the US are due to the GOP led diversion of money from the middle class to the richest Americans. To blame this on Israel is to engage in a form of intellectual dishonesty.
The economic ills of the US are due in a large part to efforts and actions taken on behalf of Israel.
SEE: "West Bank rabbi: Jews can kill Gentiles who threaten Israel" ~ Haaretz Service, 11/09/09
Book by Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro of Yitzhar permits even the murder of babies and children who pose threat.
LINK - http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/news/west-bank-rabbi-jews-can-kill-gentiles-who-threaten-israel-1.4496
Can you 'splain what you sayin' Ricky.
This is not about nukes it is about Iran helping Lebanon and Palestine to themselves..
but not his.
The reasons for using the two nukes far outweighed any reason for not using them.
Iran has not started an aggressive war in hundreds of years and the only risk of Iran getting a nuke I can see is that they will have more power in the Middle East. To me that isn't a direct national security threat to the United States. I'd also point out the dangers of draconian sanctions as they can result in the death of millions of innocents as in the case of Iraq in the 90s.
On the contrary, with the exception of the US sponsored puppet dictators, the majority of the Arab world suports Iran's nuclear program and even believes that a nuclear armed Iran would be good for the region.
But don't let that get in the way of your love-fest of Wahabist Saudi Arabia.
The fact is W wanted to get Saddam Hussein out of a desire to get the man who had ordered the death of his father. W was also good friends with the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, another nation with a good reason for wanting regime change in Iraq.
Anyone who marked the posting by sky as a favorite is as racist and anti-Semitic as sky.
Seymour Hersh wrote in the New Yorker five years ago that Israeli and US special forces were all ready on the ground in Iran. The war against Iran started long ago. And if Israel has its way they will drag us into a military confrontation with Iran.
Best website about Iran
http://www.raceforiran.com/
Not a 90% US force but a third world, second level attack.