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Posted on 04/28/2005 3:12:25 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
The "Decision-Hour" for Iran is rapidly approaching.
The Financial Times announced yesterday in a front-page article that the Pentagon has notified Congress of the pending sale to Israel of 100 "bunker-buster" bombs that could be used to attack Iran's secret underground nuclear facilities, such as their uranium-enrichment farm at Natanz. Congress has only 30 days to object. If the liberal Democrats decide to pass on raising a fuss, Lockheed Martin will proceed to deliver the 5,000-pound GBU-28 bombs to the Israeli Defense Force, marking the first time Lockheed Martin has ever sold a "bunker-buster" to a foreign nation.
No matter how much Prime Minister Sharon objects that Israel has no current plans to attack Iran, the mullahs are sure to worry.
There is more evidence that the mullahs are panicking. Yesterday, Hossein Musavian, the director of the foreign policy committee of the Supreme National Security Council told the Mehr News Agency in Tehran that the Europeans must agree to allow Iran to resume enriching uranium at their next negotiating session scheduled for this Friday, April 29, in London. Otherwise, Iran is ready to declare that no progress is being made in the talks and they are ready to pull out. In other words, the mullahs are threatening to tell the world that it is their way or the highway.
Why such a tough negotiating stance? The mullahs know that their game is down to the final hours. The mullahs view their getting an atomic bomb as their ultimate life-insurance policy. With the bomb in hand, the mullahs see themselves as being instantly in control, able to dictate their terms to the world.
In writing "Atomic Iran," I discussed key intelligence information that had been passed to the United States in a secret meeting held in Rome in 2003. Iranian operatives disclosed a Five Pillars Policy that Ayatollah Khamenei had determined to direct Iran's nuclear weapons efforts. The five pillars were these:
Rule Iran with an iron fist.
Buy time.
Do everything possible to destabilize the United States in Iraq.
Develop nuclear weapons in Iran.
With nuclear weapons in hand, Iran will assert its power and will upon the world.
Right now we are seeing the mullahs play this policy out to its conclusion. No one reading "Atomic Iran" should be surprised by the events unfolding in front of us.
Iran is playing the world for a fool, promising to use nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes only, while secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told President Bush and Vice President Cheney in Crawford, Texas, last week that this June – only a few weeks from now – Iran would reach the "point of no return," the points where the mullahs have within their hands everything they need to make an atomic bomb. Sharon shared the Israeli intelligence satellite photos that proved his point.
We are headed down the path of confrontation and war. If the mullahs proceed headlong in their rush to get a bomb, President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon will soon be called on their bluff. Let's all hope the president and prime minister mean it when they say the mullahs will never be permitted to have an atomic bomb.
Yet, I still pray there will be no war. I believe internal dissent within Iran can rise up, as it did in Lebanon, to demonstrate that the regime is widely unpopular and has to go. On June 17, the date of Iran's next presidential election, civil disobedience is being planned in Iran.
My plea is that it is time to show the mullahs the door peacefully – through principles of non-violent resistance. This is why I have announced the 3-week Iran Freedom Walk that I plan to take from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., beginning on May 16.
If we can raise sufficient funds, we will broadcast the walk day-by-day over the opposition satellite radio and TV transmissions into Iran. We are already receiving cell-phone calls and e-mails of support from within Iran. With any luck, some 40 million Iranians may be able to follow the Iran Freedom Walk, seeing that there are Americans who do care about their freedom and are willing to make a strong statement to express our solidarity with their suffering.
When evil is appeased.
http://www.iranfreedomfoundation.org/default.php?page_id=69
FREEDOM FOR IRANIAN PEOPLE NOW
Gosh, why would Israel want to buy 100 bunker-busting guided bombs?
And why now? I was told the latest we, or they, could act was March.
Why would that be? We haven't even been to the Security Council yet...
Some one should stop the mad Mullahs of Iran quick
These bombs are all conventional warheads. Presumably Israel doesn't need our help in taking out Iran's deeper facilities that are 200 - 300 meters below the surface; i.e., Israel has the multi-megaton hydrogen bombs that'll do that job.
Go get 'em, Mr. Sharon! You'll only hear cheering from this corner.
Which Dems will scream?
Possibly because Congress is building a new visitors center and office complex UNDERground..?....(G)
Kennedy's? Carter? Kerry?
Why make the Mullahs wait months for nuclear weapons, when we could deliver some to them in 20 minutes?
Frankly, I wonder if selling the missiles with just enough range to make Paris or Moscow wouldn't be more poetic?
Mikulski, Murray, and Stabenow..
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So their inventory would make 600?
Thanks for ping.
This is going to be a rather interesting operation if it really comes down to Israel delivering conventional ordanance unto some Iranian facilities. What comes to mind immediately is the only viable route for the IAF to take would be to leave with their F16 Fighter bombers, and escort F15's from the Gulf of Aqaba, go all the way south and then east below Saudi Arabia and up the Persian Gulf, in which they would not violate either Saudi or Jordanian airspace. However, that is impossible without strung out flight refueling. And I don't know if the IAF currently has a fleet of KC 100 or other type tankers or otherwise, e.g. C130's?
The only alternative is to seek permission to fly over Jordanian or Saudi airspace, which then would implicate these countries in the plot. Or fly over Jordan into Iraq with our permission, then onward across Iraq to designated targets. In any of these later scenarios, again inflight fueling is a neccessity. A F16 with all it's hard points attached with GBU 28 bombs perhaps centerline fuel tanks etc., cannot make the trip both ways. It is that simple.
As an example. Lets say they left from Ramet David F15 airbase located above Jerusalem, flew a direct route to some of the facilities located just east of the mountain ranges about a 100 miles south of Tehran. One is looking at over 2400 nm round trip. Far exceeding the capabilities of a F16 carrying no payload, and a centerline tank.
So I take these reports with a little reservation. I would think it is a bluff, to shock those in Iran that want to get rid of the Mullah ran government, to start acting more aggresively, and or we are giving the IAF the capabilities of wrecking hovac on Syria should Syria ever try again to play games with Israel.
As for possible arguments that the IAF was able to take out the Osiris nuclear facilities east of Salmon Pak back in the 80's, remember that was a one shot deal and gamble, and the IAF violated both Jordan and Saudi airspace and got away with it. This time around it would be a far different proposition to assume they can just fly where they want and get away with it. Though I guess if all that has been said about how the Saudi's truley distrust and dislike the Iranians for a number of reasons, is true........who knows, perhaps their AWACS would all look the other way.
Folks, please do step in and correct what I wrote if I write in error regarding the distances involved and routes.
I think the IAF has refuelable F-15's.
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