Posted on 02/05/2006 3:44:16 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
Israeli leader Ehud Olmert voiced confidence today Iran would pay "a very heavy price" by resuming full-scale uranium enrichment after being reported to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.
Mr Olmert, in broadcast remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, said Israel had played an important role in what he described as an intensive and stormy diplomatic effort leading to Iran's referral to the UN body.
"At the end of the day, it shows that Iran will pay a very heavy price if it continues with its plans to try and enrich its fuel in order to be able to use it as an option to make non-conventional weapons," the interim prime minister said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted on Saturday to report Iran to the Security Council. But the top UN body will take no action, including possibly imposing sanctions, until an IAEA report on Iran is delivered in March.
Iran said in response it had ended voluntary implementation of a protocol allowing snap UN inspections of its nuclear sites and halted its suspension of uranium enrichment.
Iran, the world's fourth biggest oil producer, says it needs nuclear power for electricity, not for weapons.
Israel has been calling for months for Iran to be referred to the Security Council, saying the Islamic Republic was close to obtaining the technological know-how to build an atomic bomb.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel's destruction.
Widely believed to have more than 200 atomic bombs, Israel maintains a policy of "strategic ambiguity" on the issue, neither confirming nor denying it is a nuclear power.
Translation:
"It's Clobbering Time."
Game on.
...but that's okay, the US state department is already sending them money for the bill...
The Iranians may be the first to know whether Israel has the bomb or not.
It occurs to me that with an election fast approaching, Olmert might be preparing to do just that. This guy has been in Sharon's shadow for a long time and has no military credentials to speak of--in short, he may have to prove to the Israeli public that he is no wimp. What better way to prove you have a set of brass ones than by taking out Iran's nuclear capability? If it succeeds, he'll be a legend. If it fails, he may have nothing to lose anyway (except the lives of the pilots, of course).
A heavy price? You're not kidding. In messing with the big boys, Iran might just get itself nuked. How about that?
If? Is anybody still in that denial-land? Of course they are going to continue.
Are you saying that our government is doing something to "prop up" the Iraninans in some way???
Rather than fly a plane over and drop a bomb, the best strategy might be to smuggle in a dirty bomb and detonate it near one of their uranium enrichment facilities. Then claim Iran must have screwed up and had an "accident".
"Defy this, 'Allah'"!
BOOM!
bttt
Well, there's always North Korea and China. Both of these crapholes would have been fried if MacArthur had his way.
Hindsight being 20/20, we should have popped Russia right after WW2, and executed Mao and his ilk after we ran the Japs out of China.
A submarine launched cruise missile would have the same effect.
"Funny that Reuters calls the Israeli Prime Minister "leader' but the Iranian is referred to as "president". An old trick, calling the elected representative of a country you hate a "strongman", "leader", or somesuch. Your bias is showing, Reuters!"
A bit of a long bow you draw there. The Iranian is that country's president but not necessarily the leader (given the status of the clerics in Iran). The Israeli is the defacto leader of the government (but not the head of state I might add). He is at best acting PM. Reuters have actually produced pretty good copy in this instance.
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