Posted on 05/24/2006 7:29:06 PM PDT by blam
Iranian nuclear weapons 'inevitable'
By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor
(Filed: 25/05/2006)
It is all but impossible to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, a leading British think-tank said yesterday, as the world's powers struggled to find a common strategy to face the threat.
Senior officials from the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China closeted themselves at a secret location in London to negotiate a package of "incentives" for Iran to halt its nuclear programme.
But the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) suggested that neither diplomacy nor military action to destroy the nuclear facilities was likely to succeed.
"There is a consensus emerging that an Iranian nuclear capability is both inevitable, and certainly bad," said the IISS director, John Chipman, presenting an assessment of the international military balance.
He said America's Arab allies in the Gulf feel "the only thing worse than a nuclear-armed Iran is a US military strike against the country, especially if it were still left with a nuclear option".
Bombing Iran might provoke retaliation against coalition forces in Iraq, attacks by Hizbollah on Israel and attempts to choke the flow of oil through the Gulf.
Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, said officials were discussing incentives designed to persuade Iran to halt enrichment. This is believed to include the offer of a European-built light water nuclear power reactor.
The US has pushed for economic and political sanctions to be included among the punishments. The IISS said the package is unlikely to sway Iran as it rejected a similar deal last autumn. Teheran has repeatedly ruled out any deal that stops it from enriching uranium.
Iranian Nuclear Destruction 'Inevitable'
The left in this country has made it all but impossible for Bush to take appropriate action.
Just keep on developing and perfecting our missile defenses, share them with Israel, England and a few "New" Europe nations...and let the rest of Europe worrying about Iran's missiles and nukes.
They'll regret this coming showdown, like Saddam must in his rare sane moments.
No stone age country has made the nuclear club yet. Send the filthy vermin back to the stone age before it's too late.
Were I the Iranians I'd accept the bribe and keep right on developing. That's what North Korea did with a similar bribe from Clinton.
I wonder how many Special Forces are in Iran right now... hmmm...
On the other hand, the San Joaquin Institute for Strategic Studies asserts that punitive massive and decisive military action is almost guaranteed to get their attention, and to turn off the posturing...
Having to refocus energy and wealth to rebuild their infrastructure is likely to set back the desire to have nuclear weapons at least a decade...
You're forgetting Pakistan, methinks; they are not our friends...
yes -time to let someone else ride point this time- time for them to step up to the plate
;o)
I mean...nuke them back to the stone age.
how much of our military tech has israel shared with china?
What's "civilized" about slow bleeding and eventual suicide?
As someone asked not too long ago, what's the point in being the preeminent world military power if the mere high level of that power disables it?
""No stone age country has made the nuclear club yet""
North Korea
This would be so patently futile I almost don't believe it happened.
Iran is spelled c-h-i-n-a now?
What's your problem?
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