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.
Strategypage said this morning that it appears that Russia and China may have sold them components, thus saving them the effort of developing their own.
This will create some real problems in the ME. Israel and to a much lessor extent Saudi Arabia are scr*wed. Everyone will have to arm up to keep up and result will be a greatly destabilized are far more dangerous environment for everyone.
This is a major, major failure for the UN and globalists. (Ironically, however, the they and the MSM will try to blame Bush). No one is exactly sure where a world of loose nukes in the hands of smaller governments and semi-dictators will lead.
President Bush could wake-up tomorrow morning and order a massive strike and invasion against Iran, and nobody could do anything about it. That's the way our system is structured.
Let me guess...nuclear war eventually.
Waiting for later will just bring more death and mayhem. Do it now.
Santayana
1979... Isn't 27 years forbearance enough?
When inferior cultures delude themselves into arrogance, it's time to remind them of their true status.
Twenty seven years of impunity emboldened them far beyond what rational people would succumb to.
Well, there's "military action" and there's MILITARY ACTION. I guarentee that the US could muster a sufficient "military action" to halt the Iranian nuke program in about 16 minutes, if it had the will.
I don't know, sounds to me like this think-tank is trying to make the case that military action should be completely off the table, the only way to deal with Iran now is to give them goodies and talk nice.
First, the storyline is "Iran is probably a decade or more away from getting nukes" and so we should be more diplomatic and play nice.
Then when that fails, say that "I'ts impossible to stop Iran from getting nukes" so we have to be more diplomatic and play nice.
Of course they'll never report a think-tank that says "we should do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from getting nukes" unless the story refutes the argument. I'm so sick of '60's/00's hippies.
"It is all but impossible to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons"
Wanna bet
There, all fixed :-)
The Russians gave it to them and the Chinese are backing this. It's their way of balancing power against the US. If the Iranians threaten either, they'll flatten 'em in a single breath.
It is all but impossible to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons
impossible ? Only if we wimp out and do nothing.
go for the throat and don't sweat the explanations.
"how much of our military tech has israel shared with china?
Iran is spelled c-h-i-n-a now?
What's your problem?"
I will give you a free clue - see if you can get it. My concern (which you have a problem with) is contained in the question i posted. It has something to do with israel repeating sharing or trying to sell military tech to china, a communist country in eastern asia. Are you a supporter of israeli transfers of military tech to china, even if that military tech may have originally come from the US? If so, I can see how you would have a problem with my post. Also try reading the post i responded to, if you are confused on the nature of my comment.
Your spelling questions and problem questions are really juvenille, grow up and learn to ask questions in something resembling an adult fashion.
. Does Pakistan qualify or are they Bronze Age?
L
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