Posted on 10/19/2012 12:52:42 PM PDT by drewh
President Barack Obama this week clued Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in on the latest US intelligence input confirming that Iran will have enough enriched uranium for 4-6 bombs by March 2013, said reports from Washington and intelligence sources.
His update, which took place in the framework of quiet US-Israeli intelligence-sharing on the state of Iran’s nuclear program, was Obama’s first acknowledgment that sanctions and diplomatic pressure are not having any effect on that program.
It is now clear to his administration that Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will press on toward a nuclear weapon capacity at any price - even if faced with a military threat. No pause is to be expected in Iran’s drive to accumulate enough enriched uranium to fuel a nuclear bomb arsenal, while advancing at the same time along a second track toward a plutonium bomb.
This updated US intelligence included three more data points: 1. Most of the enriched uranium for the 4-6 nuclear bombs is scattered in 20-percent grade form among different caches. When vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan revealed Iran’s possession of enough fissile material for five nuclear bombs during his debate with VP Joe Biden on Oct. 10, Biden waved the revelation away with contempt. It is now confirmed by his boss, the president. 2. After completing the transfer of advanced centrifuges to the fortified underground site at Fordo, Iran is now ready to expand uranium enrichment at Natanz by doubling the number of centrifuges working there to 6,000. The new annex to house them, on which building began in March 2011, is almost finished.
3. The technological infrastructure for the rapid conversion of 20-percent enriched uranium to the 90-percent weapons grade is now in place. It is estimated in Washington that no more than two to three weeks will elapse between a Khamenei order for the conversion to begin, to the production of enough weapons-grade material for Iran to build its first nuclear bombs. The US intelligence experts keeping track of Iran’s program are sure they will know when that order is given.
Notwithstanding all the facts and figures from his own intelligence experts on the imminence of a nuclear Iran, President Obama is still leaning hard on Netanyahu to hold off a preemptive strike until after the Nov. 6 presidential election. He promises that, shortly after the vote, if he is reelected, he will put before Tehran the endgame document prepared by a White House team in the form of an ultimatum with a deadline for response. But Obama is still not saying how he will respond to an Iranian rejection of the document’s main points, or whether he will again agree to return to the negotiating table while Iran is allowed to forge ahead on its bomb program. This had been the standard diplomatic format under his watch.
Washington sources disclose that a large group of former high-placed US diplomats, ex-officials and elder statesmen – Democrats and Republicans alike - has come forward to warn the Israeli prime minister to give up any expectation, ever, of Barack Obama’s cooperation on the Iranian nuclear issue. These former top Washingtonians all harbor strong reservations about the president’s foreign policy, especially on Iran. Some have called Netanyahu in person and warned him that the White House instituted an intelligence-sharing dialogue with Israel only as a device for delaying an Israeli attack on Iran.
If reelected, they say, he will weasel out of his repeated pledges to prevent Iran attaining a nuclear weapon and certainly not countenance preventive military action by Israel. This is no secret to Tehran. Counting on Obama maintaining this posture and Israel’s compliance, the Iranians are certain they can go full speed ahead toward their nuclear goal without fear of interference. Our sources also disclose that three questions on Iran will be put to the president and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in their third and last debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Monday, Oct. 22.
Headline should read:
Obama confirms Paul Ryan statement .
Apologizes for Bidens ridicule of same....
Ryan pointed this out during their debate, and Joey Plugs laughed at it.....
Looks like all bets are off after the election.
The conversation must have gone like this:
“Bibi, they’ve got enough uranium for about a half-dozen bombs.
But, not to worry.”
Surgical strike Oct. surprise coming up in 3...2...1...
Lets quit the BS and admit that they will have many nukes and the ability to deliver them. It’s amazing that Russia and China just doesn’t get it and will let it happen. I think that their belief is if Israel and America fails they will rule the world. Wrong, their collective asses will find they eventually will be crushed by Islam as well.
Wait. Wasn't it just last week that Idiot Joe Biden said that Iran wasn't a threat because they had nothing to put the fissile material in?
And didn't Hussein also say in the last debate that sanctions were working?
The clown that lives at Number One Observatory Circle must be having a great belly laugh.
Has Biden ever heard of a dirty bomb?
Hasn’t Romney been getting intelligence briefs for the last month or so. I bet Paul Ryan was referring to one of those intelligence briefs in the debate, which Joe had not been made aware of yet. Perhaps if Joe and Obama attended more than 50 percent of their intelligence briefs, this information wouldn’t be coming out 2 weeks later.
Once you have the fissle material you can buy the components for a the rest of the weapon at most hardware stores.
All you need is the knowldedge, which is available on the internet.
Biden’s statement, “They don’t have a weapon to put it in.” was arrogantly ignorant. The weapon or vehicle used to start the nuclear reaction (explosion) is the easy part compared to getting the uranium properly enriched.
Iran doesn’t need a missle that can go from Tehran to Tel Aviv. A suitcase, pick-up truck, Box truck, fishing boat, short range rocket or a catapult would work just fine for what Iran has in mind.
When will these people learn? When Tel Aviv is a smoking crater?.......................
Yeah, but Biden assures us with absolute certainly that they don’t have a bomb to put the material in and won’t be able to build one for 3-10 years. Of course that’s exactly what they were saying about North Korea rught up until they set one off.
Sorry, but this has to be crapola.
There was no "clue" imparted here, Netahyahu already knew it, I'd bet.
Good point. Who needs a big shiny bomb when it’s the radiation dispersal that counts.
Nothing to fear here. 0’ is here!
0’ is arranging a truce, so Iran will promise not to nuke Israel. So, Israel is safe...
... during the two weeks duration of this truce prior to the election
” - - - after the Nov. 6 presidential election. He promises that, shortly after the vote, if he is reelected, he will put before Tehran the endgame document prepared by a White House team in the form of an ultimatum with a deadline for response. But Obama is still not saying how he will respond to an Iranian rejection of the document’s main points - - - “
Who are the members of this “White House team?”
Is Obama still trying to give us his impression of what Comedian Flip Wilson would say and do if Flip Wilson was pOTUS?
Barack Obama sat by and did not help at all those who would topple the madman of Iran. The people of Iran do not support that their president. The U.S. president seems to support him more.
This administration is stuck in stupid. WOW! With every passing day, another detail given here and there by Romney and Ryan is proven to be so true...but denied as even a possibility during the debates. What a lot of horse pucky!
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