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Via AP
In this April 8, 2008 file photo provided by the Iranian President's Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center, visits the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility some 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran.
Iran is poised to double its output of higher-enriched uranium at its fortified underground facility, the U.N. nuclear agency said Friday — a development that puts Tehran within months of being able to make the core of a nuclear warhead.
The finding also calls into question a tentative new U.S. plan meant to induce Tehran to compromise on its nuclear program by offering a rollback of crippling new anti-Iran sanctions if Tehran cuts back on enriching uranium to 20 percent.
In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was ready within days to ramp up its production of 20 percent enriched uranium at its plant at Fordo using 700 more centrifuges.
That would double Iran's present output and cut in half the time it would take to acquire enough of the substance needed to make a nuclear weapon, reducing it to just over three months.
Iran says it has no interest in making nuclear arms, just nuclear power for its citizens, but the United States and other nations believe otherwise. Iran has refused to give up enrichment despite international sanctions and offers of reactor fuel from abroad and for years has stalemated an IAEA probe of suspicions that it worked secretly on developing such arms.
The report urged Iran to stop stalling the IAEA probe, declaring that unless it starts to cooperate the IAEA cannot "exclude the existence of possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program."
The report also clashed with comments by Israeli officials suggesting that Iran has slowed the timetable for reaching the ability to make nuclear weapons. The discrepancy is important because the earlier Israeli comments implied that Israel would have more time before deciding whether to hit Iranian facilities in an attempt to slow Tehran's perceived efforts to make nuclear weapons.
The IAEA report, which was circulated among the IAEA's 35 board member states, was obtained by The Associated Press. It said between the last IAEA board report in August and now, Iran had put nearly 700 centrifuges that were installed but not ready to operate at Fordo under a vacuum to make sure they are airtight.
That is the last step before uranium gas is fed into the centrifuges and the process or enrichment begins — an activity that can produce both reactor fuel or at high levels the fissile interior of a nuclear weapon. It takes only a few days to start enrichment with machines that are under vacuum.
The centrifuges, "having been subjected to vacuum testing, were ready for feeding" with uranium gas, the report said.
About 700 other centrifuges have already been producing 20 percent uranium at Fordo since early this year. Another 1,400 or so have been installed but are not yet believed operational — bringing the total to about 2,800 in all.
While experts agree that the Islamic Republic could assemble enough weapons-grade uranium to arm a nuclear weapon relatively quickly, they point out that this is only one of a series of steps need to create a working weapon. They say that Tehran is believed to be years away from mastering the technology to manufacture a fully operational warhead.
Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Iran has "essentially delayed their arrival at the red line by eight months." That jibes with the timeframe laid out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September, when he spoke at the U.N. General Assembly. There, Netanyahu said the world has until next summer at the latest to stop Iran before it can build a nuclear bomb.
Iran has a far larger enrichment plant at Natanz, in central Iran, which churns out uranium enriched below 4 percent. But the 20 percent material being produced at Fordo is of greater concern to the international community because it can be turned into weapons-grade uranium of 90 percent purity much more simply and quickly — and because the facility, near the holy city of Qom, is well protected against attack.
Some 140 kilograms — about 300 pounds — of weapons-grade uranium is needed for at least one warhead.
Olli Heinonen, who headed the IAEA's Iran probe until 2010, said Tehran would likely be able to produce enough 20 percent enriched uranium by the summer to be able to make weapons-grade uranium for two or three warheads, if it doubles its Fordo capacity.
The report's other main area of concern focused on Parchin, a military site southeast of Tehran that the agency suspects was used for testing high explosives used to set off a nuclear charge — and which the IAEA fears is undergoing a major cleanup.
Iran has repeatedly turned down IAEA requests to visit the site, which, the report warned "seriously undermined" the IAEA's ability to conduct effective verification. The report cited satellite photos showing that Iran has torn down buildings, dug up a wide area around the suspect site and embarked on other suspect activities indicating sanitization attempts there.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland would not comment on the IAEA report but said the IAEA been calling on Iran to intensify efforts toward an agreement on its nuclear program for more than a year.
"That has not happened," she noted.
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Leave a Comment:
I suspect the Iranians would agree to nuclear parity with the jewish apartheid regime in Palestine. As soon as the IAEA reports on the jews' stockpile of nuclear WMD, I'm sure the Iranians would agree not to exceed that.
Are you really that dense. The Israelis are not the ones going around saying it is their mission to wipe another country of the map. The Israelis, although they will not admit it, are assumed to have a decent size arsenal of nuclear weapons. However, they would never use these as offensive weapons and would only use them defensively if someone used a nuke against them first. The Iranians on the other hand would most definitely use a nuclear weapon if they got their hands on one. They would have no problem launching nuclear weapons against Israel even if it meant dying in a counterstrike so long as they took Israel with them. A nuclear armed Iran would also be a huge threat to the US and the rest of the west. Allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons is simply not acceptable. I just hope that Obama wakes up and does something besides flap his gums before it is too late.
So Js what makes you think Iran doesn't care about counterstrike, FOX news tell you that? They are people just like you and me and I don't care what they say they like to live just as much and anyone else. The people in power like being in power and I'm pretty sure they would prefer it to death. You're basing your statments on Radical extremist views which are not the same as Irans government, believe it or not.
Now what do you want Obama to do ? Start a war like Romney wanted to do. I say get off your war mongering bandwagon and wakeup and stop flapping your lips as you dont' seem to say anything other than kill kill kill.
Now I don't think Iran needs nukes but this Iran will nuke the world and dont' care about themsleves is just nuts and frankly not true.
On the other hand if this was a groups of extremist hiding in the moutains building a nuke It'd be a different story. However Iran is a country (yes believe it or not) and unless they don't want to be a country any longer they will not start throwing Nukes around like they have nothing to fear.
JS -
I think Obama looks at Iran and thinks to himself, 'I want to be like them when I grow up."
Yet strangely there is no such idiom in Farsi.
And you know this how?
And you know this how?
Anyone can make claims to justify starting a war. There has been plenty of sabre rattling from both sides. Netanyahu has been warning about the Iran bomb since 1992. The bottom line is the country that starts lobbing bombs first IS the aggressor however anyone wants to tap dance around that fact. In addition we have had a stomach full of shrill WMD claims in recent years that turned out to be false costing this country at least a trillion in tax dollars. If nothing else the US can not afford another major war.
Why did the "community" collapse Bob?
BP, the sad truth is that when dealing with religious fanatics, all bets are off!
That kind of talk doesn't fit the script.
It seems very stupid that if Iran builds a nuclear weapon or 10, it will launched them against Israel, then Iran will be wiped out. I think Iran's theocracy as all politicians wants to stay in power and enjoy the benefits that come with it. No much enjoyment after an Israeli nuclear counter-attack.
Romilio, under most circumstances that might be true but we are talking about a radical fundamentalist Muslim theocracy here. Are they not just as liable in their extreme hatred of Israel likely to try to take Israel and as as many others down with them as possible, even knowing it might lead to their own semi or complete destruction? Especially if it brings about their own prophecies?
The time for talk and sanctions is rapidly drawing to a close. The Iranians need to be put on notice that if they do not cease their enrichment activities immediately they will be subject to having force used to stop them. There is no legitimate peaceful purpose for the amount of uranium they have been enriching to 20%. The only uses for this level of enriched uranium is to fuel a medical research reactor or as a precursor to producing weapons grade material. Since Iran already has enough 20% enriched uranium to fuel a slew of medical research reactors, of which they claim to only be building one, there is only one reason for them stockpiling 20% enriched material. It is abundantly clear that the Iranians are positioning themselves to be able to quickly produce weapons grade material. There is no other explanation for their actions. A nuclear armed Iran would represent a threat to the peace and stability of not just the Middle East, but the entire world. They are ruled by a bunch of fanatics who see it as their mission to wipe Israel off the map. Once they have done that their next goal is to cripple the "great satan" as they refer to the US. It is time to start making serious preparations for military action against Iran. They can not be allowed to complete their development of nuclear weapons.
Looney12, What in the world did JS in SD's comments had any bearing on the American Civil war. You should probably got of the computer before your mommy catches you playing with it and you get in trouble ya lil Troll.
I disagree with the partisan findings of IAEA.
Were the UN and its agencies dead while Pakis and N. Korea were acquiring nukes? Iran can buy/steal nukes from Pakis.
Before Iraqi wars, these puppets of Sunni Saudis and co, oil companies, extremist Jewish lobby and their lobbyists, UN and its agenices were regularly coming up with stories like this.
As austerity measure, time has come to wind up UN and all its agencies!
Nuclear armed nations telling Iran they have no right to defend themselves against nuclear armed nations. It would sound reasonable IF those same nuclear armed nations weren't so guilty of attacking, invading, occupying and subjecting the citizens of so many NON nuclear armed nations.
JS - Your rant is similar to the bs we heard prior to the war in Iraq. You don't have a clue about Iran's 20% enrichment requirements. Iran has offered to stop enriching to 20% already. They just want the illegal sanctions lifted.
As long as the IAEA is monitoring the enrichment, there is NO WAY the Iranians can produce weapons grade uranium. If they attempt to do so, the US and world would know on that very day and could deal with the threat then. Iran signed the NPT, which they knew would bind them to permit inspections. That signing means Iran never intended to have a bomb. N Korea and Israel would not sign the treaty, because they are both rogue states, not in tune with international rules.
You claim Iran is or would be a threat to the entire world is a gross exaggeration. That is the same claim was made about Iraq, a country that was defeated in 2 weeks.
No more wars for Israel, a country of leaches, depending on handouts from the US.
It's pretty obvious Iran is not just interested in power production.
We sat for 4 years. Our satellites must have shone cement mixers and the poring of 100 feet of reinforced concrete covering Iran's nuclear operations. We did nothing except "sanctions" and "negotiations". And yes, Hillary made us look like a fool to the rest of the world with her repeated idles threats. Now it is doubtful that our best bunker blaster can get though. Good work USA!!!
@ Ayotollah;
If you do not show us your hands.
We will bomb your shelters
Hidden in the sands.
We have you surrounded come out with your hands up.We are massing thousands of troops and forces onto Socotra. We have supplied Israel with our new deeper penetrating bunker busters. Israelis are cleaning out and preparing their bomb shelters as we speak. We have bolstered our forces in the Persian gulf. We are ready for your reaction, which will measure our actions toward you.
We are watching and waiting at this very moment, it could come at anytime.
We also now have successfully tested cloaking ability in Israel, they might not even see what hit them.
Time to smoke these neanderthals. The world needs to decide in the next few weeks war or peace. And the true path to peace is the complete destruction of the warmongering Arab countries. Peace will not be achieved without war. Paradoxes are fun. Buy and hold Grumman.
Just wondering how does someone go about stopping a facility that is impregnable to normal bombing? It would seem that nukes would be the only method of stopping the nukes, outside of all out war with Iran. This is not say the whole thing is hopeless. Perhaps, this means higher intensity negotiation are needed, with Russia and China playing a major role. The world needs someone who can at least negotiate with Iran. They have not talked to their enemies.
Iran will not stop until they are STOPPED. Sadly, it is as simple as that.
Re: the subject, I'd point out that North Korea expolode their nuke on Bush's watch, and while we were all worried, it isn't that big a deal 7 years later. I'd also point out that Ahmadejenad was elected in 2005 on Bush's watch. Saying things like "Iran will not stop until they are STOPPED" expresses the type of policy thinking that led to the nuclear atomic bomb program and the NK nuke in the first place. We need to learn from history.
On another matter:
I know this is very off topic, but I would appreciate help from anyone who believes in free speech. I think I'll post this a couple of times; sorry. I first want to point out how great it is that NBC allows freedom of speech, and doesn't ban users who are non-insulting and non-obscene. That is not true of Fox Nation. I cannot get back on Fox, even under a different name. But if anyone else gets a chance to make an account there, I'd appreciate you putting up the following post (it is also entertaining to go there and be perfectly logical, but if you argue too logically and successfully, you'll be banned as well in a few days and find that you cannot log in again):
Dear Fox Nation posters. Recently a poster who used the name noncoms was banned from Fox. He was banned not because he used obscenity, nor because he personally insulted anyone. He was banned because he presented alternative information and viewpoints that Fox does not like. In its fine print, under the banner "ALL OPINONS WELCOME," Fox Nation says that it is only open to people who share their values. It is not healthy to limit political discussions to only one side. Please let Fox Nation know that you are not afraid of honest debate, and you do not need to be protected from differing opinions. In the meantime, please feel free to come to nbcnews and join the discussion there. NBC news is not afraid to present all opinions, if expressed without threats or obscenity.
@john;
This is how sir.This article is a few years old.
The Israelis first requested the bunker busters in 2005, only to be rebuffed by the Bush administration. At the time, the Pentagon had frozen almost all U.S.-Israeli joint defense projects out of concern that Israel was transferring advanced
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=279062
I suspect this is not true. While I'd have to go to Fox and read these posts for myself to be sure, something I can't do anymore apparently, it's been my experience that people who are banned from anywhere are usually banned for good reason.
I've seen lots of posts here complaining about being collapsed or people being suspended/banned when they didn't say anything wrong, but when I go to look at those posts, they're pretty obnoxious. Rude people seldom seem to realize they are.
That's not to say noncoms is necessarily in the wrong and I know nothing about the Fox forums, but since I can't go check it out for myself, I have to take past experience as a guide. I guess we'll have to see what noncoms says here and judge for ourselves in time.
But, but, but, Barrack Hussein said his "crippling sanctions" were working.
He said it would be years before the Iranians had nuclear capability.
He said his foreign policy was being handled by Hillarity and the State Department, just like Benghazi.
I hope those of you who decided to double down on "Hopey Changey" are proud of your ignorance. We who can evaluate policy beyond slogans, tag-lines and talking points told you this was going to happen. When you base your policies on emotions rather than reality this is what you get. Incompetence is not something you can grow out of with on-the-job training.
We real Americans realize your first horrible mistake in 2008 was simply because you were too simple-minded and wanted to pretend not to be racists. We expected you to accept your error in judgement and prove you weren't ignorant also. We were wrong.
Barrack Hussein has failed miserably at domestic, economic and foreign policy. Einstein defined your affliction of insanity as repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
It must be so difficult living with yourselves knowing you are the cause of the ultimate collapse of our great Republic.
Oh yes it can, that isn't even a challenge, how? figure it out for yourself, it's really simple :-)
@ ag;
Out of curiosity I signed up. That forum is obnoxious at best. I entered the world of Obama haters. WOW!
I laid some facts on the haters they coudnt contest.lol They are arguing and talking of things that are days old.lol NBC is in adifferent universe,much better, and more fair and balanced. I am fine if you do not like Obama, but they were just bashing and hating. Not rational point counterpoint, or a COH to go by.
I would not be surprised if things are removed biasly.
Coral Taxi: Interesting. I don't think I would appreciate it there. Mindless bashing of anything tends to push my buttons.
AG;
I do not think anybody from newsvine would appreciate it there. That is exactly what it is mindless bashing. Thank goodness for newsvine.
Ralph, there is one thing you may have forgotten to mention or consider regarding the IAEC monitoring of Iran. The Iranians are not stupid. Knowing they may or are be being monitored and they wish to hide what they may be doing, they do at least one of two things or more. Number one, they bury it deep underground, which they probably already have. Number two is to put it on a military installation, again which they probably already have done, thus making it off limits to inspection while claiming national security issues. In either case, no cameras and no muss, no fuss as Iran sees it. The other is misdirection by keeping it totally in plain sight where no one would have any reason to look. Again, no need to worry about cameras or inspections. Not trying to argue with you here. Just offering alternatives for consideration.
Ed - I am quite certain we know that Iran does not have enrichment facilies on their military bases. Their underground enrichment facility, will be monitored by the IAEA when enrichment begins. Iran has met all of it's obligations, which they incurred when they signed the NPT. Israel would not sign the NPT, because they are a rogue nation of war mongers.
If they have a secret site, no amount of bombing could destroy it, because we would not know where to bomb. However, I believe our satellites and spies on the ground, would uncover any sites Iran might be inclined to build. They know if they were caught, it would open them up to be attacked.
Zionists always like to provide lots of "maybe they can", "maybe they will" and "what if they do this" and "what if they do that scenarios'. They can guess their way to a war.
I have an idea. Why don't we get some hard proof, before we go off the deep end and find ourselves in another war for Israel. Here are some "maybe they will" claims made by Zionists in the past. Take note of the complete lack of accuracy. Israelis have been crying wolf for more than 20 years and Iran still has not begun to produce a nuclear weapon.
No more wars for Israel.
Though Israel had
secretly done business with the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution,
seeking to cultivate a Persian wedge against its local Arab enemies, the early
1990s saw a concerted effort by Tel Aviv to portray Iran as a new and
existential threat.
1992: Israeli parliamentarian Benjamin Netanyahu tells his colleagues that Iran is 3 to 5
years from being able to produce a nuclear weapon – and that the threat
had to be "uprooted by an international front headed by the US."
1992:
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres tells French TV that Iran was set to have
nuclear warheads by 1999. "Iran is the greatest threat and greatest
problem in the Middle East,"
1992:
Joseph Alpher, a former official of Israel's Mossad spy agency, says "Iran
has to be identified as Enemy No. 1.
Though Israel had secretly done business with the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution, seeking to cultivate a Persian wedge against its local Arab enemies, the early 1990s saw a concerted effort by Tel Aviv to portray Iran as a new and existential threat.
1992: Israeli parliamentarian Benjamin Netanyahu tells his colleagues that Iran is 3 to 5 years from being able to produce a nuclear weapon – and that the threat had to be "uprooted by an international front headed by the US."
1992: Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres tells French TV that Iran was set to have nuclear warheads by 1999. "Iran is the greatest threat and greatest problem in the Middle East," Peres warned, "because it seeks the nuclear option while holding a highly dangerous stance of extreme religious militancy."
1992: Joseph Alpher, a former official of Israel's Mossad spy agency, says "Iran has to be identified as Enemy No. 1.
Do you have anything more current? As in the last half decade or less instead of 20 year old info?
I guess not.
It could be now. It could be in 2018 (or whenever). Israel has to decide to cross the line. All the rhetoric is verbal masturbation. This low grade rocket-tossing with the Palestinians is ridiculous. Israel knows the enemies she is at war with. Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Egypt, Hamas, and aforementioned rogue factions in Lebanon.
The only reason I can see for Israel not turning Iran into glass is the same reason they deal with Gaza with a soft hand (a) They know they can't commit genocide on their own soil and (b) A very subtle fear that the Arab league will unite and flood them with all out assault using assymetric warfare, chemical and biological weapons. Those weapons would be delivered by proxy terror states that are "unstable" since the Arab Spring and have no definitive accountability.
The rocket tossing from Gaza might even be an attempt to determine how effective "Iron Dome" anti-missile capabilities are. And that effectiveness is a very optomistic 20-30% at best. Which leaves Tel Aviv at risk of a biological/chemical weapon attack , if the Palestinians so desire. Iran is watching these tactics closely.
"The only reason I can see for Israel not turning Iran into glass is the same reason they deal with Gaza with a soft hand (a) They know they can't commit genocide on their own soil and (b) A very subtle fear that the Arab league will unite and flood them with all out assault using assymetric warfare, chemical and biological weapons. Those weapons would be delivered by proxy terror states that are "unstable" since the Arab Spring and have no definitive accountability"
Not to mention you can't actually turn an entire country into glass or even a small portion of it without it effecting the entire world.
Israel needs to roll bulldozers slowly thru Gaza at a speed which will allow their attackers time to gtfo without getting run over. This is balance.
This is similar to the beginning of World War II. No one would admit that Hitler and the Nazi's were invading countries and annexing the lands they conquered. The rule was to bury your head in the sand. But it is becoming obvious that sanctions have failed the time for planning a decisive blow to Iran once and for all
Many were talking like this before each Iraqi war. What happend in Iraq! At least learn from the past.
Just like before each Iraqi wars, autocratic, highly corrupt and despotic bigoted Sunni Sunni Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Kuwaiti and Sunni oil rich nations are stage managing their dances and actions through oil companies, extremist Jewish lobbys and their puppets in the US, Britain, EU and other nations on Syria and Iran.
In Syria, Syrian rebels are backed by a-Qaida and MB.
In Egypt, Islamic fundamentalist Morsi is a front cover for the Sunni Islamic extremist Salaffi, MB and others.
With sanctions on Iranian oil, oil prices which was around $40 in 2009 has crossed $110 now.
If Iraqi wars gave us PIIGS, there will more nations added to PIIGS.
IRAQ WARS
Net results of Saudi, Kuwait, UAE, oil companies and their lobbyists directed 1991 and 2003 Iraqi wars are
WINNERS
1. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and other rich ME sharks became richer by manipulating oil prices too high.
2. Oil companies and their lobbyists also benefitted. Oil prices, which were hardly $30 a barrel before 1991, shot up to $140 a barrel.
3. Since 2003, future traders, rating agencies, Wall Street and oil companies and their lobbyists transferred five trillion dollars from oil importing countries to oil exporting nations.
4. Rich Sunni ME sharks (Saudi Arabia in particular) funded Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques and Islamic radicals and terrorists all over the world. These Sunni Islamic radicals and terrorists are rampaging all over the world. World’s 80 percent of problems are due to them.
LOSERS
1. General US and European nations’ public. There have been high unemployment, cut in welfare measures, housing market collapse and more miseries. Since 2001, US spent three trillion dollars on Iraq and Afghan wars. Did the Saudis and co foot the bill?
2. Poor soldiers killed and injured and their families. In Iraq and Afghan wars 6300 soldiers were killed and 40000 injured.
3. High budget deficits and heavier borrowing. Many nations (PIIGS) and people are on line to bankruptcy!
4. Iraq will plunge into bloody sectarian civil wars leading to the creation of Shiastan, Sunnistan and Kurdistan. Here the losses are of Iraqis.
So just who has Iran invaded? What lands have they annexed?
Swan37, Read the "Scorpion and the Frog" fable. I think you will get the idea.
Swan, I would suggest you relocate to Iran if you are in agreement with their policies.
Anyway, so after spending a trillion in Iraq to build them new crispy cremes and laser tags, they are telling the rest of the Arabs to blackmail us with oil. The only kind of war we should even consider is total annihilation. Burn and book! Nation building has been the biggest sucker ploy ever foisted on the American people and yeas, I have no problem stating that that one is right on the shoulders of little boy Bush.
Yeah right, maybe I should fly around the world and live in all places where I can find someone in agreement with me. Yeah that makes a lot of sense. In any case I asked a question which you failed to answer so I'm not sure what your point was.
Oh poor baby. We invaded and bombed their country and they show us no gratitude. Here's a though, maybe we shouldn't have invaded in the first place. I'm still waiting to see all those WMDs.
Evidently you think US foreign policy should be based of fairy tales.
Hey hsart - read these quotes. This story is the same bs as the stories in 1984 and 1992.
1984: Soon after West German engineers visit the unfinished Bushehr
nuclear reactor, Jane's Defense Weekly quotes West German intelligence sources
saying that Iran's production of a bomb "is entering its final
stages." US Senator Alan Cranston claims Iran is seven years away from
making a weapon'.
So there were in the 'final stages' of development 28 years ago.
'1992:'Israeli parliamentarian Benjamin Netanyahu tells his
colleagues that Iran is 3 to 5 years from being able to produce a nuclear
weapon – and that the threat had to be "uprooted by an international front
headed by the US"'.
And then three to five years away from a bomb in 1992.
It is now 2012 and Iran still has not made a bomb, nor have they attacked another country, unlike the US and Israel. So which country is the war monger? It is apparent by the replies on the forum, that the Zionists want Iran to be attacked by the USA. It would be another war for Israel. The one in Iraq will cost in excess of 3.5 trillion dollars.
Look at the post by Robin Steele on 4.2, who wants Israel to bulldoze an entire country.
Again and again UN disagrees with you.
What Israeli & the U.S.A are the only One's who are 2 have Nuclear Weapon's Zionists leave the arab land and go back 2 EU. Remeber Hitler was 1 of You Fact!!!.
Its ok. We've been squeezing them economically for the past four years.... and it seems to be working. The people are really getting broke..... if only they mattered.
And in Syria.... hey, squeezing there for a few years too.... its working.... people are still being killed off more and more... but they are broke and mad.... if only they mattered.
Hey we're broke here.....War i death and destruction. You kill people. Sometimes it ain't just the folks with the guns. Worse yet, sometimes the folks with the guns are children. 9, 10 years old. Do you let them kill you, or your compatriots. No you have no choice. Because war is not meant to be a nice positive thing. And if you take a bunch of guys and go someplace and don't call it a war, that's just pu$$y. Nation building? Winning of hearts and minds? Expensive bull$hit that never works. You have to leave a bunch of collapsed buildings and no power and no water and no phones an no way to get food or help and a big pile of dead bodies that will have to be buried with shovels because there is no earth moving equipment. Disease and famine sets in. This is the reality that war is not a neat clean surgical thing. Trillions and trillions of dollars of tax payers money have been spent to try and cover up the reality that the military industrial community wants to keep behind the scenes. Don't get me wrong, we need a strong defense. I'm all for more ships, and more accurate weapons, but I say not one more penny for the politically correct c--ts who think it is our place to rebuild the worlds bellicose nations in our image. By trying to make war attractive, you attract war as an easy option. We already know we are going into Iran. By the amount of time it's taking, it's reasonable to assume that the holdup is so we can sign all the deals with all the contractors involved, so we can throw another trillion down the hole. Don't we already have weapons we can just send over there for under a million? As a taxpayer, that'd be my suggestion.
lenny12 how oldare you.. no i got it 12 you are way off on all of your comment go to bed now,,,,,.....
Isreal is DEMANDING that the Palestinians recognise them as a JEWISH state, simple as that. Even though their are other peoples besides Jews that live there. So much for separation of church and state. That would be like the United States demanding to be recognised as Christian states and to hell with everybody else. But, the good Ole' US practices tolerance, diversity, and especially political correctness, as will soon be evident once more, as we recognise the month of May as Jewish-American history month, thanks, in part,to Debra Wassermann-Schultz D-Florida for introducing the bill and all the other reps that voted it in lest they be labeled anti-Semites or perhaps Nazi's both. But, it seems the message is clear; recognise Isreal as a Jewish state or we will bomb the hell out of you till you do, simple as that!
"Isreal is DEMANDING that the Palestinians recognise them as a JEWISH state, simple as that. Even though their are other peoples besides Jews that live there. So much for separation of church and state"
1. What that has to do with "separation of church and state" I have no idea
2. Isn't the "separation of church and state" a USA thing?
Yes, separation of church and state IS a US thing, which is why we should not be supporting a Jewish state. Israel is a country of leaches, using the US as a cash cow and to fight Israel's battles, as we did in Iraq.
We lost 4700 soldiers in Iraq and Israel lost none. We will end up paying over 3.5 trillion dollars for the war in Iraq and it will not cost Israelis one sheckel. In fact, during the same time period we were losing lives and treasure, we sent Israel over 36 billion dollars, which we borrowed from China. We will have to repay that 36 billion to China with interest.
Stop all aid to Israeland vote out the Debbie Wassermans and the Eric Cantors from our government. They are supposed to represent Americans, not Israelis.
In Israel church and state are just as separated as in US.
Them being called Jewish state will not make any more difference for non-Jews living there than for US being called Christian state makes for non-Christians living here.
Gee, NBC, it might be nice if your story made it clear that ALL of the enrichment Iran is doing is permitted under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. and Israel don't want them to do it, but it's perfectly legal for them to do it!
It maybe "legal" but using legality for an illegal intent IS illegal. Pakistans nuclear program is monitored... we know where they have them, how many.. tests sites...etc This is in accordance with the IAEA... However... Iran's is not monitored.... we have NO idea of it's scope, and have even less knowledge on the intent. Couple that with OPEN statements in Tehran about... Oh "Wiping the "Zionist" of the face of the earth." you kind of get the feeling that:
1. No compliance with Inspections
2. No concessions to ease what "others" have called the most crippling sanctions to date.
3. No slow down (under those sanctions) in developing nuclear capability.
All equals a colossal failure of the world to stop an in-sane regime from getting a devastating weapon capability... This current Administration.. Obama.. is at a minimum.. partially to blame and what gets me is he thinks he is doing a good job.
"the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was ready within days to ramp up its production of 20 percent enriched uranium at its plant"
What a joke IAEA is?
Like most of the UN agencies, this another higly partisan body, which closes its eyes many times! We all know: another nation right in ME has nukes!
Just check all languages of the media, UN Security council, human rights groups, Erdogan’s, and others! These are paid pipers of Sunni Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Shiites and Sunnis are busy battling whose Allah is greater.
What roles Hillarys, McCains, Netanyahos, Libernanns, Romneys have in Syria and Iran?
If atrocities and barbarism on girls, children and women are the criteria, then the most despotic, autocratic and bigoted Sunni Saudi ruler with his 5000 princes and princesses, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League Sunni rulers and their rich sheiks are the biggest culprits in the history.
Through the Muslim immoral trafficking gangs, these barbarians have assembled all varieties of poor and helpless girls and women from all over the world in their harems and brothels.
In killing of opponents again, these people have established world records in religious battles.
If the US, Britain and others support such Sunni barbarians and beasts who treat girls and women as cheap sex slaves, then one can only conclude that Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists determine what to see, how to lecture and where and when to act.
Rest like “human rights”, “killing of children and women”, “militants”, “terrorists”, “WMDs”, “chemical weapons” and so on are a pure hoax.
Similar hoaxes were played each time before Iraqi wars on directions of Saudi, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Now none of them are looking into Iraq, where at least a million have been killed and devastated.
Twice are too much to tolerate.
Three days ago your neighbor said he was going to kill you and pillage your house. Two days ago you seen him at the store buying a gun. Yesterday he told everyone he had a gun. You called the police. The police told you there isn't anything they can do because he said he bought the gun for self defense. Today you seen him watching you planting your garden in the back yard.
The Moral of your story is?
1. Don't plant your garden while your neighbor that promised to kill you is watching.
2. If your neighbor that promised to kill you buys a gun it might be best to go buy yourself one. A bigger one.
3. Sometimes you Must take matters into your own hand. Nobody else is going to do it for you.
Alan - Iran doesn't have the gun, isn't making a gun or a nuclear weapon and is not capable at this time to make a nuclear weapon. It is Israel that has been doing the threatening, not Iran. Iran has stated they will not be the first one to start a war, which is very believable, since they haven't started a war in almost 200 years.
A better analogy for you would be that the neigbor is building a machine shop, which may or may not then be used to produce a gun.
Right now, today, Israel is bombing an unarmed people, who are totally incapable of defending themselves from F16, tanks and missiles. Those people are caught in a walled concentration camp with no place to escape the Israeli bombs.
Israeli cities are located on land that once belonged to those people, who the Israelis are attacking.
"Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not
even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you because
geography books no longer exist. Not only do the books not exist, the Arab
villages are not there either. Nahlal arose in the place of Mahlul; Kibbutz
Gvat in the place of Jibta; Kibbutz Sarid in the place of Huneifis; and Kefar
Yehushua in the place of Tal al-Shuman. There is not a single place built in
this country that did not have a former Arab population."
Moshe Dayan, address to the Technion, Haifa, reported in
Haaretz, April 4, 1969.
"We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and
the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab
population."
Israel Koenig, "The Koenig Memorandum"
In case you haven't noticed, those "unarmed people" have been shooting rockets at Israel, and they are not trapped in anything, their border with Egypt has been open for ages.
Ely - The Palestinians have no way to shoot down a F16 or a missile. The rockets seldom hit anything and are unguided. Just like the bottle rockets we fire on the 4th of July, Palestinan rockets mostly land in empty fields.
The Israelis protect themselves from the bottle rockets with the Iron Dome, which was bought and paid for by the US taxpayers. We should be giving the Palestinians "stinger missiles" to shoot down the F16s and anti tank weapons, so they can protect themseves from the Israeli. It is the Palestinians who are getting killed in large numbers, not Israelis.
Iran is definitely not telling the truth. They could have built a Thorium Reactor which cannot enrich uranium. They are much cheaper to build and Thorium although nuclear is a much cheaper fuel than uranium. Thorium was rejected at the beginning of the nuclear age because it is not a breeder reactor. In other words it is very hard to produce weapon grade material from a Thorium reactor. This technology will be revived now after almost 50 years. How fast it becomes our reality depends on all of us. Get in touch with your Federal Government representatives to support legislation to create unlimited energy for all the U.S.A.
Here we go again. More trouble. Just when Israel and Palestine (Hamas) getting into War (again) up jumps Devil #2 Iran. More worries for everyone and Israel. When you make trouble your asking for it. People's just don't get it. Where you going to go? One World for All of US and folks are just itching to ruin it for The Human Species. Can't people just live their lives and NOT trod on others? What are World leaders doing about it? Oh nothing. They will just sit around bickering and worrying about their own agendas and how to impose their will upon everyone they can, just because they can. The little guy just wants to work and provide his family with security and happiness while some just want to fight a bitter battle till the end of time. If you can't help making this World a better place to live in then what the hell good are you????
That's a big part of the problem .... there is no place to go.
Based on the entire recorded history of humanity, the answer seems to be a resounding "NO".
Everybody makes the world a better place to live in ...... some by improving it, others by fertilizing it.
I've been preaching Thorium Reactors for years. I feel the simple fact is that US, China,Europe,Russia lives on wars for arms companies and contractors. Peace on this earth would be so easy if these these powerful countries would join together for peace. We wipe out Iraq and already billions of dollars of arms are being sold by America and Europe to Iraq. With no idea of a future take over by a terrorist leader. It's not that hard to see that peace on this earth is not meant to be.
As long as people run around saying their god is better than your god, we will have no peace.
Mr. Obama - please tell us again how your "devastating" sanctions are crippling Iran's nuclear development program.
Iran is calling Barry's bluff.
Just one more failure of the Obama administration.
Before this moron Obama is out of office we may be involved in WWIII
well, that'll jump start the ole economy!
Why doesn't UN nuclear agency ever ask Israel about their nukes? why? wonder why noone gives a damn about UN?
Economic sanctions have partially crippled Iran's economy but has not deterred their nuclear weapons ambitions. Iranians trying to protest against Iran's ambitions were swiftly crushed. Iran will be dealt with using force and that will be sad for their children. Iran's leadership trying to rally the Muslim world against Israel is beyond arrogant it is criminal. Seven Arab countries attacked Israel at its inception. They lost and they lost the land that their aggression precipitated. Three times they have had major assaults against the Jewish people and each time they have been pushed back. They humiliate themselves by this insane push to destroy the Jewish people. In the end they will cause their own destruction.
If Iran didn't have anything to hide, there would be no problem with showing the regulatory agencies their facilities. The fact that there is no willingness to cooperate tells you all you need to know.
Frankly I don't believe ANY of these backward @ssed 3rd world countries should have nuclear weapons. Pakistan, India, and North Korea are just ticking time bombs, and one of these days, something stupid is bound to happen, whether deliberately or by accident.
As for the Iranians, the LAST thing in the world they need is a nuke. What they need is racial sensitivity training. No one is threatening to wipe THEM off the map (not yet at least), so maybe they need to just stop being such a bunch of provocative @ss#oles.
And speaking of the @ssahollahs (since they ARE the ones actually driving this stupidity), I think our government should hold them directly responsible for this cr@p, and maybe put a couple of drone shots up THEIR @sses, just to let them know that those who live by the missile...DIE by the missile.
A suitcase dirty bomb could be made right now.
Lots and lots of them. A little bit would go a long way.
They can create a nuke too. I don't get the statements that they don't have the technology to make an actual bomb. All they need is the enriched uranium and a conventional explosive charge to slam two pieces of it together.
It seems clear that in the end Iran won't leave anyone any choice, no matter what it costs them and the world, and that is a government run based on religious principals and actually controlled by religious leaders. There is not only a major threatening concern there but also a real lesson.
Well, at least the country elected a president with a track record of standing up to them.
I love how all the relevant articles are coming out now AFTER the election. Iran is now an official problem, the economy is teetering (fiscal cliff in 2 months), Libya action seems to actually be a cover-up, etc.. It was out of bounds to bring this stuff during the debates but fine now.
MSNBC To Do List:
#1 Help the 'correct' candidate get elected by any means possible
#2 Then start printing articles that show how bad things really are
You should be proud as a news organization. Now Iran is only months away....
The Iranians, unlike the Russians, are not afraid of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). They're the ones who sent their young boys on suicide missions with the promise of heavenly paradise where virgins awaited them as heroic martyrs, in their war with Iraq in the 1980s The Iranians are messianic; they await the Mahdi, the Hidden Twelfth Iman who went into hiding 1,140 years ago and will reappear when Shia Iran is in desperate need of him. As such, I see a nuclear Iran provoking an atomic war to fulfill their messianic dream. ... A nuclear Iran is the suicide bomber strapped with a belt of mass destruction.
Wow...this is exciting. I wonder what will happen next? Will Iran use nuclear power to generate electricity as it has claimed all along, or will it attempt to build nuclear weapons? I just can't wait...well, I guess I'm going to have to wait aren't I. Shucks and Dog Gone It!
We have a Defense Budget twice the size of any other country. We have Mexico and Canada on our borders. Who made us the policeman of the world? Who made us give billions to these countries that are far a way from us? Who made us fight and lose so many American in Vietnam, so we could get shirts from them in our Walmarts stores today? Who made us invade Iraq when they didn't attack us.
As far as Isreal. The Brits gave them that land and ran the Muslims out of that area. With Isreal becoming a country in 1948 after World War ll. It was the Isreal people that agreed for that land, not us. It doesn't take a rocket science dude to fiqure out they settled in a dangerous area in the middle east surrounded by all types of Muslim beliefs.
This theory of our politicians of wars help our economy. Should take a good look at our debt from these wars. Of course arms sales companies are making money.
deb- the short answer is we did. The longer answer (and probably less accurate) is the world situation did. No one has the time (and ability) to "catch you up" on the transition of the United states from an agrarian and trading nation to the world's superpower in two hundred years, but it would look a little like the opening to "The Big Bang Theory" television show.
Suffice it to say, we are where we are because of things we did, and things others did. Having said that, it is what it is and we can't change the past.
The question in this forum is "What to do about Iran's increasing effort to expand it's ability to enrich uranium"? Another question that logically follows is "What to do should Iran decide to militarize it's enriched uranium"?
No one can say for sure what Iran is trying to do, but there are ominous warning signs that Iran could be enriching uranium for military purposes and if they do decide to follow that course what does it mean for the United States and stability in the region. As at least forty percent of our oil is from the region and several of the world's crucial economies rely on that region's oil, any disruption or instability in the region could be crippling to Western economies. Hence, everyone's concern. I hope that helps answer your question.
I agree.