timesonline.co.uk — The notes, from Iran’s most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007. “Although Iran might claim that this work is for civil purposes, there is no civil application,” said David Albright
Dec 14, 2009 View in Crawl 4
cyberdineDec 14, 2009
Let's define our termsTheocracy: a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler, or in a broader sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. ...Israel is no such state. Iran is.
akeldamaDec 14, 2009
"Khomeni actually incited war with Iraq in 1980, rejecting Saddam's offers of an armistice two years later. During the eight-year war, an enormous militia, called the Basij, was created under the aegis of the Revolutionary Guard. Boys aged 12 to 17 were dispatched against the Iraqi army, each armed with a plastic key to paradise, manufactured in bulk in Taiwan. A ghostly pale rider occasionally appeared, whose phosphorous-painted face was supposed to be that of the Hidden Imam, to urge these suicide waves on. Mowing these children down — and perhaps as many as 100,000 were killed — was so traumatic that even battle-hardened Iraqi veterans declined to fire.""Hundreds of Iranians boys at a time, many as young as ten to twelve, come in waves. Some carry rifles and some are unarmed. Their mission is to detonate mines and draw fire in preparation for full-scale attacks on the Iraqi lines. The boys carry plastic keys to heaven. They have been assured by their leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, that if they are killed on the battlefield they will go directly to paradise. "The purest joy in Islam," Khomeini has explained, "is to kill and be killed for Allah.""Any country that finds this tactic acceptable should be eagerly watched with an eye for scrutiny and a predisposition of distrust.
jefflestorDec 15, 2009
Why isn't this story the BIG news item?! It should be the lead story in every media news broadcast worldwide. Not only have we recently learned that Iran has been hiding a nuclear facility within a military compound for several years, but now we discover that they have had plans, from at least 2007, to construct a nuclear bomb trigger. Since the trigger device and nuclear materiel have no other use than for a nuclear weapon, Iran has absolutely no excuse, no possible "peaceful" explanation for having these plans in their possession. This should be the biggest story of the day. If Israel bombs a tunnel used by the Palestinians to smuggle in weapons, it makes the front page, but if Iran is proven, without any shadow of a doubt to be constructing a nuclear weapon, this news is given a small font with a link to a short, matter-of-fact article. Let's get our priorities straight! What is more important: (1) Tiger Woods' affairs or (2) a fanatical Islamic regime, bent on destroying Israel and the West, is shown beyond any doubt to be attempting to build a nuclear weapon, which they would then hand off to their proxies, and end up in our backyard?
vitriolandangstDec 15, 2009
And we haven't had a bunch of nutballs on TV and in Washington who pretend to represent something talk about nuking?Iran and the US when Bush was in office, were very busy trying to see who could talk the craziest. The whole point of this game of chicken is to convince everyone that you are willing to pop one off despite the consequences.If you show reserve and restraint -- YOU LOSE.
mrerrDec 15, 2009
@katana Neutron source can also be used for nuclear bombs. Honestly you sound like you are making science up to feed your fear.When using Uranium, the numbers you give for a neutron source are more than enough to cause a sustainable atomic reaction. From there you can chose whether to control the reaction or not. If you chose not to control it like not putting a neutron shield or using heavy water to absorb some of the particles, then you have created a bomb. The higher numbers are needed when you use something other than uranium for the reaction, like plutonium. Also remember most neutron sources or initiators are made from uranium. If anyone actually read the article, you would notice that they use neutron source and neutron initiator inter changeably. Now if you want something to feed you fear .... well go look for something else.
mattmeowDec 16, 2009
Don't be trollbait...
thedougemDec 18, 2009
"You haven't expressed that your first reaction was not to immediately distrust the initial reports detailing information indirectly derived from someone else's exposure to "Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times""That is because I've heard the same information repeated over several reliable channels before I started commenting here. It also fits in with the pattern of behavior Iran has been displaying over the past year - beligerence and defiance. That said - I favor a prudent stance of pressuring Iran over it while at the same time not pressing the BOMB THEM button as things are verified."Instead you would like to turn the focus toward how balanced and unappreciated your perspective is regarding the proper strategy to militarily remove Iran from your list of threats when I am trying to tell you that the very content of your argument is an indication that you already think you have omniscient access to the Truth regarding Iran's intent."I know you would like to focus on the information, but I was replying directly to somebody attacking the United States' use of Nuclear weapons, hence the focus of my comments.I don't claim all powerful knowledge - again, that's ridiculous. My opinions here are driven by observing the news on Iran over several years and judging them based on their history, the things that they have done, and how they seem willing to flaunt international law.Iran has lied, repeatedly, about their nuclear program. They have clear motivation to obtain nuclear weapons - with the current world climate, it would do nothing but good for them. And regardless of the program, they have not been honest. Perhaps I am prejudging the story, but I am not acting irrationally - an irrational reaction would be a call for immediate invasion, or willfully ignoring Iran's past behavior and not acknowledging why many nations are uncomfortable with the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran. The high stakes justify my and other's skepticism and suspicion of Iran.I can't speak for all others but I am not using this as justification for invasion, I am saying that this is cause for concern and some feasible response, -especially- if the story is verified.