Israel denies plan to attack Iran with nukes

[schart28]

CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/07/israel-iran.html

Israeli officials are denying a report in a British newspaper that they are planning to attack Iranian uranium enrichment facilities with low-yield nuclear weapons.

Quoting "several Israeli military sources," the Sunday Times said that two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up a plant at Natanz using low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters."

An Israeli F-16 warplane takes off for a mission from a base in southern Israel in this 2006 file photo.
(Ariel Schalit/Associated Press) Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev denied the report, saying: "If diplomacy succeeds, the problem can be solved peaceably."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office declined to comment on the report.

"We don't respond to publications in the Sunday Times," said spokeswoman Miri Eisin.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes like generating electricity, responded that any attack would provoke a reaction and that "anyone who attacks will regret their actions very quickly."

Israeli officials are denying a report in a British newspaper that they are planning to attack Iranian uranium enrichment facilities with low-yield nuclear weapons.

Quoting "several Israeli military sources," the Sunday Times said that two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up a plant at Natanz using low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters."

An Israeli F-16 warplane takes off for a mission from a base in southern Israel in this 2006 file photo.
(Ariel Schalit/Associated Press) Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev denied the report, saying: "If diplomacy succeeds, the problem can be solved peaceably."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office declined to comment on the report.

"We don't respond to publications in the Sunday Times," said spokeswoman Miri Eisin.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes like generating electricity, responded that any attack would provoke a reaction and that "anyone who attacks will regret their actions very quickly."

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Ali Husseini told the Jerusalem Post that the report proved that Israel was in possession of nuclear weapons.

"Now this will convince the international community that the main threat to the world, and to our region in particular, is the Zionist regime," Husseini added.

Pilots training: report
According to the plan, conventional laser-guided bombs would open "tunnels" into the targets, the Times reported. "Mini-nukes" would then immediately be fired into the plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.

Low-yield weapons are much smaller than traditonal nuclear bombs, and are thought to cause less damage to surrounding areas. 

A uranium conversion facility near Isfahan and a heavy water reactor at Arak would also be targeted.

The report said Israeli pilots have flown to Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 3,200-kilometre round trip to the Iranian targets.

"As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," the Times quotes one source as saying.

The United States and its allies, including Israel, suspect Tehran of secretly trying to produce nuclear weapons.

Although Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, it has never confirmed the reports.

 

[karl28]

           Most definitely a dangerous situation over there here is hoping that it never happens and that cooler heads prevale

 

[Dogboy]

did Israel do something smilier to Iraq back in the 80s? tho not with Nukes?

 

[vonGarvin]

did Israel do something smilier to Iraq back in the 80s? tho not with Nukes?

At Osirak, I believe, they bombed the nuclear reactor that Saddam was allegedely using to make weapons grade nuke stuff.

 

[aesop081]

did Israel do something smilier to Iraq back in the 80s? tho not with Nukes?

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/mcnair41/41osi.htm

 

[zipperhead_cop]

I highly doubt they plan to nuke anything in Iran.  That being said, there is a subtle difference between a "plan" and an "option".  And "options" get explored all the time.....

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Of course, that being said....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070205/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_iran
Iran said to assemble two uranium units By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer
16 minutes ago

VIENNA, Austria - Shrugging off the threat of tougher U.N. sanctions,        Iran has set up more than 300 centrifuges in two uranium enrichment units at its underground Natanz complex, diplomats and officials said Monday.

The move potentially opens the way for larger scale enrichment that could be used to create nuclear warheads. Iranian leaders have repeatedly said the Natanz underground hall would house first 3,000 centrifuges and ultimately 54,000 machines.

It also poses a direct challenge to the Security Council, which late last month imposed limited sanctions targeting programs and individuals linked to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and warned of stricter penalties within 60 days unless Iran freezes enrichment.

Speaking separately — and demanding anonymity because their information was confidential — a diplomat accredited to the Vienna-based        International Atomic Energy Agency and a U.S. official said that two "cascades" of 164 centrifuges each had been set up in recent days.

The likely next step was "dry testing" — running the linkups without uranium gas inside — to be followed by attempts to spin and re-spin the gas. The process, known as enrichment, can be used to fuel nuclear power plants. But at higher levels of enrichment the material can be used for the core of nuclear warheads.

Both the Iranian leadership and the Vienna-based IAEA, which is the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, had said recently that Tehran would start assembling the machines this month.

In another sign that Tehran was forging ahead with plans to create a large-scale "pilot plant" of 3,000 centrifuges running in series, U.N. officials late last week told the AP that that piping, cables, control panels and air conditioning systems had been installed at Natanz to support such a number of machines.

David Albright, the former U.N. nuclear inspector whose Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security tracks Iran's nuclear activities, said the country was likely capable of hooking up 300 to 500 centrifuges a month, allowing it to reach its goal of a 3,000-machine linkup this year.

Such an operation could be used to produce fissile material for two bombs a year, but Albright — like other analysts — suggested that it could take somewhat longer as the Iranians have had only limited success in running the machines for prolonged periods without breakdowns in aboveground tests at Natanz.

Iran says it wants to use the technology to generate nuclear power, but the U.S. and other nations believe Tehran is intent on using the process to develop weapons. Albright said Iran could opt to create a large stockpile of low-enriched uranium which it could then use to "break out" and re-enrich to weapons grade at any time.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, last week estimated that Iran was two to three years away from having the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. The head of U.S. national intelligence, John Negroponte, has spoken of a four-year period.

The State Department did not comment directly on the reported centrifuge setups, saying only that it would push for "incremental"        U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran if Tehran authorities continue to ignore council demands for suspension of the country's uranium enrichment program.

Spokesman Sean McCormack said that Iran appears to be continuing "down the path of isolation."

Or down the path of oblivion.  Bloody clowns. 

 

[bcbarman]

Am I the only one that sees the use of nuclear weapons in the middle east as a long term suicide plan?  The geographical distances between these nations is not that far, from tip to tip Iran is about 1200 miles from Israel.  A good distance, but prevailing winds in a desert-like climate can bring radiation a long way.  The risk of immediate fallout is not that high, but radiation, cancer, acid rain and the other nasty parts are not a healthy mix.

Still cannot believe the logic down there

 

[Brad Sallows]

The logic probably goes something like this:

1) take a chance on increased illness rates due to fallout from blasts in Iran undertaken to forestall weapon development, OR

2) take a chance on increased illness rates due to fallout from blasts in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc due to mad mullah.

 

[Thegreycat]

It looks like Israel is starting to bring some heat against Iran. Also this comes just days after Mossad was suspected of assassinating Ardeshir Hosseinpour who was a scientist working on their nuclear program.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

It looks like Israel is starting to bring some heat against Iran. Also this comes just days after Mossad was suspected of assassinating Ardeshir Hosseinpour who was a scientist working on their nuclear program.

Could you get us a link for that if you could? 

 

[Marauder]

Also this comes just days after Mossad was suspected of assassinating Ardeshir Hosseinpour who was a scientist working on their nuclear program.

Well, praise Jebus, someone was listening to me all this time. If you grease the wetware that calculates the equations and engineers the specifications, all the hardware to make the "big dirka boom dirka" is as useless as a beer cooler in Riayhd. If Mossad did rub out a pointy headed Haji, then I say good work, good thinking, and good hunting.

 

[Thegreycat]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1324321.ece
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardeshir_Hosseinpour

+1 on the last post. Even if you manage to take out all their scientists they still might get nukes...from their friends.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/24/wiran24.xml

now thats a scary story.

 

[FormerHorseGuard]

i am sure almost any country has a war plan staff who makes plans on almost every possible idea out there, I am sure Canada has plans in case of threats or actions that  might come up.
So why Israel not have a plan to take out a reactor site , after all they did plan and excute the plan to take out Saddams weapon plant. It worked and was very sucessful.

I am sure countries over in the middle east also have plans to take out targets within Israel and other countries around there.

Plans are one thing, excuting a Plan is another thing, that is called Operation

i see no big deal over anyone aving plans to do anythign till they excute the plan and call it operation *******

so what the big deal

 

[a_majoor]

Plans can be triggered by almost anything.

Europe was driven to WWI by many factors, but the key one was the British feared the growth of the German High Seas Fleet, and felt compelled to respond; prompting the Germans to build bigger and better Dreadnaughts in response (and another cycle of building by the British and so on). Rationally, neither side should have feared the other, Germany was a land power while Britain was an oceanic Empire, Germany and Britain were traditional partners in European affairs and the Royal Families were closely related. However, each nations plan called for a certain amount of naval power to be available at all times.

On the German side, their mobilization and war plans were tightly synchronized via the railway timetables, so once the decision was made to trigger the war, there was almost no possibility for anyone to change their minds.

Nuclear weapons on IRBM's, supersonic fighter bombers or even teams of commandos demand contingency plans to defend against (or at least reply to), and the compressed time/space/distance factors in SW Asia means there is almost no room for error and vast consequences for guessing wrong. (Remember how an American warship shot down an Iranian airliner in the Persian Gulf many years ago? The crew had only a few moments to determine if the plane was an airliner or a hostile Iranian F-14 armed with an anti-ship missile. If they guessed wrong the other way they would have lost the ship).

 

[TN2IC]

Israeli officials are denying a report in a British newspaper that they are planning to attack Iranian uranium enrichment facilities with low-yield nuclear weapons.

Wait and see. It is kind of like a mini Cold War. May be just shorter.

 

[JBP]

Wait and see. It is kind of like a mini Cold War. May be just shorter.

And I believe in this case, quite possibly that this could turn to a hot war in some fashion a lot easier then the vast great Cold War. Although that obviously came very close to becoming 'hot' also... Just my opinion.

 

[tomahawk6]

Israel does not need to use nuclear weapons to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Jericho missiles with conventional warheads could be used. Or we can all take Israel's word they have no intention of striking Iran. Now if Iran struck first then retaliation can be expected.

I saw an article the other day where Saudi Arabia was going to buy nuclear weapons and missiles from Pakistan/Russia as a counter to Iran's program. Its going to be a very dangerous time in the history of the world.

 

[Flip]

Iran is deliberately trying to jam everyone up on this one.
It's their little way of gaining influence.

It wouldn't occur to them to save Tsunami or earthquake victims.

Israel has always been focused on the mind game.........To avoid extinction.

A "leaked" news report is the best way to communicate a veiled threat.

The only desirable policy is to separate the current leadership of Iran
from power.  The current leadership are doing pretty well on their own.
Instead of running the country they shovel poop and tamper with
dangerous things in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

I think the reactor at Osirak in Iraq was taken out just days before it was to go on line.

We should consider that if there is no WMD, does that mean that there is no intent?

I doubt Isreal will wait for a crisis or showdown before acting on Iran
But for now it's the mind thing.........

Sadly, there is no diplomatic solution to people who want to kill you.
The UN will falter - because third parties will consider this conflict
to good for them. Before the Invasion Iraq, several countries were
already rearming Iraq illegally - against UN sanction.

This is Isreal's problem and the sooner it's solved the better it is for
everyone else.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

I doubt Isreal will wait for a crisis or showdown before acting on Iran
But for now it's the mind thing.........

Speaking of "the mind thing":

http://www.omedia.org/Show_Doc.asp?MenuID=825
An Open Letter to the Iranian People
Home Page > A Letter to the Iranian People and its Leaders 

The following letter will be sent at the end of March 2007 to all news agencies in Iran, to international agencies in the Persian language, and to Iranina government officials. Copies in English will be forwarded to major international news agencies and leading Western media and to various government offices around the world.
For the full circulation list of this open letter click here

The letter in Farsi as broadcasted on "The Voice of Israel". Read by Orly Ram.
An Open Letter to the Iranian People

We, the undersigned, turn to the Iranian people and its leaders out of a sense of concern for the fate of the entire region.
PLEASE NOTE!

Letter sign-up form:
Name: 
Surname: 
E-Mail*: 
Add your own comment to the Iranian people and its president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad 


*Your e-mail will not be forwarded as part of the letter, and will be kept strictly confidential by Omedia

Your leaders are leading you on a dangerous collision course with the nations of the free world, that may lead to a mortal blow on your people and country as well as to a total regional chaos.
Your leaders repeatedly threaten Israel and call for its extermination. Your regime finances terror throughout the world and crudely violates the sovereignty of other countries via emissaries such as Hezbollah and Hamas
President Ahmedinejad is leading a disgraceful and monstrous campaign under a bogus academic disguise, which defames the memory of the 6 million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust. Through his conduct he is seen as a derisory and repellent figure by the world’s nations and confers upon Iran the image of a racist, and ignorant country, which disseminates hatred and is bereft of elementary human values
Your regime strives relentlessly for military nuclear capability. It seems that your leaders do not shrink from measures that could lead to the deaths of thousands if not millions of your people and others
In response to all this, we wish to convey to you the following:

For thousands of years, the Jewish people in every generation has survived many attempts at its extermination by different regimes and empires

After surviving the Nazi killing machine we will not allow anyone to threaten us with extermination

Israel will not sit back and allow the threats against its people to reach the practical stage. Past experience shows that Israel and her allies will do whatever is necessary to prevent your rulers from realizing their sinister nuclear scheme even if it means using massive force against your country

Your current leaders will bear responsibility for the destruction to Iran should they continue their provocative behavior towards Israel and the world, but you will be the ones to bear the price

The Israeli people supports your aspirations to free yourselves from the bonds of the Ayatollah regime and calls upon its government to act with every means at its disposal to assist the freedom fighters amongst you to depose this regime of fear and dread  

Definitely storm clouds on the horizon..... :-\