US General: We Can Successfully Attack Iran

[EmperorNapoleon]

Just so you know - Iraq was supposed to turn over all nuclear material to the UN as part of the cease fire agreement.

The nuclear material was inventoried and sealed by the IAEA after the Gulf War. It remained that way until the United States blew the facility wide open and the Iraqis started looting.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

It’s hard to say whether Israel will conduct a preemptive strike against Iran. But if Santorum is elected President, the United States will likely do so first.

Look up “Operation Orchard”

 

[iamrefreshed]

The political posturing over the issue in this thread is as good as any politician could accomplish. Congratulations to those participating!

 

[bbarrick8383]

The EU sanctions don’t kick in until July 1. It will take months for them to have an effect. If they are going down the sanctions road, it won’t be until the end of the year before they will have justification to attack and that might be too late. Am I missing something here?

Obamas sanctions will kick in much sooner, and may have more impact and much sooner.

 

[Rich_Olszewski]

The political posturing over the issue in this thread is as good as any politician could accomplish. Congratulations to those participating!

Lovely piece of business - wanting to attack a country that has no intention to attack us and that is no danger to us.

 

[SamH]

The nuclear material was inventoried and sealed by the IAEA after the Gulf War. It remained that way until the United States blew the facility wide open and the Iraqis started looting.

Except you are referring to something else entirely.

Following the 1991 Gulf War, the International Atomic Energy Agency removed all known Iraqi stocks of highly enriched uranium and plutonium, in accordance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 687. As of 2002 the only positively confirmed nuclear material left in Iraq is 1.8 tons of low-enriched uranium and several tons of natural and depleted uranium. The material is in a locked storage site at the Tuwaitha nuclear research facility near Baghdad. Under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, this stock of material is checked once a year by an IAEA team. The most recent check was in January 2002, and none of the material had been tampered with at that time.

globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/tuwaitha.htm

1.8 tons is a lot less than the 550+ tons that were actually found after the war.

 

[colmywaykurtz]

Actually there were many UN prohibited weapons programs in Iraq. Remember all the nashing of the teeth over yellow cake in Niger - it turns out Iraq already had it.

msnbc.msn.com/id/25546334/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/secret-us-mission-hauls-uranium-iraq/

 

[colmywaykurtz]

Except you are referring to something else entirely.

globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/tuwaitha.htm

1.8 tons is a lot less than the 550+ tons that were actually found after the war.

And THAT larger amount had been under IAEA lock and key since a time after the 1991 war, as the twelfth paragraph of the article states. With no evidence of any acquired afterward.

 

[SamH]

And THAT larger amount had been under IAEA lock and key since a time after the 1991 war, as the twelfth paragraph of the article states. With no evidence of any acquired afterward.

The 12th paragraph:

By June 2004 Iraqi authorities had begun rebuilding facilities at the Tuwaitha research center once used by Saddam Hussein to pursue nuclear-weapons ambitions. The reconstruction under way at Tuwaitha, despite its potential for generating controversy, was no secret. The effort involved cleaning out, repairing, painting, and refurnishing office and laboratory buildings at the site. The intention is to create space to house research and development efforts by Iraq’s newly reconstituted Ministry of Science and Technology. Those research efforts will focus on agriculture, water, petrochemical and other projects. The cost of reconstruction was estimated at about 30-million dollars. The Coalition Provisional Authority is not financing the rebuilding.It is being paid for by the Development Fund for Iraq, established by the United Nations. The United States has been a major donor to the fund and it is managed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. While it is unclear whether Iraqi scientists will be able to conduct nuclear research at Tuwaitha again, there has been radioactive contamination at the site and radioactive materials once stored there are missing.

Where does it state that 550 tons of yellow cake were under lock and key? No one said they actually acquired some after the first gulf war - but they were trying. Joe Wilson said so.

 

[Dale_M]

Israel Senses Bluffing in Iran’s Threats of Retaliation

Israeli intelligence estimates, backed by academic studies, have cast doubt on the widespread assumption that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set off a catastrophic set of events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices.

The estimates, which have been largely adopted by the country’s most senior officials, conclude that the threat of Iranian retaliation is partly bluff. They are playing an important role in Israel’s calculation of whether ultimately to strike Iran, or to try to persuade the United States to do so, even as Tehran faces tough new economic sanctions from the West.

“A war is no picnic,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio in November. But if Israel feels itself forced into action, the retaliation would be bearable, he said. “There will not be 100,000 dead or 10,000 dead or 1,000 dead. The state of Israel will not be destroyed.”

nytimes.com/2012/01/27/world/middleeast/israelis-see-irans-threats-of-retaliation-as-bluff.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig

 

[OneSheep]

Lovely piece of business - wanting to attack a country that has no intention to attack us and that is no danger to us.

I agree. I read all the strategy stuff, and we have lost sight of the objective. This is a Catholic website. The objective is reconciliation.

Iran has done nothing to us, but is essentially at war with Israel, through all the doings on the West Bank. Resolve the problems between Israel and Palestine, and the situation is resolved. Sometimes I wonder if caring for our “spoiled” children brings out the worst in everyone. The U.S. obviously dumps money and support on Israel every time it wants it. Though the Palestinians are far from spoiled, they rely on Iran and many others for their survival.

Military methods will not solve the problem of lack of reconciliation. We should be extending a hand to Iran, getting the Israelis and Palestinians to resolve their differences once and for all.

Can we please unite in getting the children to work it out? It appears that they can’t do it on their own!!!

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Iran has sponsored terrorist groups all over the world.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Did any of you catch the interview on C-Span with the Secretary or Defense Sunday night? Basically he stated that a Nuclear Weapon in Iran is where they drew the line.

How accurate was the inforamtion in regards to Iran with a Nuclear weapon? I do not know. He claims one year away and possibly slightly longer with the capacity to launch long range.

What I did find interesting is the topic came up about the captured drone. Apparently since the incident of the captured drone, Iran has had a severe viral attack at a Nuclear sight and an explosion at another. This was to imply obviously the captured drone was intentional. Good talk? I have no idea.

What I don’t believe will happan is Iran attempting to close the straight. I can’t see how that benifits a country who depends on this area to ship to other countries. Its a volitile situation for sure with the US Navy Fleet their and Iranian small vessels speeding by them.

 

[kubark]

freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2823549/posts

Perhaps bbarrick was right afterall…

Silly Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs.

Russia and China will never let us attack Iran or force regime change in Syria for that matter. Of course, that won’t stop the war propaganda coming from the Obama/Romney/Santorum/Gingrich war machine. And a Sarajevo moment is a distinct possibility.

Between Bush and Obama I have witnessed the greatest foreign policy blunders in American history. Not only were the Iraq War, Libya War and the Arab Spring illicit and unjust misadventures, they were also reckless and have actually weakened America’s long term national security, have emboldened radical Islam to the extent that Christians are now dying and being displaced at a record pace in the Middle East, and have threatened to reignite a cold war with Russia.

 

[Raskolnikov]

Silly Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs.

Russia and China will never let us attack Iran or force regime change in Syria for that matter. Of course, that won’t stop the war propaganda coming from the Obama/Romney/Santorum/Gingrich war machine. And a Sarajevo moment is a distinct possibility.

Between Bush and Obama I have witnessed the greatest foreign policy blunders in American history. Not only were the Iraq War, Libya War and the Arab Spring illicit and unjust misadventures, they were also reckless and have actually weakened America’s long term national security, have emboldened radical Islam to the extent that Christians are now dying and being displaced at a record pace in the Middle East, and have threatened to reignite a cold war with Russia.

This may be what you are referring to, but I believe China and Russia just issued such a statement, saying a forced overthrow of the Assad regime would not be allowed. Russia’s and especially China’s increased involvement in certian regions is beginning to turn the Middle East and Africa into a chessboard for the “Great Powers.” Of course, this will be of no concern to Americans, who are more worried about the mystical return of the Caliphate and its quest to take over the world (which I suspect will happen shortly after the last patriarch of Constantinople walks out of the walls St. Sofia to restore the Byzantine Empire; so, not holding my breath). No wonder China is gaining so much ground these days.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Did any of you catch the interview on C-Span with the Secretary or Defense Sunday night? Basically he stated that a Nuclear Weapon in Iran is where they drew the line.

How accurate was the inforamtion in regards to Iran with a Nuclear weapon? I do not know. He claims one year away and possibly slightly longer with the capacity to launch long range.

What I did find interesting is the topic came up about the captured drone. Apparently since the incident of the captured drone, Iran has had a severe viral attack at a Nuclear sight and an explosion at another. This was to imply obviously the captured drone was intentional. Good talk? I have no idea.

What I don’t believe will happan is Iran attempting to close the straight. I can’t see how that benifits a country who depends on this area to ship to other countries. Its a volitile situation for sure with the US Navy Fleet their and Iranian small vessels speeding by them.

Yup.

And if Iran crosses that line, then … we … will … draw another line.