Iran Not Making Nuclear Weapons After All

earllogjam

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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/world/middleeast/05webreact.html?ref=world

Contrary to what we were led to believe by the Bush Administration that Iran was quickly developing a nuclear weapon we find out that their weapons program was halted in 2003.

How many times can you lie without being called on it? Just shows how easily "news" can be manipulated to further one's agenda. Unfortunately most people I think have blind faith that all news is true without once thinking to question its veracity.
 

dong20

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I do hope no one is surprised by this.

By what - That Bush lied, or that Israel believes Iran hasn't halted it's programme?

Personally I'm surprised by neither but then why anyone would believe Bush, the NY times, Israel or Iran about anything on this issue is perhaps the more apposite question. :smile:
 

ruperty

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radio 5 commented earlier that they are enriching uranium which is only the first step to making weapons or for powerplants. david milliband said that what's worrying about them enriching uranium still, is that iran doesn't have any nuclear powerplants to use the uranium in - so what's it for then?
 

Hockeytiger

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I suggest people think not use this NIE for their own political agendas. If you do, you are no better than the Bush Administration.

Think it through folks. If you agree with the NIE, then Iran is in breach of the NPT, and sanctions, or some other punishment, ought to be levied against them, which is what the Bush Administration is lobbying hard for. The NIE is NOT a vindication of the Iranian position. In fact, it completely contradicts it. They claim to be in full compliance with the NPT, which would not be true if the NIE is correct.

Be careful when you jump on the fact that the NIE contradicts White House dogma. If you agree with the NIE, then you must support punishing the Iranians, which is what the Bush Administration wanted in the first place.
 

B_Monster

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they have still threaten to annialate Israel, what are they gonna use rocks? thats not to say i believe a word the "shrub" (bush) says, hes just a liar!
 

D_Hairy Reed

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What's Bush looking for this time? Another fake reason to bomb another country for oil?

Sure - many of these country's don't have the bext political rulers, but hey, the Americans supported them alright (Bin Laden, Saddam...) - and then they have to fight them again - it's all a bit crazy
 

jason_els

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Clue: Read what Joe Biden said just the day before. If Bush attacks Iran then he will be impeached.

Clue: Putin, a supporter of Iran, was just, "re-elected," in Russia.

Problem: If Israel feels threatened by Iranian nuclear weapons development then Israel will attack Iran whether we want them to or not.

Problem: The US is pledged to defend Israel against all aggressors even if Israel starts the conflict.

Problem: Syria, which shares a border with Israel, is an Iranian ally.

Danger: While Israel has not officially announced that it has nuclear weapons, it does.

Problem: Some Iranian nuclear development sites are in very deep bunkers which only precision nuclear weapons in a bunker-buster configuration can penetrate.

A week ago the United States was forced to either commit to an attack on Iran or not as Iran made the announcement that it could now produce fissile material. The answer as to what the United States will do has already been made. Any strike on Iran has either been approved or tabled.

It is likely, given the statement by Bush and the weakness of his administration, that it was genuine and a signal to Iran that the United States will not attack Iran.

In a way, it's of help to the United States that Putin was re-elected. Russia is completely against Iran becoming a nuclear state. They're very happy that Iran is no longer a US ally and while they're even happier that Iran annoys the US no end, they don't want Iran to become dangerous. Russia, for all its problems, is not run by fools and the idea of Ahmadinejad or any mullah -with-a-mission getting their hands on nuclear weapons, is not in Russia's interest. Russia is far too close to the middle east and any of them could turn on Russia in a minute. Russia already has serious Islamic insurgency problems in Ossetia, Ingusetia, and of course, Chechnya, and a growing Islamic population throughout the lower Caucuses.

You do remember Chechnya right? Well Bush and Putin made a deal. If Putin wouldn't comment on the Iraqi invasion beyond a few terse diplomatic statements, then Bush would turn a blind eye to anything Russia did in the Caucuses to contain Islamic militancy (or revolutionary freedom-fighters depending upon whom you listen to). This we have done though there is no guarantee for Putin that the next US president will go along with this policy.

To that end, Putin may offer to police Iran by proxy for the US in exchange for more of the same indifference to Russian actions in the Caucuses. Russia makes sure Iran only makes reactors, the US can rely on Russian competency to see that this done, and in return, Putin can crush resistance in the oil-rich lower Caucuses which is why these provinces are so important that Russia will fight tooth and nail to keep them.
 

Drifterwood

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I'd be shit scared if I was someone else that needed the US arsenal landing on their head.

No sorry of course they will represent a real and whatever threat to something that is of great interest. Honest.

Nuke North Korea.
 

Guy-jin

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The "liberal" media sure is blatantly ignoring this story.

GWB said Iran would be responsible for WW3. He used fake WMDs to get Americans to let him invade Iraq.

I guess he thought it would work again.

And the "liberal" media hasn't even stepped up to point out that fact.

I'm just gonna start calling it the "neoconservative" media from now on.
 

rob_just_rob

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It'll be interesting to see what happens if Iran does go ahead and set up an oil bourse denominated in euros (or some other non-US currency), as they have long planned to do. I suspect that's the real issue Bush and friends have with Iran.
 

earllogjam

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It'll be interesting to see what happens if Iran does go ahead and set up an oil bourse denominated in euros (or some other non-US currency), as they have long planned to do. I suspect that's the real issue Bush and friends have with Iran.

Hey you up the price of crude - we'll just devalue the dollar. Tit for tat.

I could see how it would be a problem for us if oil went euro.
 

jason_els

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It'll be interesting to see what happens if Iran does go ahead and set up an oil bourse denominated in euros (or some other non-US currency), as they have long planned to do. I suspect that's the real issue Bush and friends have with Iran.

They effectively already have. 85% of Iranian oil is paid for in Euros or Yen and that's OK with Iran's two largest oil customers, Europe and Japan who have plenty of both. Even though the bourse has failed to launch several times, Iran still supposedly has one in the works, but it's a moot point.

Now Russia's bourse, denominated in rubles, THAT is interesting.
 

D_Hairy Reed

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they have still threaten to annialate Israel, what are they gonna use rocks? thats not to say i believe a word the "shrub" (bush) says, hes just a liar!

I love that - the Shrub!! :lmao:
That's what I am gonna call him from now on, too

That's what I will call that idiot from now on. He certainly seems to have the language capabilities of a Shrub! Though he certainly is a trigger-happy shrub... :AR15firing:

Pity is
A) he is sending innocent young people from his own country to their death
B) he is causing death and destruction in other countries
C) he is making innocent Americans unpopular around the world
(and he is criminally ignorant of environmental reality.)