Iran, 2 years and a bomb

Not only did Iran spit in the eye of the IAEA, the United Nations, and the rest of the world by announcing their plans to ``to install 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility", but the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, was quoted as saying, ``Installation of centrifuges will continue steadily until we reach a stage where all 50,000 centrifuges are launched.''

Since the IAEA can't do a complete investigation of Iran's nuclear sites, we have no idea of how long it will be before they can produce nuclear weapons, but the Israelis believe it could be within the next two years. It would be in Israel's interest to know this sort of thing.

Iran still claims their nuclear program is peaceful, but as Chad at In The Bullpen notes:

Iran still maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful means, yet yesterday at the announcement ’students’ protested outside the IAEA office in Tehran shouting out the rather familiar phrases of, “Death to America! Death to England!” What? Israel gets no love? If Iran’s nuclear program were for peaceful reasons, why would the announcement be joined by yells of death to anyone?

Good point. Also while the chants of 'death' echo round the world, the "presidency of the EU once again urges Iran to comply with the demands of the international community and to create the conditions for a return to the negotiating table and for a solution to the conflict surrounding the Iranian nuclear program."

Could the EU sound any weaker? Why don't they get down on their knees and beg, the result would be the same. Iran is going ahead no matter what, but are they bluffing about the progress of their nuclear program?

"This is a country that routinely lies about conventional weapons developments and production," said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Mark Fitzpatrick, an Iran analyst at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the country's announcement sounded like "a boast too far." And nonproliferation expert Michael Levi at the Council for Foreign Relations cautioned, "We shouldn't rush to judgments and take Iran at its word." (more)

Either way, some folks will go so far as to hijack an airplane to get to Iran:

Turkish police arrested a man identified as Mehmet Goksen Gol, stormed the cockpit of a private passenger Pegasus plane and threatened to blow it up unless the flight was diverted to Iran. There were 178 passengers and crew on board, including three babies, non were injured. The would-be terrorists was reading the Koran before he made his demands.

Other reading, fair and balanced:

Ivashov: Press Secretary for Absolut? HET... Former Russian mil chief tries again on Iran, Blogbat

Iraqi Passport Changes Complicate Refugee Problems, Stormwarning's Counterterrorism Blog

U.S.–Made Mess in Somalia, The Independent Institute

Comments

[Angel]

hiya Debbie!..so who will pre-empt this strike and when praytell!

[Harold Wise]

I have written a book about the U.S. military in the Persian Gulf during the years 1987-1988. It includes all the events from Stark through Vincennes, including Operation Praying Mantis which was America's largest sea battle since WW2.

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Danger-Zone-Military-1987-1988/dp/1591149703

[TACK]

``Installation of centrifuges will continue steadily until we reach a stage where all 50,000 centrifuges are launched.'' My opinion is this....With that amount c.fuges it should be obvious to anyone that Iran is aggressively pursuing HEU (highly enriched uranium) production for weapons development. Nuff' said.