Iran might want nuclear weapons, but would it really use them – which would invite massive retaliation?
After all, remember that as a huge thank you for sitting out of the 1991 Gulf War, Germany and the United States basically gave Israel a few Dolphin class submarines, which were reportedly modified to carry nuclear-armed cruise missiles. That gave the Jewish state “second strike” capability. That means that Israel now has underwater boats that can launch a series of missiles at the Republic of Iran even if – God forbid – the State of Israel were seriously damaged or basically wiped out from nuclear attack.
So would Iran really hit Israel, let alone Eastern Europe (already in its missile range) and Western Europe (which technological advances show will be in range within a few years at most)? Would Iran be willing to absorb the certain nuclear response?
Yes, it would.
Let’s look at several scenarios in which the worst could happen and what that means:
*Iran’s leaders – let alone a rogue agent with Iran – could sell nuclear technology to third parties, such as Al-Qaeda or others. Why do we think this could occur? That’s exactly what happened after Pakistan went nuclear. Former top Pakistani scientist A. Q. Khan admitted a few years ago that on his own he sold nuclear technology to Libya, North Korea and Iran. We already know that Syria wants nuclear ability. What if western-oriented Arab leaders (a relative term) in Egypt and Syria are overthrown by their much more radical Islamic opposition – while not a likely scenario, definitely a realistic one?
*If Iran’s leaders feel that their revolution is threatened to a point where it will unquestionably be overturned, they could launch a going away present at the West – say at the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, or Saudi oil fields, or Tel Aviv. Suicidal people act that way when pressed into a corner.
*Nuclear technology is obviously highly advanced, which means that Iranian scientists are gaining tremendous knowledge, which will only lead them down other horrible roads. Do we really want these people, with these leaders, dealing with what is literally the most dangerous weapon yet discovered on the planet?
Those are the main reasons why Iran’s nuclear lust must be either stopped or controlled through real international inspections.
But there’s another issue that must be examined: Israel’s nuclear policy of ambiguity. I hope to cover that in the next posting.
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