There is evidence that not only is Iran working on a nuclear weapon–it is making progress with two-point implosion technology, which allows the diameter of a bomb to be reduced so that it can easily fit into the nosecone of a missile.
Nuclear weapons expert James Acton:
It’s remarkable that, before perfecting step one, they are going straight to step four or five … To start with more sophisticated designs speaks of level of technical ambition that is surprising.
If Iran does develop a fleet of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, then the political impact on every country within range of those missiles will be vast. And the range of those missiles will certainly increase over time. Consider, too, the possibility of Iran basing some of its missiles outside its own country, as Khrushchev attempted to do with Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama continues what can only be called a policy of appeasement toward Iran, and refuses to provide encouragement or comfort to those who are challenging the regime in that country. Here’s Obama:
I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.
Michael Ledeen says: “He could not spare a single word for the plight of the people of Iran, who were being beaten, clubbed, stabbed and shot as he issued his statement”…which continues:
We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community. We have accepted a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet Iran’s request for assistance in meeting the medical needs of its people. We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.
Obama is going to have a hard time arguing that two-point implosion is a technology relevant to “peaceful nuclear power” or to medical applications of nuclear energy.
Ledeen:
This is Jimmy Carter all over again, and just as Carter’s appeasement of the Islamic Republic led to the death of countless innocents, in Iran and around the world, so Obama’s appeasement will do the same. He, and his administration, are accomplices to evil. From Iran, via Twitter, comes the bottom line:
“Gee the people of Iran seek to really CHANGE things and Obama says, let’s negotiate w/ the Nazis”
See also comments from Iran’s Ayatollah Khatami, here.
I think it’s worse than Jimmy Carter. Carter was naive. Obama is flooring the accelerator as he heads for the cliff.
Given that the Iranians appear to be pursuing multiple routes to nuclear weapons, including Uranium enrichment and Plutonium generation, this is not that surprising. Uranium gun-assembly nuclear warhead designs are very straightforward, the US tested its first such device by dropping it on Hiroshima, Japan (it worked). Such devices are heavy, though they are perfectly suitable for delivery via bomber or subterfuge. Countries can build them and put them in their stockpile without a showy test for the world to gawk at.
However, Iran is very obviously pursuing a nuclear weapon that can be put on a ballistic missile. In order to do so they need more advanced designs, it makes perfect sense for them to attempt to acquire the most advanced designs they can.
Re the danger of Iran basing missiles outside its own country, here are some great circle distances:
Caracas, Venezuela to Miami, Florida: 1360 miles
Trujillo, Honduras to Miami, Florida: 807 miles
Trujillo, Honduras to Atlanta, Georgia: 1150 miles
The range of Iran’s Shahab-3 missile is quoted at between 800 and 1300 miles, with a 1-ton payload.
It’s beyond me why our president continues to express sympathy towards Iran, who repeatedly shows the world they are in no way willing to accept peace. Sooner or later Iran and Israel will come face to face. Then, who knows what will happen.
http://www.hackwilson.blogspot.com
Hack..point of clarification regarding Obama’s “sympathy towards Iran”…there is no evidence that he feels any sympathy toward the Iranian *people*, rather, as hard as it may be to believe, he does seem to feel sympathy, or at least a sense of protectiveness, toward the Iranian *regime*.
It’s a terrible thing to think, let alone say, but I don’t see any other hypothesis that fits the data.