Iran is making Moves

[muman613]

I believe that Irans recent launch of long-range missiles was a message to the west that Iran is preparing for a war against Israel and America. It is stupid to ignore this maneuvering by the rogue regime in Tehran. If there was anyone at the helm of this country he should be actively working against Iran to prevent them from obtaining nuclear technology.

The president, by sitting on his hands, is giving implicit permission for the monster Achmadinajad to build his nuclear arsenal so that he can threaten the world. There is a time and a place for diplomacy but it is not this time. The writing is on the wall as clear as day that Iran is posturing to become a middle-eastern world power and preparing to challenge Americas status in the world.



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-06/28/c_13954863.htm

TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced on Tuesday that it " successfully" testfired 14 short-range, medium-range and long- range missiles on the second day of the missile drills.

According to the local English language satellite Press TV report, the missiles fired included Zelzal, Shahab-1, Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 on the second day of the Piambar A'zam-6 (Great Prophet-6) military drills.

The missiles which were launched near the central city of Qom comprised five Shahab missiles, including four medium-range and one long-range, as well as nine Zelzal missiles.

The Islamic Republic began the drills on Monday, and on the first day of the exercises, Iran unveiled underground missile silos and fired Fateh-110 missile.
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Aerospace commander of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said Tuesday that Iran's missiles have the range of 2,000 km and can reach U.S. bases in the region and also Israel.

Iran does not need to increase the range of its missiles since Israel is just 1,200 km away from Iran and the U.S. bases are even nearer, some 120 to 700 km away from Iran, said the commander.

With the existing missiles, Iran can hit the targets from the Iranian central cities of Semnan and Damghan, Hajizadeh said.

He dismissed the threats by the Europeans and said that Iran has designed and developed its missiles for U.S. and Israel targets.

The commander also rejected the allegations that Iran has imported the missiles and the technology of the missiles from the DPRK.
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[muman613]

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44503

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To make matters worse for those concerned about missile defense, Iran is racing toward the development of an atomic-tipped ballistic missile arsenal in spite of international efforts to isolate the rogue.  Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified that “Iran has the scientific, technical and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons.”  Tehran also continues to “expand the scale, reach and sophistication of its ballistic missile forces, many of which are inherently capable of carrying a nuclear payload,” Clapper said.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), draws a similar conclusion with its report dated May 24, 2011.  The nine-page report states that its own inquiries show “the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”

The IAEA also reports that Iran has increased production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and continues to enrich uranium to the 20% level, representing 85% of the work needed to produce weapons-grade material.  It already has enough LEU, if further enriched, for several bombs, and more is being produced daily.  And Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted to the IAEA that his country’s nuclear project has “no brake and no reverse gear.”

Consider four consequences of Obama’s decision to cancel Bush’s European-based GMD in light of these new developments.
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The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative states that Iran’s now twice-successful Safir satellite launch vehicle, if converted into a ballistic missile, would likely be able to carry a 1,100-pound warhead 1,875 miles (reaching Berlin), or a 2,200-pound warhead approximately 1,250 miles (covering the entire Middle East).  Put that capability into perspective.

The warhead’s weight and explosive yield depend on the technology used.  The “Fat Man” atomic bomb that destroyed Nagasaki in 1945 weighed 10,300 pounds and produced an explosive yield of 21 kilotons.  By comparison, modern atomic weapons can weigh just a few hundred pounds and produce an explosive yield equal to hundreds of kilotons.

Today, Iran is experimenting with all the technologies necessary to produce a powerful nuclear warhead, and the missiles to deliver those weapons.  The question for the West is not whether, but when, Iran will field such a weapon.

Finally, “There is a real risk that Iran’s nuclear program will prompt other countries to pursue nuclear options,” National Intelligence Director Clapper testified.  That risk is rapidly becoming reality.  At least 10 Middle East countries have plans to build nuclear power plants.  The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council set up a nuclear exploratory commission in 2007, and Saudi Arabia is working with the U.S. to obtain “a nuclear capacity.”  Remember, spent reactor fuel, which includes plutonium after chemical processing, can be used to fabricate the heart of a nuclear weapon.