ANALYSIS / How many more secret nuke sites does Iran have?
The question is of particular interest to the military leaders weighing a military option against Iran.
By Yossi Melman Tags: Iran Israel news Iran nuclearIntelligence experts in the West and in Israel assumed for some time that a country that is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons would also develop a secret installation for enriching uranium so that it could hide its activities from the international community.
At such an installation, it would then be able to enrich uranium to a sufficiently high level that it would be usable as fissile material in a nuclear bomb. Indeed, what has taken place over the past few days has been the realization of those estimates, with Iran announcing that it had in place an additional installation for uranium enrichment, beyond the one the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency were aware of in Natanz.
Iran's announcement was made so as to preempt the news first being released by the media or foreign governments. However, Iran made no real gain with its admission. On the contrary, it has only aroused additional suspicions regarding its plans, incensed the international community, and embarrassed its few supporters. Even Russia, which has to date backed Iran and prevented the imposition of harsh sanctions against Tehran, appears to be losing patience.
Iran's timing was especially bad, with the announcement about the Qom facility coming only days before the scheduled October 1 start of talks in Geneva with the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany. Those talks are intended to resolve the issue of Tehran's nuclear program. The announcement also came a short while after the IAEA's annual meeting, just after the UN General Assembly gathering, and on the day the G-8 met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In all settings, Iran was topped the agenda.
The announcement resulted in a demand from the leaders of the U.S., France and the United Kingdom that Iran allow international inspectors to enter the site at Qom. Iran confirmed that it intends to do just that and is trying to calm things by saying that only low-level enrichment took place at the facility, just like at Natanz - intended for the peaceful purpose of producing electricity.
But the world is now finding it difficult to believe a regime that has in the past been caught lying more than once. According to Tehran, the newly publicized installation is small, and can house only 3,000 centrifuges, which are too few for industrial production. This, coupled with Iran's efforts to highlight the activities at Natanz while constructing a secret facility, leads to only one conclusion: that they were planning to use the installation to produce highly enriched uranium for military use.
If Iran does agree to let IAEA inspectors into the site, it will have to build a third enrichment facility - although there may already be one in place. Which raises a major question: How many other secret sites does Iran have for the production of the essential elements for its nuclear program? This is a question of particular importance to the military planners who are considering a military option against Iran.
Some analysts have said that the installation at Qom is the "smoking gun" that proves, beyond doubt, that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Nonetheless, global political interests do not seem to be any closer to converging on how to deal with Iran and its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Iran is getting closer to its goal of being in a position to produce nuclear weapons.
- Print Page
- Send to a friend
- Comments
- Share
- Text Size +|-
-
This story is by:
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
The issue of Iran having a nuclear weapon is a very serious one. The world would be better off without it. Some of the questions one could ask are: why would Iran be seeking nuclear weapon capabilities? Does it feel threatened by regional or world powers who may already have nuclear weapons? Is it illegal for any nation to develop weapons that it feels will increase the its security? Finally, would a Nuclear Armed Iran mean nuclear war in the region which would almost assure mutual destruction? We need to do ourselves a favor: be honest, look at why Iran might want to have the weapon. Look at the whole region, and its problems/issues. Are we letting our politics getting in the way in such a way that we don't want to even listen to the other side? Why is the dog barking? Is it because he simply mad or is it trying to tell us something? Think about this one: Are India and Pakistan any closer to an armed conflict now that they both have nuclear weapons than before they both had it?
Our best bet is to stick to negotiations at this point.
Iran has not signed the Addional Protocol, so it is in its right not to abide with that. By a similar logic, Israel has not signed the NPT, so they are allowed to have nuclear weapons. You can't have it both ways. If Israel is not bound by treaties it did not sign, neither is Iran.
Israel should announce that it does indeed have nuclear weapons and that it will not hesitate to use them if it is attacked by Iran, or if it is attacked in a catastrophic manner by an unknown source that it has reason to believe is being facilitated by iran. It should announce that its missiles are hidden in a variety of places and that it will use both its nuclear submarines and land based nuclear missiles if necessary,targeting major popularion centers such as Tehran. What is amazing is that Israel acts as if it is the weaker of the two parties when in reality it is the stronger. This is the only posture that the current Iranian regime will respect and it has the best chance of deterring them from launching a nuclear attack against Isreal. Since the Iranian regime considers Jews to be devils, we need to act as such to deter them.
That's for us to know and for you to find out! Good luck!
Indeed, how many more have they hidden? Well, probaby not as many as Israel has hidden. But, I betcha it's at least a hundred.
Given the threats, why wouldn't Iran want a nuclear deterrence?... I'm just saying...
Iran is a very secretive country. They keep their nuk sites secret.They keep homosexuality in their society secret by killing the"guilty"and denying their existence. They keep their women faces covered,and they keep the result of the election secret. Opposition must be secret,and not censored press must be hidden.The sale of DVDs is going secretly,and the same with satellite dish. And the use of internet all must be done secretly. "Secrecy is the enemy of efficiency,but don't let anybody know it."
What would you do, you ask. Maybe learn to know all the millions better that are not militants and find a way to live with them instead of looking down at them from your high horse.
The heavenly Father must be so sick of having His Name bandied about by warmongers and righteous freaks. What if the (quoted) leaders below make the wrong choices and He decides to punish them... which would not be a first either." "...rest assured the only arbirator of our fate is G-D.HE will inspire the people and leaders of our nation.they will make the right choices. your views are superfluous."
Why stop with those three,what about the UK,US, Russia,China,France,or are they having special privilege?.the right should be for all or non.
"It`s going to be a beautiful thing. And after the attack, iran will plummet into turmoil, followed by an uprising of the people, which will end with the dictators hanging upside down on public squares."
Just ask Iran,they will tell you,and they won't lie about it.why should they,it is after all for a civilian use.Like the Shahab 3 is for carrying weather baloon.Many of our posters will confirme that if you don't believe me.
That is more sites that they have on the internet in Iran.
How many sites and weapons does Iran have is a valid question. How many nuclear bombs and sites has Israel had for many many years. Two valid questions. Both demand answers. Perhaps if Israel had been open about its arsenal then Iran may not have had reason to arm itself. No denying the seriousness of the situation with Iran but Iran has many reasons not to trust Israel, nor the US which uncritically supports and bankrolls the Israel enterprise
and you knew all along about the uranium enrichment facility outside the Iranian city of Qom? My assessment may be just as valid as yours. Although I would find it strange after Iran's close co-operation with North Korea in missile technology, that Iran's leaders resisted the temptation to ask if they could buy a reactor capable of producing Plutonium. OK I 10 might be on the high side, but if Syria had a PRNK designed reactor for the production of Plutonium, I would be very surprised if Iran didn't have one as well.
I've read patiently 63 blogs, most of them claiming either that Iran and Israel should be judged by the same standards, or that it's impossible to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities anyhow. Easy for you guys in Texas, Australia or Wales to theorize about what would Iran do next. What do you have to lose? I still remember the Iraqi missiles dropping near my house in 1991, and I don't want to risk another round with Ahmadinejad, this time with an atomic warhead. If you have any integrity, ask yourself what would you do if you were PM of Israel? Do you really maintain that there's an equation btw the Israeli and the Iranian threat for a nuclear war? I'm not a great fan of Netanyahu myself, but would you really compare his willingness to launch an atomic bomb to that of Ahmadinejad or Hamenai? After a serious search soul, please tell me WHAT WOULD YOU DO if your home would be threatened by these butchers of their own people?
Israel has been hiding its nuclear facility and war heads for decades. Now this double stand-ard is not going below anyon'e radar screen I know today. As a matter of fact, ordinary Americans are shouting out "Hypocrites!" "Hypocrites!" in their e-mails to one another on Israel. Dutch
Israel has the power and doesn't know what to do with it. Al Qaida knows what to do with it but doesn't have it. Itan builds, the USA kills, and everyone preaches righteousness. So Iran scapegoats Israel, Israel scapegoats the USA, and the USA scapegoats Iran! However appropriate to the season, it's the blame game in disguise and no end in sight! But cracks are appearing in the American/Israeli coalition! New coalition, anyone???
Iran gets nuke no matter who says what. Get over it. There is not going to be a strike... try to sell some kiwi in Tehran instead... and learn some Farsi. They need to be influenced and assisted instead of shot at, so that their resources can not be forced to pay for new wave of suicide bombings in Tel ? Aviv.
"Iran does not have to mention anything about the plant until 180 days prior to placing nuclear material." - Butros Dahu That is correct under the NPT. "Iran could build a few plants, follow 180 day requirement, and be in compliance." - ibid Correct "Iran has not done anything wrong. " ibid True, except that Iran has in the past not hewed to the NPT, and that makes EVERYTHING it does suspect. Iran is, in this matter as American and Israel are. Victims of their own perfidy. None of them are without shame in the matter of lies about their behavior. And NONE are exempt from their past. Iran had better start providing more than 'last minute compliance' with the NPT. America might stop the massive violations of the NPT created by the Bush treaty with India, and if it wants ANY credibility in these matters, Israel might join the NPT. All three nations are in massive violation of the NPT and NONE OF THEM have a moral leg to stand upon.
"it doesnt matter how many sites Iran has if it complies w NPT" - American in NY Agreed, but we cannot forget that Iran did NOT comply with the NPT at all times in the past. It concealed it's contacts with the Pakistani nuclear proliferation network. it does not matter that the United States fed, and concealed that network, the Khan, conspiracy. What does matter is that like the United States, Iran chose to conceal it's connection with the massive violations of the NPT that allowed Pakistan to develop a bomb. The US is guilty of allowing the violations of the NPT that led to the Pakistani bomb, and Iran is guilty of violating the NPT to gain assistance from Pakistan. Two violations do not make a right. Perhaps the US and Israel know how many other sites the Iranians have. It not matter. Both Israel and the US conspired to hid the site just revealed for several - or more - years. Why?
IRC doesn;t look near as good in print as Dr. Congo. :-)
"How many more secret nuke sites does Iran have? " Five. Three more at undisclosed locations in Iran, one in North Korea, and one under the North Pole. Why do you think the polar ice is melting?
Iran does not have to mention anything about the plant until 180 days prior to placing nuclear material. Iran could build a few plants, follow 180 day requirement, and be in compliance. Iran has not done anything wrong.
turned his back on the Iranian people and condoned the mullah regime which quickly made war against the US by blowing up the US marines in Lebanon in the early 80's.The Iranians have bben preparing for a nuclear war with the west from the onset and while the world is focusing on Israel, the Iranian mullahs are setting the stage for destruction.Through Hizbollah and Hamas and Cells placed in strategic places in Latin America.Iran intends to attack the US eventually and the only entity standing in its way from its plan for humanity is Israel.Israel is bringing attention to the mullahs' who see Israel as only the obstacle to creating havoc and taking control over humanity.Everyone including Israel's enemies and the Palestinians are in danger from a nuclear Iran
I hope you are right. I do wonder however why you supported an attack on Iran here on Talkback if you now believe energy sanctions can do the job.
and nuclear fall out is already impacting negatively on all life on land and sea... Italian mafia recently sank an Italian nuclear waste ship! An informant from the Calabrian mafia said the ship was one of a number he blew up to by-pass laws of toxic waste disposal. The informant said the ship carried "nuclear" material. The informant said the mafia had muscled in on "radioactive" waste disposal. The sunken ship has been found off the South-West coast of Italy. Yellow containers, have also been found along side the vessel, with are labeled indicating contents are toxic. A search for 30 other such sunken ships believed to have been scuttled by the mafia is under way. (Reference: BBC News Italy 16 September 2009)
"Iran has so many reactors based on the Notrth Korean model they gave one as a present to Syria." - Chris Lintwhwaite Iran has a 5 Mw research reactor provided by the USA. It has a VVER-1000 power reactor provided by Russia but not yet in service. Iran is building a 40 Mw heavy water reactor at Arak, it is announced to the IAEA and under supervision. Iran has NO North Korean reactors and no one of any competence has ever suggested they did. "Iran possessed they wouldn`t be secret would they? I said a couple of years ago that I believed the Uranium enrichment was for the consumption of the International community" - Chris Iran does not have the production capacity to fuel it's Bushehr reactor. Nor does it have Uranium mining capacity to export. "My guess is Iran owns 10 North Korean reactors as opposed to the one at Dimona," - Chris Bad guess.
"Iran and the world need nukes for Iran." - W The world does not need more nukes for anyone. The USA used them, long ago, and not since anyone else had them. Nukes have only one real purpose. They ensure that the nation which possess them will not be the only loser in a war. "Israel will never negotiate in good faith other than through fear. Iranian nukes will provide the fear Israel needs to give us real peace." - W Israel will eventually calm down, stop scaring itself crazy and realize that if Tel Aviv goes, Tehran glows. The only thing that would change if Iran get the bomb is that Israel will stop talking about attacking it.
What we hear in the media about Russia "losing patience" to me is a huge joke. Of course, Russia is aiding Iran's nuclear program to the hilt. Russia is basically an "outfitter" for Iran's nuke programs and a way for Russia to threaten Israel without directly incurring America,Israel, and the West's wrath upon itself. Very clever, indeed !
Acutally israel is held in many ways to a much higher standard than the overwhelming majority of countries, and does so under the most extreme of circumstances while under a constant magnifying glass... a perverse and distorted way in which you describe israel no doubt having never been there or for that matter undergone any formal education on the matter....im sure the colorful propaganda you read shouting anti-semitism at the top of its breath daily (while praising the laurels of the sweet innocent pals) is quite entertaining
actually there are a number of reasons why israel should have the bomb and iran should not...if you bothered to read and educate yourself with something more than propaganda , you might know that.... must be a colorful illusion in which you live where the palestinians and iranians can do no significant wrong (let alone the majority of poor decision making and acts of hatred and attempted annihilation long before israel even existed)
and so did Iran! Ahmadinejad DID NOT threaten to "wipe Israel off the map."
to open the gate to check on your nukes
Known Facts agreed upon by all: 1. Iran notified the IAEA by letter of it's facility 2. The USA announced the existence of the facility after Iran's letter was received, but before the IAEA announced it. So did the USA 'out' Iran or did Iran come clean? If, as has been proposed Iran became aware of the US intent to out the plant, then where in the US government is the spy, leak or crypto breach?
IRAN Hiding Nuke sites ! On 26,9,09, under the title 'SMOKESCREEN' ! I warned that Iran,by coming forward & saying that she has another Uranium Enrishment Facility is probably hiding something even bigger & more powerful,unaccessible & unknown to the outside world !
"If Iran does agree to let IAEA inspectors into the site, it will have to build a third enrichment facility." - Yossi Melman If Iran actually intends to build nuclear weapons it will. The world can drive the cost up, and should. But it cannot prevent Iran from becoming a nation with nuclear weapons short of invading and occupying Iran. Iran is not as inept and incompetent as Saddam Hussien. Nor, for that matter, has it been willing to go to the extremes of secrecy pursued by South Africa (who still failed to conceal it's program). At this point what can the world do? Not much. The best we can hope for is to gain the best intelligence we can, and the maximum waring time possible concerning Iran's activities. The US and Israel concealed this plant for Iran with sound reason. Any talk of a quick, clean, simple, strike to take out Iran's capabilities becomes prattle when the complexity of hitting many targets spread across a large nation is considered.
Interesting that Iran has the full technology for building these plants and their content. Are these plants Iran designs? Are they completely Iran Made? Are all the Components Iran Made? Are the centrifuges Iran Made? I understand there might be a Pakistan, Korean component. But China and Russia are in no rush to condem. Are not Russian engineering teams busy with the atomic plant now being built in Iran for so called civilian electrical generation? Intel. had most of the information available over the years but there is was no Public Knowledge. What is really going on? David Gutholc
I agree and to make sure the Arab world understood we treated everyone else equally. The same sanctions should also apply to Israel, India and Pakistan.
iran have two declared nuke sites, is anybody know how many hidden nuke site isreal have? that why they are not allowing un inspector.
ica.Iran has been planning a nuclear war in the name of religious zealotry since the 80's when they declared war against the US and killed marines. The mullahs have been placing groups and missles sites wherever they could find enemies of the western freedoms.Israel stands in their way as warriors against the spread of Sharia dominated Caliphate which wants to destroy humanity.The western hemisphere is in the same danger that Israel is in with Hizbollah to the north and hamas to the south.To save this planet the world must help the Iranian people destroy the mullah government.get rid of Iranian proxies,hizbollah and Hamas which is destroying Lebanon and palestinian people with the help of Iran and Syria and destroy the nuclear ambitions of these enemies of all of humanity
r cummings thank you for the delightful advice. reading your numerous posts one would not have have thought you were a keen supporter. rest assured the only arbirator of our fate is G-D.HE will inspire the people and leaders of our nation.they will make the right choices. your views are superfluous.
Iran needs more secret nuke sites. Iran and the world need nukes for Iran. Israel will never negotiate in good faith other than through fear. Iranian nukes will provide the fear Israel needs to give us real peace.
Guys, Guys, how simple are you. Believe me, Iran not only has many more advance nuke site, but it has already many N-BOMBS. May be domestic product, or purchased from ex-soviet states, or even NKorea, or Pakistan. All these countries are starved of cash, and Iran has a lot of them. My guess is, that Bush-Cheney knew this, and that's why they did not touch Iran, despite all the pressure from world zionists. All the noise israel is making is, just to prevent Iran from giving mini nukes to Nasrallah, and Meshal, because if so, IDF can not go slauthering pals, without paying the heavy price...
The news will surely make Israeli leaders turn into peaceful things : )
If the US/Israel, and the west knew about this facility, and certainly Iran knew, then what was the fuss about Israeli attack? All the players knew it could not happen. Why US/Israel/West played with the world's emotions? Unless, ...
Iran possessed they wouldn't be secret would they? I said a couple of years ago that I believed the Uranium enrichment was for the consumption of the International community. Iran has so many reactors based on the Notrth Korean model they gave one as a present to Syria. My guess is Iran owns 10 North Korean reactors as opposed to the one at Dimona, which isn't North Korean but French with Norwegian heavy water.
"Iran confirmed that it intends to do just that and is trying to calm things by saying that only low-level enrichment took place at the facility, just like at Natanz - intended for the peaceful purpose of producing electricity. " Just a lie! The facility is not even complete!
fuel and all kinds of transportation. It would take care of everything.
How many illegal nuclear sides has Israel? How many WMD has Israel? How many countries were attacked by Iran past 60 years?.how many by Israel? How many roads in Iran have signs "for Muslims only"?, how many roads are in Israel "for Jews only"? etc.....
Do you really think the Israelis and especially the israeli defense juggernaught would attack without doing there homework? When the israelis attack, you can be assured they will know everything there is to know about iran.
Iran knows that"a thief is a king till he's caught"so they will continue their deceptions. "Be a lion at home and a fox abroad"as the old Persian saying. "The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one."
by this time and with present technologies all nuclear sites in Iran are known to spy agencies. So what if Haaretz is not one of them ?
Isreal is protected by the west and is not obliged to follow normal international norms. To the contrary, Iran has always followed the rule of laws, not Israel. Israeli has not signed the Viena convention and enjoy freedom to do it likes with the kind dupport of western powers. This is ridiculous and unfair. Only, the law of the jungle permits this absurdity and arrogance.
Israel has them as well as many other crazy nations hell bent on dominance in their little patch of the world. They are the new black, everyone wans some because N Korea has proven that having is a great security insurance policy. Iran has 'secret' facilities, sure, but so does ISrael and most of the western powers. Don't get so hepped up about it because if this was a chicken and egg debate, Israels behaviour is probably the reason IRan would want nukes anywa.
the Iranian nuclear programme is dispersed across a number of known and unknown sites. Nantaz, the heavy water site at Arak and eventually Qom facility are obvious targets, but there are a load of other known sites associated with their civil nuclear programme. Which means that taking out specific enrichment sites would be a temporary measure, even if possible. With only 25 F15 Strike Eagles capable of reaching the target, doubts that the GBU bunker bomb could penetrate Natanz and Qom and an array of Russian SAM missiles in defence, the IAF does not have the resources and, going by Cast Lead, would not accept the inevitable casualties. It would be a stupid move anyway. US/UN actions will result in either IAEA inspection or heavy economic sanctions. It doesn't need Israel on the stage threatening things it cannot do and demanding sanctions it cannot assist in, while refusing to sign the NPT covering its own nukes. Bibi is just playing to the domestic audience again.
Signatories to the NNPT must declare enrichment facilities 6 months before fuel is introduced. Iran has done this. IF the US knew about this facility they have an obligation under the treaty to inform the IAEA which they did not. Therefore the US is in violation of the treaty and Iran has adhered to it. Iran has allowed inspections as required under the treaty. They may not have always been forthcoming but they have NEVER been in violation of the treaty. They have however ignored UNSC resolutions to stop enrichment but consider it their right under the treaty. The treaty allows them to withdraw from it and I don't know why they don't. Better yet why don't they tie there compliance with UNSC resolutions to Isreals compliance with the hundred or so resolutions they continue to ignore. If they want to make a bomb no one is capable of stopping them for more than a couple of years. It's obvious they have no fear of Israel. One has to wonder why?
Mr Melman doesn't get to the point. Regardless, wether Iran was forced by the circumstances to confirm the Qom enrichment facility or wether she was revealing it on purpose, it is a blow to all such ideas as 'eliminating the iranian threat by force'. The Qom site is buried deep inside a mountain, below a layer of rock 100ths of meters thick. There is absolutely no chance to destroy it, not even with a nuclear warhead. And how many more such sites exist in Iran ? We don't know.
"Israel is in exactly the same position as Iran on non-declaration of nuclear sites, so what is good for the goose...." (Palestinian Brit) Not "exactly". Rather totally inexactly. Israel never asked that Iran must be "erased from the map" as Ahmadinejad did when he started the whole commotion... This small item is the difference between life and death.
Does anyone get the irony of the headline? It's the pot calling the kettle black. Whilst I find the Iranian regime reprehensible and their nuclear program scary, the question posed by Israel is almost funny. Soooo... how many secret nuke sites/bombs/rockets does Israel ( not ) have????
then all those others might not be either. But, hey, all this rings a bell! We had the weapons of mass destruction stuff that was the excuse to go into Iraq. Has it ended so well that it's time to try the same again? How come we keep trying failed recipes? Or is short-term gain for some more important than peace and a little less prosperity, but for all of us?
The attack on the iranian nuclear sites is imminent. The allies have been acting indecisively in the public domian, while the attack plan has been worked on at the same time by the military planners. It's going to be a beautiful thing. And after the attack, iran will plummet into turmoil, followed by an uprising of the people, which will end with the dictators hanging upside down on public squares. It's hard to decide which gives most pleasure, having a free iran without their dictatorship, or seeing the leftwing new-world-order conspiracy lunatics getting their whole world collapsed while they are chatting about iran being the untouchable god-sent superpower.
Iran probably has many more facilities, and they adopted a policy early on of dispersing and defending them with the knowledge there would be opposition and possible attempts at destruction. what is the proper response is still being debated, but the time has passed and Iran has mostly acheived it's goal of nuclear weapon capability. the answer is not waves of air planes attacking, but total boycott, total freedom to inspect, and a total abandonment of the project, but that is not likely to happen. so, i recommend the sites by seeded by the air with toxic germs and chemicals so workers cannot work there. period. if warnings are posted in advance, there need not be a single death or injury. pellets of platonium can be planted at every known plant and the shelf life is tens of thousands of years. a murderous impulse by Iran, deserves an appropriate preventive response. I have spoken.
Do as you would have others do unto you. Israel is in exactly the same position as Iran on non-declaration of nuclear sites, so what is good for the goose....
This is why the Westren Allies need to engage Iran in a naval blockade where Iranian ships are detained and searched. There are existing UN Security Council resolutions that allow this. While this is done the B52's and B1 bombers need to be moved to Diago Garcia. The Iranians won't tolerate this and there will be conflict.
This site has no centrifuges and is 18 months from completion but is Iran answer for any bombing attack, only a nuke could take out this site. Iran plans to back down and let IAEA inspectors into the sites but US/UN/Israel want to take away ability for making nukes at a later time. If Iran has an independ nuclear energy program then most the ability for making nukes is still there but is legal under NPT. This site with Irans new centrifuges could product enough uranium for 5 bombs per year. Iran will soon have 3 reactors but only one is heavy water and it needs 5 to 7yrs to product plutonium and electricty.
The only possibly sucessfull action to prevent any measures of an military confrontation, rendering it quite useless and considering the belligerent states of the region a must-do.
Thank you for your response. "Why cant you admit that there is another interpretation of the facts? Iran is planning a nuclear bomb." I don't dismiss that possibility at all. I only state that 1) No one has proven that Iran is pursuing a bomb and 2) Iran is staying within the letter of the NPT treaty. The U.S. NIE just a week ago reiterated its 2007 conclusion that Iran is not working on a weapon. This despite having known about this facility "for years." That said, Iran would be stupid not to be working on a bomb given the very real and often stated possibility of a U.S./Israeli attack. Therefore "Erring on the side of caution - it is incumbent on Iran to block any possibility of this event coming about" i.e. a n deterrent. But You are right. Iran is almost certainly working on a capability to build nukes at a moment's notice. The significance of this mountainous facility is to demonstrate that Iran can build nukes even if attacked...so better not attack. Sorry for a long answer
YOU can't ask a question that doesn't exists. this is totally biased. how many secret nuke sites does Israel have? now that's a question i really want to be answered.
What if, one day, the 'Democratic Republic of the Congo' becomes the 'Islamic Republic of the Congo' and they decide to acquire nuclear arms in order to destroy Israel. What about that scenario and a hundred other scenarios that might arise in the world of Islam. As a Christian Lebanese I eventually was a Jew who converted to Christianity and right now I enjoy being a friend with the Arabs and I would rather classify myself as an Arab than a Jew because Arabs accepted me for who I am and did not wage a propaganda war to tarnish my reputation as Israel did and is still doing. My advise for you guys is to resolve the Palestinian issue in order to save yourselves the burden of being the enemy of 1.5 billion Muslims.
games over,,,, Israel will strike and with the west,US. russias and china/s blessing, behind closed doors they're will be comdenations,some will come agaist the lords truth,fine.. let the chips fall where they fall... Iran's time is here to self ignite... and they will burn, Arab nations will challenge with their lies but Israel and their allies will reign even in death....which ill never happeis to Israel!
How many more sites has the US and Israel been hiding? Why did they hid the Qom plant? I understand Iranian paranoia. The invasion of Iran in the 1980s was a deaths struggle which cost Iran greatly and in which it was - literally - the world against Iran. Iran won, but barely. During the Iran-Iraq War, there was medium range ballistic missile attacks by both nations. Iraq fired 520 SCUDs at Iran, and Iran replied with 177. Why did the US and Israel refuse to give the information they had to the IAEA? Out of respect for Iranian paranoia? Why not just do what the US just did and blame a resistance group outside Iran?. Is Qom is a smoking gun proving an Iranian bomb program? If it was, and it is to be under IAEA inspections and safeguards, then it no longer is. Not one smidgeon of the Uranium being processed at Natanz has gone unaccounted for. And none has been enriched to bomb grade. If Qom is monitored by the IAEA, then nothing from there will be either. Or we will know.
Others possibly has no such dome to be detected from above Possibly they have underground facilities and thousands of centrifuges Israeli attack an Iran shall give a good cause to close all Iranian facilites and produce nuclear bombs because during Iran-Israeli war possibly Israel will threaten Iran with nukes Israel will endorse their ownership of nuclear guns
Why cant you admit that there is another interpretation of the facts? Iran is planning a nuclear bomb. Is that so hard to accept as a possible contingency? Erring on the side of caution - it is incumbent on the West to block any possibility of this event coming about.
How was this an embarrassment to Russia??? The US and Israel knew about this for years and you don't think Russia did as well??
In a few days, this will die down. Iran has informed the IAEA that it has a new facility 6 months or more prior to introducing uranium EXACTLY AS IT IS REQUIRED TO DO. The U.S./Israel and their hangers-on are trying to make a lot of noise about it and at first it seemed convincing, but with time it's becoming clear that Iran is in total compliance with its NPT obligations. Russia and China will figure that out soon enough and the west will again be complaining of their foot dragging and lack of cooperation. However, Iran has built this facility into the side of a mountain. Essentially, it is nearly indestructible. The message to the west is clear. We're not building nukes now. But if you attack us, all bets are off. We'll do what we want and their wont be a damned thing you can do about it.