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An Israeli strike would probably nix Iran's nuke weapon program for good.

Reader comment on item: Today's Iran Debate Misses the Point
in response to reader comment: A Flawed Assumption

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Apr 16, 2015 at 04:05

Hello, John

Here are some thoughts concerning the reservations you put forth about the effectiveness of an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear weapons capability:

1. Israel has already stopped two Middle East nuclear weapons programs dead in their tracks through air strikes: Iraq and Syria

2. Israel does not need to take out Iran's entire chain of nuclear weapons production. These weapons require a long line of processes. The American nuclear program during World War II, for instance, was the largest industrial enterprize in the country -- employing 125,310 workers in 1942; yet virtually none of them were aware of the end product they were working to build.

3. Many of the processes involved are very expensive, such as the array of costly centrifuges to enrich uranium. Those machines are not simply aluminum tubes: They need to be able to operate within tight constraints, and to resist corrosion from gaseous uranium fluorides that attack most materials. The reactor at Bushehr is also very fine-tuned; and only slight damage to it could cause it to be shut down. Remember Chernobyl.

4. One argument against a strike is that Iran could quickly restart its program. Neither Saddam nor Assad chose to restart theirs, and there must have been good reasons they didn't. Charlie Brown may have been a sucker for Lucy every year, hoping against hope that she would not snatch back the ball while he was trying to kick it; but leaders like the Ayatollahs are faster learners than this: They know that if Israel could stop them in one strike, it could easily do so again if they tried to rebuild.

A couple of years ago, I considered that probably the greatest obstacle, to an Israeli strike, was the then massive presence of American sea and air power in Iraq and the Persian Gulf, forming a protective cordon around Iran. That cordon is gone today, and not likely to return.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (43) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
BEFORE and AFTER are 180° rotated from each other [21 words]Michael SJun 13, 2015 04:57223794
1A Flawed Assumption [136 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
JohnApr 14, 2015 08:30222851
2An Israeli strike would probably nix Iran's nuke weapon program for good. [320 words]Michael SApr 16, 2015 04:05222851
Nothing will strengthen the Ayatollah more than getting nuclear weapons. [138 words]DanApr 21, 2015 20:37222851
2Obama will not attack Iran; Israel has to do it. [442 words]Michael SApr 22, 2015 03:44222851
On Second Thought - An Iranian Nuclear Threat Will Hurt Them More Than Help Them [273 words]M. ToveyApr 23, 2015 19:08222851
The only power that can defeat the West, is the West itself [511 words]Michael SApr 25, 2015 05:18222851
1To the Ayatollah: "Make my day" [344 words]Michael SApr 28, 2015 21:04222851
Isaiah 13:6; Make MY Day, says the Eternal Sovereign of Israel [217 words]M. ToveyMay 1, 2015 11:31222851
Yes, it is God, Who's day they will make [577 words]Michael SMay 10, 2015 05:05222851
Golan, the Front Door; Megiddo, the Porch; Jerusalem, the Salon. [8 words]M. ToveyMay 11, 2015 11:08222851
Yet; "In That Day"; the Day is Approaching; is Approaching Indeed [218 words]M. ToveyMay 14, 2015 11:21222851
Economic upsets ahead? The implications of an Israeli attack on Iran [676 words]Michael SMay 17, 2015 04:38222851
Psalm 83 phase (attack on Israel by Arab neighbors) is essentially over [435 words]Michael SMay 18, 2015 22:40222851
Economic Upsets Will Be the Least of the World's Woes If Israel is Not Left in Peace [161 words]M. ToveyMay 20, 2015 11:29222851
Closure for Psalm 83 - Nearly Done- But Not Quite Over [86 words]M. ToveyMay 20, 2015 16:10222851
1200,000,000 men [511 words]Michael SMay 27, 2015 04:33222851
The Arabs and Armageddon [2053 words]Michael SMay 27, 2015 10:58222851
1A bigger point that no one has mentioned [30 words]Roslyn FranklApr 9, 2015 21:50222791
Draining the right side of the tub [341 words]Michael SMay 28, 2015 18:20222791
1Pipes hit it on the nail [94 words]SOL SApr 9, 2015 17:50222789
3Will Iran be attacked ... or taken out ? [72 words]Jon, a Brit in EurolandApr 9, 2015 11:36222780
Iran does not want war.... [293 words]Steve WisemanApr 9, 2015 10:55222777
"Steve Wiseman"- liar, taqiyya artist [48 words]JIMJFOXMay 3, 2015 06:16222777
There is a Way [96 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Barry BlackApr 9, 2015 10:24222775
failure to launch [147 words]FrankzApr 8, 2015 23:59222769
2Attacking Iran will mean attacking Iran, Russia and China, if Putin gets his wish. [824 words]Michael SApr 10, 2015 18:58222769
It Will Be the Point of an Arrow that Concludes the Iranian Debate [451 words]M. ToveyApr 16, 2015 14:05222769
The Valley of Jehosaphat [796 words]Michael SMay 18, 2015 10:29222769
Holy Bible Filled With Biblically Charged Poetry and Acrostics-All Pointing to One Thing [232 words]M. ToveyMay 20, 2015 11:54222769
how can the agreement not be an issue? [148 words]David BlochApr 8, 2015 20:02222762
The US is in danger of great folly. [317 words]Michael SMay 29, 2015 02:39222762
Bingo [166 words]AlexApr 8, 2015 16:59222759
WILL ISRAEL BOMB IRAN, [112 words]Jacques HadidaApr 8, 2015 16:09222758
Thank you! [175 words]Doug MayfieldApr 8, 2015 14:04222757
Alarming [72 words]Barry BlackApr 8, 2015 10:37222753
Bibi and Iran [39 words]Roslyn FranklApr 8, 2015 08:41222752
1the issue [30 words]MarkApr 8, 2015 07:46222751
You neglect [126 words]yuvalApr 8, 2015 04:59222748
Iran is much more difficult to attack [118 words]Lars NielsenApr 8, 2015 02:29222744
Too late? [56 words]JIMJFOXApr 8, 2015 02:05222743
To bomb or not to bomb! [65 words]steven LApr 8, 2015 00:47222741
'Bunker buster' [16 words]JIMJFOXMay 6, 2015 00:12222741

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