In no surprise at all, Iran says it will do whatever it wants with its uranium
I think that basically the Trump administration is doing some very good things, but that doesn’t mean I approve of everything it’s doing. Nor do I completely understand what’s behind everything it’s doing; sometimes there’s a hidden agenda that’s good, for example.
In the case of the Iran negotiations about enriching uranium and developing nuclear weapons I confess I’m stumped, although I can guess. Maybe they’re a prelude to more pressure from the US. Maybe they’re a prelude to an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Maybe they’re a way to say, “well, we tried, anyway – and now the gloves are off (and/or Israel’s gloves are off?).”
At any rate, here’s the latest news on it:
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday defiantly rejected U.S. demands to halt uranium enrichment, declaring that the Islamic Republic will not concede to “the rude and arrogant leaders of America.”
In a televised address, quoted by Reuters and the Associated Press, Khamenei insisted that “uranium enrichment is the key to our nuclear program, and the enemies have focused on the enrichment.” He went on to criticize the latest U.S. proposal, claiming it “contradicts our nation’s belief in self-reliance and the principle of ‘We Can.’”
Yes, we can! Hope and change! Let’s hear if for the mullahs!
Israeli Knesset member Tally Gotliv remarked:
There was never a chance Iran would agree to a nuclear deal. Israel, as the nation responsible for its own security—and given Khamenei’s stated desire to eliminate the Zionists—should act accordingly and strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israel is fully capable of carrying out such an operation, and I believe that’s exactly what will happen,” she added.
Time … will … tell.
Reported this afternoon regarding Trump’s phone call with Putin (no progress on the Ukraine war) that Putin agreed Iran should not have a nuke, and that he will “talk” to them. FWIW.
From what I’ve read Israel was ready to “go” last week, but the Trump administration held them back.
Furthermore, the latest IAEA report shows Iran is going hell for leather to increase their stores of enriched uranium.
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The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran’s overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms (20,387.4 pounds). That’s an increase of 953.2 kilograms (2,101.4 pounds) since February’s report.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-iaea-uranium-7f6c9962c1e4199e951559096bcf5cc0
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That’s a 5% increase of enriched uranium in only three months. Clearly the Iranian leaders are playing for time to get their bombs.
I think the US and Israel will have to attack all the nuclear sites, but it’s going to be ugly. I don’t envy Trump and Netanyahu the decision, which looks necessary and unavoidable.
Iranians and millions of Muslims will be enraged. I’m sure there will be some nasty reprisals.
Specifically I’ve got to believe there are Iranian sleeper cells here in the US ready to attack our infrastructure in ways we aren’t prepared for.
Embrace the power of: Maybe they are screwing up.
That’s what it looks like and that’s the simplest explanation. Or maybe the Trump people are following an extremely clever plan that will be revealed in good time and will eliminate the Iranian nuke threat without military action. Here’s hoping.
Let the Iranians enrich uranium as much as they want. Simply make it a federal law that the day that Iran detonates a nuclear bomb is the day it ceases to exist. The certainty of intolerable consequence eliminates the need for ‘preventative’ measures.
The choice is whether to suffer sleeper cell retaliatory terrorist attacks or lose NYC and DC. Obviously, an argument can be made for either one…
I’d say Trump and Khamenei are in a staring contest. Khamenei can’t back down and Trump won’t.
IMO there’s only one way this story ends.
The Ba’ath regime in Syria was first an ally and then a client of the Iranian regime. It’s gone and its replacements are clients of Turkey. Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis functioned as extensions of Iranian power. Hezbollah has been decapitated and the Lebanese government is working to disarm what remains, Hamas has been decapitated and it’s armed force now consists of prisoners and corpses (with a remnant wandering around in tunnels). Ali Khamenei’s life expectancy is about five years, his designated successor died in a helicopter crash and now he’s left with the gambit of attempting to impose one of his sons.
However, there is one long shot.
The Iranian people are already fed up with the mullahs. Trump has reimposed maximum sanctions on Iran so Iranians are suffering economically too.
The Iranian people could overthrow the mullahs.
Like I say, a long shot.
khamenei it is alleged was a student at Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow, before he was a guest of Evin Prison, now this claim has been made about many people, like Carlos the Jackal, but that is a testament of his resolve,
we don’t really have a comparative base to examine, did India or Pakistan have to enrich uranium, the Indians got it from Canada, the Pakistanis from the Dutch, the latter like johnny appleseed spread their efforts to North Korea and later Libya, I think the latter worked with South African scientists if memory served,
If the US and Israel attack Iran, there will be collateral damage. It will be an ugly and dangerous time.
My best hope is, as crazy as the world is, most people, even our enemies, even other Muslims, have concerns about the Iranian regime possessing nuclear weapons.
If Iran gets nukes, we can expect the rest of the Middle East to nuke up, if they can afford it. Certainly Saudi Arabia will. Likely Turkey and Egypt.
After that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty becomes a dead letter and the world a more dangerous place.
Everyone has a stake in stopping Iran. Not just Israel and the United States, even if we accept the dubious honor of belling the cat.
@ huxley > “If Iran gets nukes, we can expect the rest of the Middle East to nuke up, if they can afford it. Certainly Saudi Arabia will. Likely Turkey and Egypt.”
Tom Lehrer wrote several songs about The Bomb.
Who’s Next?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw
We Will All Go Together When We Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs
So Long Mom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrbv40ENU_o
AesopFan:
Wow. Actually I’ve never seen Tom Lehrer speak or perform. Lovely.
Re: Who’s Next?
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) really was a serious, important step in limiting nuclear weapons to the handful of countries which had the bomb but weren’t dangerously crazy. (Not that I trust the Russians, Chinese or Pakistanis all that much.)
This wasn’t ideal, but better than a world in which any mad man could have his finger on the button launching a nuclear bomb.
I’ve never lost my horror of nuclear war. Sadly, for many people that concern has been lost in the overwhelming variety of other things we are told to worry about.
Reminds me of a campaign slogan of a friend of Iran: “Yes, we can.”
huxley
Some of us here, such as Neo and I, learned Tom Lehrer’s songs along with nursery rhymes. (Hyperbole, admitted. But part of childhood, yes.) IIRC, a relative of Neo knew Tom Lehrer. Don’t ask me to recite any of his lyrics, as I will—with the exception of The Elements. 🙂
I used to sing New Math for my computer programming students.
At the time (early 1980s) they still learned about octal numbers.
I also learned to sing The Elements, but can’t do it at Lehrer’s speed.
It’s out of date now, however.