Iran - Nuclear Weapons?

[Loosehead]

If Iran where to be allowed to develop a Nuclear Weapon do you think they would be able to resist using it, probably on Isreal or even the "great satan"?

[qapmoc]

You know, I wonder if in fact Iran is not actually following the ideal course of action for a oil producing country which has no other natural resouces. After all the oil will run out soon (maybe even starting now according to many) so It would make sense to develop nuclear power stations and all the fueling facilites now while they still have oil wealth and they will be the only country in the region with lights and power when the oil stops flowing later.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

well one thing is for certain,we do not want them to have the facilities to make a nuclear bomb,and im pretty sure that isreal will not let it get that far,they will do us all a favour by bombing the site like they did in iraq.and for gods sake,dont lets have answers saying they need it for power,etc. yes the people do,i agree.but the lunatics that run the contry are too volitile to have a red button put in front of them.

[Ward-Minter]

Nuke Iran now before it's too late. And Iraq too (after we withdraw our troops).

The middle east (with the exception of Israel) is simply one evil place.

[Haggisdj]

Hear Hear...

[Lonnie]

Ditto Ward-Minter, well said.

[gary baldy]

There is massive hypocrisy with nuclear power. If you are white its alright - if youve got dark skin you are evil war mongers.
If the west stopped their nuclear programmes than perhaps they could perhaps take the moral high ground. As it is it is hypocritical bullying.
"The middle east (except Israel) is one evil place"?!?!?!?
Dont even get me started on that statement - that shows a total ignorance of the situation in the middle east and is exactly the sort of thing that makes everyone in the world hate us enough to blow us up.

[jake-the-peg]

The middle east with the inclusion of Israel is as has often been said "the world's largest out door lunatic asylum"

But if you would seriously think of a premptive nuclear strike against a country of 68 million people then I'm glad you're not behind our "little red button"

Personally I think the decision to resume uranium enrichment was spurred on by George Bush's talk about Iran being next on his list.

The Iranians know that they don't actually have to develop a bomb and that the suspicion that they have will be enough to keep the Americans out.

[Drusilla]

Nuclear weapons in the hands of extremists from any country are dangerous including Christian zealots like George Bush.
My dislike of Bush and my concerns about his regime in no way affects my genuine regard for the American people. I am surprised the words and actions of the leadership of Iran is being used as a condemnation of the entire population, many of whom consider their own leadership extreme and not in the best interests of their nation.
Let's not forget, Iran had been involved in political negotiation with the EU regarding nuclear power for some time, but the inability of allied forces in Iraq to quell insurrection has tempted a dodgy regime in Iran to push its luck, knowing America is overstretched militarily.
Iranians, formerly Persians, have a very canny diplomatic reputation throughout history and in no way should be underestimated as primitve backwoodsman. I wouldn't be surprised if the Iranians have no intention of developing nuclear weapons and are merely making America sweat diplomatically and politically while enhancing their own reputation and power base in the region since the demise of Iraqi power.

[jno]

Israel already has nuclear weapons. If Iran had them too, I would expect it to be like the cold war: each side able to annihilate the other but knowing it would be unlikely to survive itself. Meanwhile, all the inspections, all the sanctions, all the lectures - none of them seems to be aimed Israel's way. Odd.

And as for the recent revelations that Iran got a lot of its nuclear knowhow from the CIA, thanks to an intelligence bungle...

[luckyboy]

The difference is that you can trust israel to behave responsibly when using nuclear weapons is concerned, iran however with its ingrained religious zealotry and anti semitism is a totally different matter.

For some however it seems that if you are against america however tyrannical these states are you're alright by them.

But i don't see these people queing up to live in these countries.

[Drusilla]

Why is it when anyone criticises the actions of the Israeli government, anti semitism is thrown up as an argument. I would point out that Palestinians are also a semitic people, so support for their cause cannot be condemned as anti semitic.
Condemning Iranians with terms like religious, ingrained zealotry conveniently ignores the fact the Islamist revolution only occured 25 years ago and is not as ingrained as the western press would have us believe and because Iran was being ruled by CIA supported tyrant who used torture and political murder to maintain his tyranny and regularly insulted the religion of his own people by arranging tributes to the Zoroastrian religion of the former Persian empire.

[Lonnie]

Well said Drusilla, What is generally called ant-semitism, is in fact anti-Jewishness, but there's not too many people who care to make that distinction.

[jake-the-peg]

I think "you can trust the Israelis to behave responsibly with nuclear weapons" has got to be the quote of the month Lucky Boy!

Estimates put Jewish Fundamentalists at 20-25% of the population - right now their influlence is limited but growing.

Anybody who thinks they have the right to live somewhere because "God gave it to them" shouldn't be trusted with sharp objects let alone nuclear wepons

[gary baldy]

Drusilla and jake the peg
Blimey - some reasoned argument at last when it comes to israel!
Israel have shown themselves to be the most beligerent and aggresive nation in the middle east and if anyone is going to use nuclear weapons it it is them. They will probably find some obsure ancient text to justify it.
Despite what the likes of ward minter would have us believe the root of most of the trouble in the middle east is down to the actions of israel.
Cue - a deluge of predicatable and tedious accusations that i am anti semitic!

As drusilla says many see 'persians' as fanatic savages but, after all, civilisation did start in their backyard and they are a lot smarter than the leaders of the 'free world' like to think.

[brachiopod]

I know it sounds really far-fetched, but the resumption of nuclear research in Iran could be exactly the excuse Bush needs to invade. He could say that the Iranian government has the bomb and that it could be deployed in 45 minutes as justification for his invasion. He could then march in, secure the oil fields and keep the US motor industry happy for another fifteen years.

Alright, very far fetched, I know. As if someone would use an excuse like that to launch an invasion of an oil-rich Midddle Eastern country......

[gary baldy]

As if ....!?!?!?!

[Insurgent]

Whatever way you want to put it nuclear weapons equals respect. So why deny them the right to be respected or to defend themselves. Using words such as "terrorists, extremist, fundamentalists, lunatics and evil people who hate freedom" is patronising, hypocritical and a childish assessment of a situation. Anti-semitism is a term which has been hijacked to only apply to jews, whereas it also applies to palestinians and arabs, as drusilla points out. There is no logically argument to say "they" shouldn't have them and "we" should. Apart from if you through in the "crazy trigger happy coloured people can't be trusted" logic

[luckyboy]

Yes jake the peg, 'behave responsibly where nuclear weapons are concerned' not exactly the phrase i was looking for, so you are right to pull me up on that.

However as usual some posts are twisted to suit agenda's..there was no reference to any poster on here being a anti semite, it was aimed at iran, unless anyone is naive enough to believe iran really don't hate jews.

I shudder at the prospect of those zealots in charge of iran getting their hands on nuclear weapons.

[Drusilla]

I object to people lumping a whole nation into a particular prejudice luckyboy and you've done it again by saying, 'anyone is naive to believe Iran really don't hate Jews'. I'm sure there are many Iranians who hate the Jews, but to suggest they all do is an exaggeration and unfair on the millions of ordinary Iranians who wish to live in peace and raise happy families.

I am not against Israel either. I believe Israel has a right to exist alongside a viable Palestinian state. I would also be prepared for the EU and the USA to back Israel's nationhood with military assistance if it was ever invaded again and would love to see both Israel and Palestine work out a scheme in which they both recognised Jerusalem as their capital city. (Sadly, I suspect it will remain just a dream.)

[mimififi]

Some evil *************** takes a three year old girl from her home, rapes her and torments her and the middle east is the cess pit of all evil??????

If we spent more time curing our own country and less time judging others maybe we could make that kind of statement.

(SOrry Loosehead, I know I haven't answered your question, but honestly, I ask you; what kind of a statement is that? sorry)