---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard Kolber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Feb 11, 2006 9:57 PM
Subject: [Democrats Online] US prepares military blitz against Iran's nuclear sites
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/11/215710/033)
(http://www.dailykos.com/)
UK Telegraph: US Prepares Blitz Against Iran
by _SusanG_ (http://susang.dailykos.com/)
Sat Feb 11, 2006 at 07:57:10 PM PDT
The sabers, they are a-rattling.
>From _The Telegraph_
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/12/wiran12.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/12/ixnewstop.html) :
US prepares military blitz against Iran's nuclear sites
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing
raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran's
nuclear sites as a "last resort" to block Teheran's efforts to develop an atomic
bomb.
Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets,
assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation, the Sunday
Telegraph has learnt.
They are reporting to the office of Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary,
as America updates plans for action if the diplomatic offensive fails to
thwart the Islamic republic's nuclear bomb ambitions. Teheran claims that it is
developing only a civilian energy programme.
But perhaps this is just more good cop/bad cop (in which we play both parts -
diplomatic negotiators and military swaggerers)? Not so, according to this
article.
"This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment," said
a senior Pentagon adviser. "This has taken on much greater urgency in recent
months."
The article cites McCain (and identifies him as the front-runner for the GOP
in 2008) as saying: ""There is only one thing worse than the United States
exercising a military option and that is a nuclear-armed Iran." And then ...
ugh ... states that Lieberman makes the same case.
* ::
*
Tags: _Iran_ (http://www.dailykos.com/tag/Iran) , _nuclear weapons_
(http://www.dailykos.com/tag/nuclear%20weapons) (_all tags_
(http://www.dailykos.com/tag) )
_View Comments_ (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/11/215710/033)
| 108 comments
_http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/12/wiran12.xml&s
Sheet=/news/2006/02/12/ixnewstop.html_
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/12/wiran12.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/12/ixnewstop.html)
US prepares military blitz against Iran's nuclear sites
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
(Filed: 12/02/2006)
Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing
raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran's
nuclear sites as a "last resort" to block Teheran's efforts to develop an atomic
bomb.
Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets,
assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation, the Sunday
Telegraph has learnt.
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2006/02/12/wiran12abig.jpg;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJFYTQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0) _Click to enlarge_
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2006/02/12/wiran12abig.jpg;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJF
YTQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0)
They are reporting to the office of Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary,
as America updates plans for action if the diplomatic offensive fails to
thwart the Islamic republic's nuclear bomb ambitions. Teheran claims that it is
developing only a civilian energy programme.
"This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment," said
a senior Pentagon adviser. "This has taken on much greater urgency in recent
months."
The prospect of military action could put Washington at odds with Britain
which fears that an attack would spark violence across the Middle East,
reprisals in the West and may not cripple Teheran's nuclear programme. But the
steady flow of disclosures about Iran's secret nuclear operations and the virulent
anti-Israeli threats of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has prompted the fresh
assessment of military options by Washington. The most likely strategy would
involve aerial bombardment by long-distance B2 bombers, each armed with up
to 40,000lb of precision weapons, including the latest bunker-busting devices.
They would fly from bases in Missouri with mid-air refuelling.
The Bush administration has recently announced plans to add conventional
ballistic missiles to the armoury of its nuclear Trident submarines within the
next two years. If ready in time, they would also form part of the plan of
attack.
Teheran has dispersed its nuclear plants, burying some deep underground, and
has recently increased its air defences, but Pentagon planners believe that
the raids could seriously set back Iran's nuclear programme.
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJFYTQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/exclusions/iranhome.xml)
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJFYTQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/ex
clusions/iranhome.xml)
Iran was last weekend reported to the United Nations Security Council by the
International Atomic Energy Agency for its banned nuclear activities.
Teheran reacted by announcing that it _would resume full-scale uranium enrichment _
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJFYTQFIQMGSFFW
AVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2006/02/11/wiran11.xml) - producing material that could
arm nuclear devices.
The White House says that it wants a diplomatic solution to the stand-off,
but President George W Bush has refused to rule out military action and
reaffirmed last weekend that Iran's nuclear ambitions "will not be tolerated".
Sen John McCain, the Republican front-runner to succeed Mr Bush in 2008, has
advocated military strikes as a last resort. He said recently: "There is
only only one thing worse than the United States exercising a military option
and that is a nuclear-armed Iran."
Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat, has made the same case and Mr Bush is
expected to be faced by the decision within two years.
By then, Iran will be close to acquiring the knowledge to make an atomic
bomb, although the construction will take longer. The President will not want to
be seen as leaving the White House having allowed Iran's ayatollahs to go
atomic.
In Teheran yesterday, crowds celebrating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic
revolution chanted "Nuclear technology is our inalienable right" and cheered
Mr Ahmadinejad when he said that Iran may reconsider membership of the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
He was defiant over possible economic sanctions.
_11 February 2006: Iran plant 'has restarted its nuclear bomb-making
equipment'_
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=EM5YUUEUNJFYTQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2006/02/11/wiran11.xml)
SPONSORED LINKS
| Democrat | p; chronicle | Democrat bumper sticker |
| Democrat t shirt | Democrat button | Democrat single |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "democratsonline" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service .
