Iran to make "major nuclear announcement"...do they have the Bomb?

Now, come on. That's enough to take down the combined forces of the European Union states.

edited 18th Feb '12 1:51:36 AM by Inhopelessguy

As Ghadaffi proved so spectacularly.

Dude, I was just kidding.

You forgot sarcasm pothole, this is the internets remember?

Yeah... I thought it was kinda obvious, what with the comparison of the entire European Union vs. a bunch of speedboats, but what can you do?

Against EU? Well, knowing the guys we've got at Brussels, maybe a commission about 'how to standardize the destruction of speedboats', then a massive European program on the development of new policies to affirm the clear will of European countries to 'preserve freedom of the seas against unpolite people wielding dangerous weapons of war'... while our ships are being dismantled one by one with hammers and screwdrivers by the guys in the speedboats, under the watching eyes of crews with specific orders from the commission to 'not act rashly until a clear decision has been taken'.

Against any single seafaring European country? Curb-Stomp Battle.

edited 18th Feb '12 9:05:30 AM by RufusShinra

No no no, EU would FIRST blast them off the waters, THEN start bickering why they didn't have those regulations because nation A used less bullets than nation B, causing nation C ammunition production to take drop since there were less demand for them, causing nation C not to be able to pay their debt to nation D, because Non-Eu-Nation U has it's own troubles and is demanding nation D to start coughing up money.

We are kinda weird like that.

edited 18th Feb '12 9:53:58 AM by Mandemo

So how does the Iranian women being trained as ninjas "come into" all of these? lol

edited 18th Feb '12 10:10:32 AM by entropy13

edited 20th Feb '12 10:07:51 AM by ManInGray

Backwards? Okay, how did the scientists provoke Israel into being forced to assassinate them? ;)

I can't seem to find any information on bombings, though, and would love it if anyone had sources on that.

Best I can find is Operation Opera, which took place during Iran-Iraq war. Iran and Israel co-operated on attack against Iraq nuclear facility, so the confusion might rise form there.

Huh, now that is a line I didn't expect to see.

I personally remember the assassinations and car bombs against the scientists, although nobody proved it was Israel. In fact Israel suggested the Iranians were murdering their own scientists.

Besides, do we really want to argue "timeline" of violence here between Israel and Iran and other countries? That's going to devolve pretty quickly.

I'm as big a believer in innocent unless proven guilty as anyone, but if that's the best comeback Israel can come up with, they would've been a helluva lot better off saying nothing at all.

It's a simple matter of economics: If Iran wants to compete on a world stage, having energy security is a primary goal. They very likely want to run as much of the country as possible on nuclear energy, so that they can use their oil reserves for trade.

If they are actively pursuing weapons, I can't really find it in my heart to blame them for it. This is a country that constantly has to deal with threats from major politicians in military super-power nations with invasion, or worse. And they have to deal with a nearby country who is seemingly okay with assassinating their scientists, dropping bombs, and threatening nuclear action. Whether you agree with the behavior or not, Israel and Western countries are pushing Iran into a position where becoming a major nuclear power is the only way to ensure their national defense.

I don't support Iran's leaders, or the way they treat their citizens. At the same time, I don't believe that those leaders are insane as they are made out to be, and their country has long term economic goals that would be completely wiped out should they ever use a preemptive nuclear strike. The pursuit of energy security and national defense is the right of every nation, and I can't fault them for pushing in those directions.

edited 22nd Feb '12 6:10:21 AM by Meeble

@ Mandemo:

Israel also supplied $75 million of arms to Iran during the Iran Iraq War, despite whatever the Iranian Government said...

edited 22nd Feb '12 7:46:19 AM by Greenmantle

Well, I have good news, the US is working hard to convince Israel not to go to war.

With Obama at the helm, I doubt there would be war with Iran. After that, who knows.

There is no reason to go to war with Iran. Even if Iran did get a nuke, they would never use it, especially against Israel. Come on! Palestine is right there! As well as many holy sites of Islam. Iran is crazy, but not stupid. They're not going to do it.

They do want to be taken seriously. They do want to be acknowledged as an influential player in the Middle East. That's why they're sending ships to Syria and threatening to block the waterways. They want to be big players too. Can't say I blame them.

And while I don't like how they treat their people, I have to remind my fellow Americans that we created this Iran. We overthrew the democratically elected leader who was good to his people, Mohammed Mosaddegh, and put in a horrid dictator who's first acts were to dispose of anyone who had slandered his father and any opposition.

So can you blame the Iranians for wanting Israel and America to stay out of their business and out of their way? I don't.

I'm spamming this.

See, that's the kind of meme I like to see!

That's not at all the line advanced by the Iranian leadership regarding Israel. Here's the line advanced by the Iranian leadership regarding Israel.

Pure, rational instinct of self-defense, that.

edited 22nd Mar '12 2:04:02 PM by TripleElation

Radical taoist said it much better, and in fewer words.

edited 22nd Mar '12 4:18:56 PM by TheHandle

That is consistent with Ahmadinejad's position against what he's termed the "Zionist regime", which he's clarified as separate from the Jewish people. He's actually boasted how Iranian Jews are represented in Iran's politics and stated that he can tolerate the existence of Israel as a state. Following the Wikipedia link you provide supports that.

Now, the Dinner Jacket also believes in loony conspiracy theories and thinks the Zionists control large swathes of the international media and world economy. But it's pretty clear that ethnic cleansing of Israel is not supported by the Iranian president or the current ayatollah. That said, I can see why Israel's political leadership sees Iran as a threat, because Mahmoud has specifically said that they have to go.

And you know what? A lot of people - Israelis included - would agree with that, and with good reason.

"Wiped off the map" is a mistranslation; "wiped from the pages of history" would be more accurate.

edited 22nd Mar '12 4:16:14 PM by RadicalTaoist

Arguably that's even worse. Like, the difference between just exiling someone, and making him an Un-person.