Iran is acting like a child - a wild and dangerous child at that".
"Iran is to build a second nuclear reactor to match the plant currently under construction in the coastal city of Bushehr, state television reported today.
The decision came after a meeting of the country's cabinet and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last night.
The reactor has been on the drawing board since the 1970s and comes as part of government plans to build up to 20 nuclear plants with Russian help.
But concerns over Iran's intentions on nuclear weapons mean that the announcement will inevitably be viewed as a provocation."
Provocation is exactly what it is, and at least one country may not simply stand by and let Iran become a Nuclear power. That Country is Israel, where Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports preemptive strikes:
"Israeli leaders have repeatedly identified Iran as the biggest threat to Israel and dismissed Tehran's claim that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Although Netanyahu is considered a long shot for the prime minister's post, his remarks threatened to escalate growing tensions with Iran and signaled that the Iranian nuclear program will be an important campaign issue in the elections March 28.
Netanyahu said Israel should follow the example of Menachem Begin, who as prime minister ordered an airstrike on an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981.
"I will continue the tradition established by Menachem Begin, who did not allow Iraq to develop such a nuclear threat against Israel, and by a daring and courageous act gave us two decades of tranquillity," Netanyahu told the daily newspaper Maariv. "I believe that this is what Israel has to do."
Netanyahu said the Iranian program "is a genuine threat to the very existence of Israel," adding, "Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear threat against Israel"
He said he would support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a bitter political enemy, if he were to carry out a pre-emptive strike."
Israel exerted itself against Iran in 1981 when Menachem Begin,ordered an airstrike on an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981.
Iran simply cannot be allowed to build a Nuclear program, whether for peaceful or other purposes so long as they continue to have the view of annaliation they have towards Israel and the West.
If Iran is allowed to succeed, it could lead to a regional arms race, perhaps involving Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Syria. As one expert, Joseph Cirincione at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says, "There is a high probability there would be a nuclear chain reaction that would ripple through the region."
More at AJ Strata
UPDATE: This story is citing 'experts' opinion that Isreal could not strike Iranian nuclear targets;
" In an article authored by Shlomo Brom, former head of air force strategic planning, the report said Israel's deep-strike air capability was based on the F-15I and F-16C/D aircraft. At a range of more than 600 kilometers, Brom said, Israel could not sustain an air campaign. Iran is about 1,000 kilometers from Israel."
But according this, the cards have been on the table for a while:
"Heightening speculation, Israel will make a point of bombing Iran's nuclear facilities is news that the Pentagon is planning to sell the Sharon Government 100 bunker-buster bombs. These two-tonne bombs can burrow as deep as 30 metres below ground and through a six-metre thick concrete wall.
Retired Israeli Air Force Colonel, Ziev Raz says the time for action against Tehran and its nuclear program is fast approaching."
The logistical problems cited for an Israeli attack are null if support is provided via military sites in Iraq (quite possibly Al Iskandariyah airfield). While the UN and other groups would cry foul, the US would simply have to say that it was being a good ally - but neighboring countries would secretly support such actions for albeit other reasons than Israel.
Mark this blog, if Iran crosses the line, Israel will not disappoint.
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