If Iran’s leader does decide to build a bomb, he will have two choices, intelligence sources said. One would be to take the high-risk approach of kicking out the international inspectors and making a sprint to complete Iran’s first bomb, as the country weathered international sanctions or possible air strikes in the ensuing crisis. The other would be to covertly develop the materials needed for an arsenal in secret desert facilities.
(from the article)

I am no expert in nuclear technology but perhaps there is a third choice: They could pay somebody else (North Korea for example) to make if for them.

I hope everyone realizes that while the cowards in Washington are lining their pockets, Israel is preparing to deal with this, come what may. Anyone care to argue that point of view?
HomeoftheBrave on August 3, 2009

Israel is in a precarious position, they have only one ally. On the other hand, besides every Islamic country on the planet, they have a powerful enemy with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council….Russia.

Whatever Israel does, they are screwed. What it will ultimately come down to is you are correct, Israel will have no choice but to strike Iranian nuclear sites before a bomb with delivery systems can be finsihed. What happens after that will be anybody’s guess, but it won’t be pretty.

With far left Democrats and their built in anti-israel, anti defense posture solidly in power here, I don’t believe Iran fears the US a whole lot.

I can hear it now, after Iran and Israel come to blows and the whole middle east flares up Obama will hold a news conference proclaiming…..”now is not the time for heated rhetoric or rash judgements, cooler heads must prevail”…blah, blah, blah, puke, blah

….is it safe to say the US military option is not on the table for 2009?

scottm on August 3, 2009 at 7:37 AM

Yes. I doubt a military option has ever been on the table for this administration. They don’t even seem willing to give Israel permission to act.

Given how our President’s pastor/mentor feels about ‘them Jews,’ this should come as no surprise.

Now, historically it took
5 months to prepare for Kosovo
6 months for Desert Shield
7 months to prepare for false invasion of Iraq in 1993, 1997
3-4 months to prepare for Bosnia airstrikes
6 months to prepare for Operation Iraqi Freedom
2 months to get ready for Enduring Freedom

There’s no military buildup going on by the US in the region, no new carrier deployments, no overlapping deployments, and no squadrons being deployed.
With 3.9 months left in the year….is it safe to say the US military option is not on the table for 2009?

You can bet any “facility” to build a bomb is under a hospital or a school.

right2bright on August 3, 2009 at 7:14 AM

And the Iranians have already delivered file footage of the “hospital” or “school” to the American media who is sitting on it so they can lambaste us for taking it out.

well Bush had 8 years to stop it and didn’t. Obama has been here for less than a year. If Iran were to build a bomb today I know where to put the blame

liberal343 on August 2, 2009 at 8:02 PM

Yeah, on you geniuses on the left that kept whining that we need to talk to the mullahs rather than actually doing anything. The left bears responsibility for most of the world’s ills.

UPDATE:  According to the Times Online:

[S]ources said that Iran completed a research programme to create weaponised uranium in the summer of 2003 and that it could feasibly make a bomb within a year of an order from its Supreme Leader.
A US National…

[Bush] had a brief window and he blew it.

guntotinglibertarian on August 2, 2009 at 11:45 PM

He had a brief window during which he could have nuked the Arab and muslim capitals, seized the oil fields, and set admission prices for Mecca. He could have parachuted onto the Kaaba and threatened to barbecue pork chops on it unless every muslim wrote a check for zakat, payable to the City of New York. Back then, he could have ordered Andrew Sullivan to s*ck his d*ck in al-Masjid al-Aqsa, and Sullivan would have considered it a small price to pay for his country. “Pay me the jizya, muslims,” I hear him say, “or I’ll jizz ya masjid.”

Wanna lose even more sleep?? EMP can be done without a nuke. THAT stinks.
bullseye on August 3, 2009 at 12:12 AM

Non-nuclear EMP emitters have far less range.
Kralizec on August 3, 2009 at 12:27 AM

EMPRESS II EMP testing was one example of non-nuclear testing; of shipboard electronics and shielding. Omni-directional, but field strength capable of causing damage was very short ranged. Not a credible worry. Even EMP from an exo-atmosphere nuclear detonation (optimal positioning assumed) is not, IMHO, something to fret about. Really.
We should discount Iran threatening an EMP apocalypse.

We have the ability to negotiate behind the scenes with Saudi Arabia

Saudi already said that if Israel needed to fly planes over their territory to bomb Iran, that was fine with them. They fear a nuclear armed Iran as much as Israel.

liberal343 on August 2, 2009 at 8:02 PM

Right… you notice who was sworn into office when they decided to blatantly ramp up their program?

That would be the 0ne on who’s buttocks your lips are firmly planted on. Seriously, Liberals need help. Do you honestly think they would be rattling sabers like this if Bush was still in office or McCain would have been elected (maybe if McCain was in office, but I was hoping for a power change after a few months after the stress of the job got to him :D)

Weight of Glory on August 2, 2009 at 7:50 PM

There will be a Star of David on the bunker buster that hits Iran because 0bama doesn’t have the testicular fortitude to actually do it.

Iran Spurns Engagement on Nuclear Drive, Thwarting Obama Effort

This is (via bloomberg) not A Dead Watchdog