Israeli PM: Getting 'very late' to stop nuclear-armed Iran
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday that Iran will have enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb by next summer and urged the world the draw a clear "red line" to stop it in its tracks.
Flashing a diagram showing the progress Iran has made, he said it was getting "late, very late" to stop Iran.
"Red lines don't lead to war, red lines prevent war," he said. "Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran."
Netanyahu said Iran had completed the first stage of uranium enrichment, saying "they are 70 percent of the way there."
Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that time is running out to stop the Islamic Republic from becoming a nuclear power and the threat of force must be seriously considered.
Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks suggesting that if Iran's uranium enrichment program continues it may soon stage a unilateral military strike, flouting even American wishes.
The Obama administration has urgently sought to hold off Israeli military action, which would likely result in the U.S. being pulled into a conflict and cause region-wide mayhem on the eve of American elections.
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian denials of the Holocaust, its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state and its support for hostile Arab militant groups.
"Given this record of Iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, just imagine Iranian aggression with nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.
Flashing a diagram showing the progress Iran has made, he said it was getting "late, very late" to stop Iran.
"Red lines don't lead to war, red lines prevent war," he said. "Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran."
Netanyahu said Iran had completed the first stage of uranium enrichment, saying "they are 70 percent of the way there."
Netanyahu has repeatedly argued that time is running out to stop the Islamic Republic from becoming a nuclear power and the threat of force must be seriously considered.
Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks suggesting that if Iran's uranium enrichment program continues it may soon stage a unilateral military strike, flouting even American wishes.
The Obama administration has urgently sought to hold off Israeli military action, which would likely result in the U.S. being pulled into a conflict and cause region-wide mayhem on the eve of American elections.
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be an existential threat, citing Iranian denials of the Holocaust, its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of missiles capable of striking the Jewish state and its support for hostile Arab militant groups.
"Given this record of Iranian aggression without nuclear weapons, just imagine Iranian aggression with nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.
I think the leftists are confused and inadvertently pro Islamic fascists. There's only 2 sides folks, no middle. And get this too, we're the good guys however the motives are sordid (oil, etc.) but a plan is in action. If anyone cares to look you'll notice most of the rise and fall of the great empires directly correspond to the treatment of the Jewish nation, regardless of whether they were in Israel or not. Look where Spain and Britain are now, it's because they threw them under the bus. There's so much history if you would but look....Our president is definitely pro Islamic for whatever reason, not happy about any of the choices either as I think they're all idiots. So libs and conservatives, doesn't matter they're all corrupt and self serving. However I will vote for the candidate that supports Israel as I've seen from history that those who bless Israel will be blessed, those who curse them are cursed and it directly states that in the Bible as well which I believe in. Before you knock it, check history....being a Christian Zionist by no means implies I agree with their governments policies but I emphatically agree with the right for them to be in their own land given to them thousands of years ago. Our president and his gang aren't doing us any favors by ignoring Israel, Rice not attending the speach by Netanyahu, no meetings, etc. If he wins the election then we're all doomed, first to irrelevance and then to destruction. All those on the left can sip their lattes and feel great about what they deem to be justice by supporting the fascists but don't get too comfortable if it goes your way as before you know it Sharia law will be sneaking into your life and won't be a thing you can do about it as that would make you 'insensitive'........be on the right side of history.
I read thru the comments and got more confused. Is everyone saying that Israel should not ask the U.N. to intervene? I see that most disagree that the best defense is a good offense. When Egypt, Syria and Jordan pushed hard against Israel, they struck back hard and fast. It took six days to beat three nations. Israel kept strategic sites (Golan Heights) that gave them a little warning and advantage for the next war. In the seven recognized wars Israel stood alone against multiple countries to protect its borders. Iran has backed armies and terrorists in the middle east since the Jewish nation came into being. Does the word Hezbollah mean anything to you?
Perhaps Iran and Israel should nuke each other off the face of the earth...problem(s) solved? Â
The liberals on this board are, as usual, incredibly shortsighted. Iran is the world's largest state sponsor of terror. Do you really think that it is in the interest of the United States, or for that matter the western world, to have Iran in possession of nuclear weapons? What would prevent Iran from providing a terrorist organization with a nuclear weapon? Perhaps you want the next 9/11 to be a nuclear strike? It seems the only people that don't seem to care if Iran possesses a nuclear device are liberals and our spineless incompetent president. Anyone with any common sense views a nuclear armed Iran as being extermely dangerous, and unacceptable.
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@ByeByeBarry I guess by your very definition then Obama has a very strong spine and a lot of common sense (both already demonstrated numerous times) as âMr Obama also again stressed the US would not allow Iran nuclear weapons. He said the US would "do what we must" to stop Tehran acquiring nuclear arms.â byebye
 @flyskiwindsurf  @ByeByeBarry Do what it must, meaning nothing. Not going to restrain his Islamic brothers.
 @flyskiwindsurf  @NuclearianÂ
Obama cant make a fool out of anybody. Other than his supporters with some kind of "Hitlerian" style worship. The man has screwed up everything, but he still has people without enough sense to know it. But enough arguing with blinded liberals who cant accept the truth.
People like you and us will continue to suffer under this President, whose only claim to fame, is the best GOLFING President in US history. Lord knows he hasnt done anything else. And as he screws us over, you people will continue to complain, while you blindly go back to the polls and vote the same pukes back in. Your kind deserve nothing better, and the rest of the GOOD people of this country will suffer along with you.
@Nuclearian ummmmâ¦. I wasnât speaking. I was posting. You know typing, etc. on the blog, internet, web, etc. Or maybe you donât know as apparently I was replying to an ignoramus war monger. I.e. even bibi says that even his red line will not occur until at least spring or even summer or so. hmmmmâ¦.. Very heavy sanctions that could even be working better than expected? And it would be interesting to find out who was involved in all of the covert operations re: using malware to destroy centrifuges, etc. Hint. A lot of it was not the Israelis. But we will see what happens if all of that doesnât work. Who sent the Seals after bin Laden? Hint. It wasnât shrub. darth_shrub let him escape from Tora Bora. Who has ordered drone strikes on many terrorists? Who ordered the surge in Afghanistan? By the way. What would you have Obama do right now? Donât blow a gasket on your little pea brain now. Oh yeah Obama appears to have made fools out of robmoney and your ilk many many times. Or actually you and robmoney pretty much do that to yourselves so Obama actually doesnât have to work very hard at that at all. It appears that you have hardly ever, if ever, dealt with any REALITY.
 @flyskiwindsurf  @Nuclearian Since you are an Obama supporter, I guess I should be surprised you can do anything but GRUNT when you speak.
If you think Obama"telling" them we wont allow them to have nukes, and he hasnt done anything yet to show them he means business, then you are naive, if not more ignorant.
So go ahead and stick your head in the sand, and worship this "tough" (laughable) President. He will make a fool out of you yet. Well, he already has, but you "blind" people have just been brainwashed to not know the difference.
So you can go along with your pathetic life. I will deal with REALITIES.
@Nuclearian bwahahahaâ¦.. So you are one of those huh? bwahahahaâ¦.. Well I am at least semi-surprised that you can almost, almost that is, string two semi-literate sentences together. bwahahahaâ¦. Good luck with the rest of your so called life. Not. But you are obviously going to need all of the luck that you can muster there. nucl bwahahaâ¦.
IS this where Israel runs around and expects everyone else to fight their battles?
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 @T H I S I dont know where you get this crap. Israel is trying to get the world to stop allowing Iran to flaunt this  The world repeatedly wants "diplomacy" to solve this problem, but Iran blows them off. Isreal wants this to be a joint WORLD solving, but the world has no "cojones" to do it.
Rest assured, if the cowardly world continues to do nothing, Israel will do it on their own. They are not COWARDS, like the world and our liberals are.
Sure it is. Its what they've always done. Try and get somebody else to do there dirty work for them. How come old Bibi never mentions that he refuses to allow the IAEA to have a look at their nukes? They're just hypocrites. In todays political climate every country that doesn't want to be owned by some other country needs to have nukes. @T H I S
 @Blindman  @T H I S Israel has nukes to protect themselves from a world that HATES them. Israel would not use them against anybody, unless they go out to totally destroy them. Then they would use them. Just like ANY other country would. To deny them that right, makes you a antisemitic hypocrite.
 @Blindman  @T H I S You might go back and read history.
Fear, fear ,fear, hate, hate, hate. Iran has every right to have nukes and for there own preservation they should get some. As you see in the middle east, any country without nukes ends up being targets for imperialism. Hate to see all the nukes, but we started this train rolling down the hill without any brakes. If there's going to be a change we need to lead by example.
The idea that Iran is going to attack Israel is absurd. Almost as absurd as the idea that Saddam was a threat to us.
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I'm sick of the Christian evangelicals trying to push us into supporting Israel all the time because of their own personal beliefs (delusions) about Rapture.
Huh. I wonder who is the greater threat to peace: a country whose only aggression toward other sovereign states during the last several hundred years was during the US-backed Shah period, or a country that regularly expands its territory through military conquest, regularly threatens other countries with military action, refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, refuses to let inspectors into its own nuclear bomb manufacturing facilities, and refuses even to define its international borders as this would be "too limiting?"
waa, waa, waa, waaaa. screw the israelis. they're religious zealots and war mongers like all the other lunatics in the middle east... let 'em have at it - by themselves. we can sell them clean up services afterwards...
 @Theonedog Yeah, I mean America has every right to tell others how to live, establish a government and occupy others countries! I mean it isn't like America's Congress doesn't make its decisions based on the right wing ideology right?
We need to stop listening to israel. They are extremely dangerous and have a track record to prove it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M84l19H68mk
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check out this israeli lobbyist openly admitting we need to use shady tactics to get into a war with iran
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israel needs to be stopped, they are far more dangerous to the world than iran will be or has ever been
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Well then Israel..... Then quit talkin and get to steppin'....... tired of the soft wrist approach! America knows full well your intentions pertaining to Iran and know full well you're wanting Americans to bloody themselves first by striking Iran.... Man up and take care of business then see who is your ally....
 @Funky-Munky They have before... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Opera