Exiles Accuse Iran of Working On Detonators

Source: Washington Post

PARIS, Sept. 24 -- An Iranian exile group said Thursday that it has identified two previously unknown sites in and near Tehran where it says Iranian scientists are researching and trying to manufacture detonators for nuclear weapons.

The allegation, from the Paris-based Mujaheddin-e Khalq, or MEK, was designed to reinforce the exiles' long-standing contention that the Iranian government, despite repeated denials, has an active program to develop a nuclear arsenal under the aegis of the Defense Ministry and the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The announcement was timed to coincide with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appearance at the U.N. General Assembly and with intensified pressure from the United States and other major powers for Iran to allow full inspection of its nuclear-related facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

There was no way to confirm the authenticity of Thursday's allegation. But previous MEK information has given Western intelligence agencies tips about some Iranian nuclear activities or provided details about research sites.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404815.html

still has them and brandishes them, every other nation on the planet has the right (and responsibility to its own people) to protect itself.

We have no right (other than might) to make any demands on other countries about nuclear energy (or weapons).

things would have been a lot simpler if the Germans had beat us in the race.

We used nuclear weapons to END a war without invading Japan, which would have killed millions. In the aftermath of WW2, U.S. nuclear weapons were the main thing that kept Stalin from overrunning western Europe. In the long historical view, nuclear weapons are the brake that stopped the otherwise endless European Civilization civil war that broke out in 1914.

Iran and North Korea are building weapons to either START a war or extort support to keep odious regimes in power that are in danger of being overthrown by their own people.

Big difference.

is the historical ignorance.

Arguments are made on both sides of "was it necessary" and neither you nor I can definitively answer that question - no one will ever be able to.

The point is that the US has no right to keep other countries from developing whatever technology they want for their own people and nation.

IF nukes kept the peace (via MAD) thru the cold war, then it is a valid tool to prevent war today. E.g., Israel can lord it over the Middle East as long as it is the only nation there with the capability. If all nations had the bomb, none would dare attack another for fear of annihilation.

when you have rational actors. All it takes is one irrational actor to screw it up.

Your statement was ignorant, as was your reply. You wrote:

"Arguments are made on both sides of "was it necessary" and neither you nor I can definitively answer that question - no one will ever be able to."

Japan surrendered because of the atomic bomb. That is fact. No serious historian argues that the Japanese would have just given up without a lot more war, and certainly at the time there was no indication of that. More Japanese died during the August 8 firebombing of Tokyo than died at either Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and yet the devastating firebomb raids did not result in a move to surrender. Perhaps if several million more had been immolated there might have been movement, but even then, who knows? We might have had to invade Japan to end the war. No serious historian argues that an invasion of Japan would not have cost millions of lives of Japanese civilians, military, and our own soldiers. Even after the atomic bombs had been dropped there was fierce debate about the question of surrender, and even after the decision had been made there was an attempted coup by hardliners to stop the Emperor's speech from being broadcast. It was only by sheer luck that they failed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyūjō_Incident

And no serious historian disputes the fact that in those vast areas (such as across China) still held by the Japanese horrible atrocities were being committed by Imperial soldiers up to the surrender (look up the Rape of Nanking as an example of what could happen to areas under Imperial Army control). That war had to be ended, the sooner the better, and any other scenario besides the atom bombs, even with 20-20 hindsight involves a lot more death than actually occurred.

So my statement stands:

The only use of nuclear weapons by the US was to END a war not to START one.

The purpose of an Iranian bomb will be to START a war so that the Hidden Imam can manifest himself. And don't even dare to suggest that anything that the leadership of the DPRK does is on behalf of the people. Those SOBs are responsible for mass starvation and the worst hellhole on the planet. And they built nukes as an insurance policy to keep it that way. I am not OK with that.

What's Doug Feith and Donnie Rumsfeld up to lately?

:sarcasm:

The MEK?

While the MEK is classified as a terrorist group by the US Dept of State, Cuban exile GOP rep Ileana Ros lehtinen attended fundraisers for them.

Some people are just plain fond of mass murder and suffering. But, only for the Right cause.

Shit Cheney must have been asleep at the wheel to miss that sales opportunity for his company

Actually, Michael is just passing on what he gets from his usual sources.

wasn't the current iranian government part of the exile in Paris.

I would not be surprised.