Pacific Views

Badgering Iran

Iran has been stepping up uranium enrichment and the Bush administration is sounding the alarm, however ...

... the level of enrichment -- less than 5 percent -- is substantially lower than the 90 percent required to make a nuclear weapon, and it is unclear how much Iran is producing and how smoothly the complicated machines are operating. U.S. government and outside analysts differ on when Iran would be able to produce a bomb, with estimates ranging from 2009 to 2015. ...

Hardly an imminent threat it would seem. Adm. William Fallon of CENTCOM seems to hold that assessment as well, having acted in February to prevent the Bush administration from moving a third carrier strike group into the Persian Gulf, saying there wasn't any military need for it and that there wouldn't be any attacks on Iran on his watch.

Still, just this week, a third strike group was moved into the gulf and a series of war games were begun. Air and submarine exercises were topped off with amphibious landing drills in Kuwait. In addition, the administration has signed off on a stepped up campaign of covert action against their government.

Isn't one disastrous and unpopular war enough?

Update: Russia advocates for a diplomatic solution.

Posted by natasha at May 24, 2007 01:27 PM | Iran | Technorati links |