Iran Tested Nuclear Warhead Design: IAEA Report

Slowly but surely we are moving toward some sort of confrontation with Iran.

So far it is speculation and based on past experience it is to be taken with a grain of scepticism. 

Even if it is as suspected, I doubt that Israel or the US are in any danger. Iran's ambition are based in self defence against a possible US or Israeli attack such as happen in Iraq.

I don't understand why we behave like this.When US , ISRAEL can have what ever the weapons they want , why not IRAN ?

Really, the time for talking with Iran and asking for explanations is long past. America and its allies must face the prospect that certain states in the world are perpetual enemies. Iran has become a menace to the free world of signficant proportion such that it demands retaliatory action, I think.

Would pounding another radical Islamic state into oblivion make any difference? Would Europe be better off just waiting until Iran can aim their new weapons directly at them, leaving too little time for effecitve response? Is Europe ready for Iranian nuclear blackmail?

Thanks for your comments Jim.  Those are all pertinent questions that have to be addressed by the US Administration and the EU.  It will be interesting to see how Iran explains this, if they do.

The West is looking at the Iran issue incorrectly and adopting exactly the wrong approach to engender any success. . It is also the worst double standard from Tehran's perspective to allow Israel free rein but  to attempt to dictate to them

Diplomats reaching out to Iraq are surprised that it won’t bend to sanctions, or respond to incentives. They see this intransigence from Iran as pride and stubbornness. This is an abject failure to recognize the sub-message that Iran is sending to the West, which is a rejection of external control, a Haq-khordan. Iran is saying we have the right to control our destiny and you are attempting Haq-khordan, which roughly translates as you are trampling on my rights.

Iranians believe they have certain fundamental Haq (rights) when it comes to the internal management of is national interest. The defiance by the unpopular Ahmadinejad on the nuclear issue is the one thing that many Iranians respect him for. He is saying no to  Haq-khordan from the West, and that makes every proud Iranian’s chest well with pride.

You can't tell them what to do or threaten them. They just won't respond to that. Wirth Israel saber rattling and the US trying to dictate terms you are just going to get more defiance from Tehran.

Sanctions? What a joke.Tehran is far more capable of maneuvering around such basic blockades than many give them credit for. Iran has already made alternative arrangements and has reached terms with Turkmenistan to import 33 million cubic meters of natural gas a day through a new pipeline. This will all be completed by mid-December. Bearing in mind that Turkmenistan could also provide Tehran with refined oil then the sanctions may be more a feel good for the West rather than any real inconvenience to Tehran. One can also not ignore the invisible hand of Russia in all this. While Russia says one thing in the UN Security Council it does another in reality.

I find the mere mention of any nuclear weapons from anywhere just so scary

I agree rng

With trading partners like Russia and China, Iran is experiencing from its own perspective, whether correct or not, an upper hand in its international presence and will continue to garner allies leveraging their nuclear program.  

On next Monday the Organization of Islamic conference is taking place in Turkey, and Iran is attending.   Ahmadinejad might be planning to use this as speaking platform like he did at the U.N.  to break attempts by the international community to isolate Tehran in the nuclear row.  Turkey has been praised by Ahmandinejad for their stance against Isreal,  and he might be using this conference to confirm that Turkey is redirecting their foreign policy away from the West.    

Also bear in mind that while the US says "the international community says.." actually most of the 104 non-aligned countries support Iran's nuclear ambitions. Tehran has more support and is a far smarter operator than most here give it credit. We underestimate their cleverness at our peril.

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35633&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=381&cHash=3c50a13348

Here is an excellent article on China's Persian Gulf stratedgy. 

I just find it odd that whenever the world-wide nuclear issues get brought up, the other nations of the world don't express greater outrage at the US's and UN's so-called non-proliferation.  How is it non-proliferation to say "We can have nukes, but you can't, so neener neener"?  I say, if you truly want world-wide non-proliferation, the G*d d*mn it, the US and it's allies should be giving em up too.  Who are we to tell other countries...lemme say that again....OTHER COUNTRIES....What they can and can't do in their own defense?  Granted, some will argue that Iran wants them to go on the offense.....May or may not be true, who knows.   My point is, it's blatantly hypocritical and insanely arrogant to say the we as the US can have nukes, but no one else can.   Americans (and yes, I'm an American, born and raised) need to get the flip over themselves and become a MEMBER of the world community instead of trying to CONTROL the world community.  Just my 2 cents.

Wouldn't it be something if under the Obama Administration Iran surpassed the U.S. in certain weapons technology?

Quite possibly the US may have a patched up version of the USS Maine that they could send out there to find out information in Iran. This time they may even leave the officers on board for the covert fireworks. Then they could open the gates of tears from ghost relatives of the deceased. Hey, It worked in Cuba.