Is Iran About to Test a Nuclear Bomb In North Korea?

[Guest guest]

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/12/30/iran-test-nuclear-bomb-north-korea/

Opinion

Is Iran About to Test a Nuclear Bomb In North Korea?

By Reza Kahlili

Published December 30, 2010

| FoxNews.com

On December 24, a research report from the South Korean Foreign Ministry

Institute indicated that North Korea would carry out another nuclear bomb test

after the beginning of the year. -- South Korean media reported earlier this

month that the North was digging a tunnel in preparation for such a nuclear

test.

At the same time, reports from inside Iran indicate that a team of Iranian

nuclear scientists have been sent to North Korea and that the two governments

have agreed on a joint nuclear test in North Korea with a substantial financial

reward for the Kim Jong-Il government.

It is no secret that Iran and North Korea are collaborating in a ballistic

missile program. The North Koreans provided Iran with the technology and

know-how to build the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, which is a copy

of the Nodong-1 missile. The Shahb- 3 missile has a range of 2,000 kilometers

(1,240 miles) covering all of the U.S. military bases in the Middle East and the

entire country of Israel.

Most alarming, recent WikiLeaks releases reveal that Iran obtained a cache of

advanced missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads (based on a Russian

design) from North Korea. Now, for the first time, Iran has the capability to

target every capital in Western Europe.

Not only are these two governments continuing to collaborate on the missile

projects, they are also conspiring on Iran's nuclear bomb development. This

relationship has not only led to sharing data on previous nuclear tests by North

Korea, but played a part in Iran's capability to build the more advanced P2

centrifuges that produce 2.5 times more enriched uranium than the first

generation P1 model.

The recent revelations about North Korea's uranium enrichment plant also raise

the possibility that North Korea is enriching uranium on Iran's behalf. Iran has

always maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes; that it is

their right to produce nuclear fuel for their nuclear power plants.

In order to avoid a possible military reaction by the West, Iran is working

covertly with North Korea until such a time they are capable of weaponizing

their ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

Iran continues their nuclear bomb project on multiple fronts despite four sets

of sanctions by the U.N. They continue to enrich uranium at the Natanz facility

(which currently has enough enriched uranium stockpiled for three nuclear bombs)

while they continue to openly enrich uranium to the 20% level. It is important

to note that from this level, it is comparatively easy to reach the 93% needed

to create an atomic bomb. Sources inside Iran reported several months ago that

Iran has successfully mastered the enrichment of uranium to a weapon-grade

level.

Iran is also increasing yellowcake production at the Gchine uranium mine. The

mine currently has a design capacity of 21 tons of yellowcake per year; about

half that amount is needed to produce the 55 pounds of 93% enriched uranium for

a nuclear bomb.

They have a nuclear fuel facility in Isfahan capable of producing ten tons of

nuclear fuel annually, and sufficient plutonium for two nuclear weapons a year.

The Arak heavy water plant — built in violation of the nonproliferation treaty —

is near its completion, though the West had assumed this would not happen until

2015. This facility will be capable of producing significant amounts of

bomb-grade plutonium. With the assistance of the Russians in going live, once

the Bushehr nuclear power plant is fully operational, it will be able to produce

more than 661 pounds of near-weapons-grade plutonium — enough to make 60 nuclear

bombs within the first year or two.

The upcoming nuclear bomb test in North Korea is yet another indication that

time is running out.

Soon we will wake up to the shocking realization that Iran has nuclear bombs and

that both Iran and North Korea have nuclear warhead delivery systems.

It is a shame that we failed to stop North Korea from developing its nuclear

capability, but it is not too late to stop Iran!

Maybe the North Korean leaders are not suicidal. Maybe they are only looking to

intimidate South Korea, the U.S. and other allies in the region. Maybe they are

trying to gain stature and stronger negotiating powers. However, the Iranian

leaders have long talked about the destruction of Israel and its master --

America.

It is not only irresponsible and cowardly for our politicians to allow such a

messianic regime, which supports worldwide terrorism, to acquire nuclear bombs;

it holds dire consequences for the rest of the world.

Nuclear bombs in the hands of jihadists should be the final red line that the

free world will not back away from!

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for an ex-CIA spy who requires anonymity for safety

reason. " A Time to Betray, " his book about his double life as a CIA agent in

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010.

[Guest guest]

If Iran gets a nuke, it will be able to control the Persian Gulf and the flow of oil. They will also set off an arms race with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to also get a nuke. Most likely they won't waste time trying to build one from scratch but will try to buy one, possibly from the Russians. For that matter maybe they already have been trying or even succeeded. The result either way will be a more destabilized region that still supplies much of the world's oil, and tens of thousands of our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan with more possibly on the way to that landlocked country.

At the same time, troubles are brewing with Chavez. Not only does he have some modern anti-aircraft missiles now, but he also supplies a large share of US oil. We are more dependent than ever on foreign oil ever since Dear Leader but basically all of US waters off limits to US oil production. Never mind that the Chinese are working to build rigs off Florida to get at that same oil with help from Cuba. Things could get very nasty for the US in terms of oil supply very suddenly and quickly.

In a message dated 12/30/2010 2:37:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

Is Iran About to Test a Nuclear Bomb In North Korea?

[Guest guest]

Ah, but my energy shares keep climbing in value as gas begins to cost more.

Iran may already have nukes, but I think what they are really seeking is the

knowledge of how to detonate fissile material. That's actually one of the more

difficult parts of nuclear bomb construction. Manufacturing the material, while

labor intensive, is not that hard.

Administrator

If Iran gets a nuke, it will be able to control the Persian Gulf and the flow of

oil. They will also set off an arms race with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states

to also get a nuke. Most likely they won't waste time trying to build one from

scratch but will try to buy one, possibly from the Russians. For that matter

maybe they already have been trying or even succeeded. The result either way

will be a more destabilized region that still supplies much of the world's oil,

and tens of thousands of our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan with more

possibly on the way to that landlocked country.

At the same time, troubles are brewing with Chavez. Not only does he have some

modern anti-aircraft missiles now, but he also supplies a large share of US oil.

We are more dependent than ever on foreign oil ever since Dear Leader but

basically all of US waters off limits to US oil production. Never mind that the

Chinese are working to build rigs off Florida to get at that same oil with help

from Cuba. Things could get very nasty for the US in terms of oil supply very

suddenly and quickly.