As readers no doubt know, the USA and other western powers have been pursuing an agreement with Iran that would limit Iran’s nuclear program and allow full inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities to be sure they are non-military in nature. President Obama has been touting this effort as a diplomatic success, but it appears to be unraveling. Iran’s position has hardened into a posture that would make any agreement meaningless in accomplishing these goals.
Specifically, Iran has now stated that it “will not roll back centrifuges that can enrich uranium into bomb material, nor will it abandon a plutonium plant project in Arak or open up for full inspection a secret plant in Fordow” (see first link). That statement sounds to me like Iran’s nuclear weapons program will go “full steam ahead” no matter what happens in any negotiations with the USA or other western powers. Indeed, the first link also reports that Iran now has developed centrifuges that are “fifteen times more powerful” than its previous centrifuges. There seems little reason for Iran to develop plutonium unless it is building nuclear weapons. The fact that its “secret”‘ facility will not be open for inspection confirms that Iran is performing things there that it does not want the world to see.
Iran’s position has hardened considerably toward the West and it has even attacked the US Navy’s computer systems in a hacking attack (second link). It hardly seems like Iran is in a peaceful mood. Obviously, Iran must be probing for weaknesses in the US Navy’s computer systems so Iran can disable US Navy systems if any war occurs.
Remember the old adage: “Actions speak louder than words.” For a little while, Iran’s “words” sounded like it was softening its hard-line desire to develop nuclear weapons. Its “actions” are showing that it has no intention of giving up its nuclear program or letting international inspectors into facilities Iran wants to keep hidden.
The first link reports that Israel believes that “Iran is less than six months from having enough material to make a bomb.” A recent post discussed a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will strike Iran before Iran has the “capacity” to build a nuclear weapon. If he meant that literally, an Israeli strike could come within months. Given the information cited above, it would seem logical that the Iranian nuclear facilities at Arak and Fordow would be among the first targets hit by any such strike.
Why did Iran now change its stance from its previously softer-sounding rhetoric to its previous hard-line position? Probably because it wanted to buy some time for its nuclear program to continue without being attacked. To buy that time, Iran had to dupe President Obama and other western leaders into thinking Iran was serious about ending its nuclear weapons program. Iran did buy some time with its deceit, but it may mean that a military strike vs. Iran’s nuclear facilities will yet happen. Iran’s hacking efforts against the US Navy argue that Iran is already preparing for a possible future war vs. the USA and other nations. If they can successfully hack into the US Navy’s computers, does that mean they can also hack into all NATO naval codes (which may be interlinked with US Naval codes)?
As readers of this blog have long known, Ezekiel 38:2-6 identifies Iran (“Persia”) as being part of the latter-day alliance that will attack the modern nations of the ten tribes of “Israel” in some future year. Russia and China, Iran’s allies, are leading this alliance and I believe they were aware that Iran’s negotiating stance was merely to buy its nuclear weapons program some time to continue un-attacked.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/17/iran-nuclear-talks-collision/5554697/
