Iran can hit Western Europe

[Chavi]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/middleeast/29missiles.html?_r=1

Still sleeping cosily at night?

[taiga]

Man this wikileaks thing is HUGE. Can someone be a legend and summarize it in less than 50 words

[TrueLight]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

[MuggedByReality]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/middleeast/29missiles.html?_r=1

Still sleeping cosily at night?

that'll be $1500 for my necessary sleep clinic visits, thank you

[enwiabe]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

If a belligerent alcoholic threatens to assault someone at a bar, do you not call in the law enforcement agents because he MIGHT hurt somebody? No, you deal with the threat. You don't let a belligerent asshole be a belligerent asshole just because he has a few muscles. If he says he's going to hurt somebody, you take the threat seriously and make sure you take the necessary steps to prevent him from hurting somebody. You obviously don't confront him yourself, but you make sure that the people equipped to confront him do so.

In case you had trouble with the analogy, Iran is the belligerent asshole and the relevant authorities are the allied forces.

[Chavi]

Man this wikileaks thing is HUGE. Can someone be a legend and summarize it in less than 50 words

local aussie boy Julian Assange, teamed up with US soldier/hacker Bradley Manning (who is now in solitary confinement) to leak confidential documents from the US military and 250 foreign embassies in the US. All of these top secret documents are available in the public domain at wikileaks.org
Julian Assange is the most wanted Aussie alive

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

Great idea. Lets just wait until they have the technology to stick a warhead onto their missiles, so that they can nuke London.

[MuggedByReality]

   strategic bombing, like Israel on Sadaam's Iraq in '81 required?

[enwiabe]

   strategic bombing, like Israel on Sadaam's Iraq in '81 required?

That would be the best course of action, but only if you can be sure that you hit every target possible. If you miss a cache, then you're fucked when they retaliate if they have nukes. So a surgical strike is only as strong as the intelligence...

[Chavi]

   strategic bombing, like Israel on Sadaam's Iraq in '81 required?

That would be the best course of action, but only if you can be sure that you hit every target possible. If you miss a cache, then you're fucked when they retaliate if they have nukes. So a surgical strike is only as strong as the intelligence...

Compare Osiraq vs 20 nuclear reactors spread out all over Iran.
Iran has learned from Saddam's mistakes. Even bunker busters may not work to hit that deep into the Iranian desert.
Don't b e surprised to see Israel open up with a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Iran's desert reactors.

[TrueLight]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

Great idea. Lets just wait until they have the technology to stick a warhead onto their missiles, so that they can nuke London.

fear mongering...

[Chavi]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

Great idea. Lets just wait until they have the technology to stick a warhead onto their missiles, so that they can nuke London.

fear mongering...

And then once Iran strikes a populated area and kills millions - and the I ask: TrueLight, do we now have your permission to defend ourselves?
And you'll answer: 'War mongering'

[Yitzi_K]

   strategic bombing, like Israel on Sadaam's Iraq in '81 required?

It is, but it'll be far more difficult than Osirak. Iran have learnt the lesson from '81, and have made their nuclear facilites deep underground, and spread them right around the country. Plus their facilities are heavily defended (although Israel have thus far been successful in stopping Russia sell Iran the S-300 anti-air system, the most advanced one around), and there are hidden ones that nobody nows about. All these factors make a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities intensely difficult, as well as debunking the myth that they are only for peaceful purposes.

[TrueLight]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

Great idea. Lets just wait until they have the technology to stick a warhead onto their missiles, so that they can nuke London.

fear mongering...

And then once Iran strikes a populated area and kills millions - and I say, TrueLight, do we now have your permission to defend ourselves?
And you'll answer: 'War mongering'

haha yes sure they will...with Israel having 200 nuclear missiles

[Chavi]

(although Israel have thus far been successful in stopping Russia sell Iran the S-300 anti-air system, the most advanced one around),

Nah. It was an epic fail. They've got those now. .

[Chavi]

the more reason to not start a war with Iran

Great idea. Lets just wait until they have the technology to stick a warhead onto their missiles, so that they can nuke London.

fear mongering...

And then once Iran strikes a populated area and kills millions - and I say, TrueLight, do we now have your permission to defend ourselves?
And you'll answer: 'War mongering'

haha yes sure they will...with Israel having 200 nuclear missiles

Which despite being attacked multiple times, nearly to the point of destruction in the past 60 years, haven't been used once. Now Iran wouldn't exercise that kind of restraint with their single minded goal to destroy us, would they?