Not without a green light from the U.S.. Or will they drag us into world war three? Bomb Iran and Russia and China will get involved. China needs the oil. Russia supports Syria and there for Iran. And the whole Muslim world will be lit on fire with rage. So if Israel does it without U.S. approval, they will be either setting U.S. policy or they will be on their own. Santorum has already promised to bomb Iran if he becomes POTUS. The Iraq/Afghan wars cost $3 trillion. War with Iran will cost at least twice that. Lower deficits, yeah sure.
I doubt Israel will bomb Iran. They could-from their bases in nearby Georgia-but the Russians would be running interference. Iran, I suspect, WILL get its first A-Bombs ; then spend decades wishing to God they had not----BECAUSE : it costs a fortune to construct a deliverable nuclear weapons package; AND having nukes on your soil is a constant security headache; and FINALLY , there are pitifully few situations wherein a nation may safely use nukes.
Iran may someday have the bomb. But just like Pakistan and North Korea, they will know that if they use it that whole country will be wiped off the face of the earth. It will take them 20 more years to have two bombs, but they'd never live to use the second one. But if Israel bombs Iran, the whole global economy is toast. Gas will not only be ten to twenty dollars per gallon, but will be rationed. Does anyone think they can get by on ten gallons a week? If the Iraq war taught us anything, it should be that you don't start a war and then think about the consequences later.
Where was the "US Green Light" prior to Operation Opera, when Israel attacked Iraqi nuclear facilities in 1981? This is where such claims fall apart. Israel over and over has done what it thought it needed to do for it's own security. And does not care what the US or any other nation thinks of that decision. Is is not a potential Israel attack that would cause "World War III", but what response Iran might make. Will they try to strike back at Israel, or will they strike back at anybody in the region who they think might possibly be a threat to them?
Israel would be foolish to attack Iran as it would not stop the Iranian nuclear program, which even Israel admits, and would probably result in Iran building nuclear weapons. I don't personally believe Iran is currently planning on building nuclear weapons but instead is working on the technology to be able to. They're doing the theoretical research necessary, which is what concerns the IAEA, but that doesn't violate the NPT. The NPT does not prevent a nation from knowing how to build nuclear weapons but merely prevents them from actually building one. We have one indication that Iran isn't going to build a nuclear weapon and that is that is that their enrichment program stops at 20% enrichment and most nuclear weapons use 80% enriched uranium. 20% enriched uranium is used in nuclear power reactors and not in nuclear weapons. As noted actually having a nuclear weapon is a real pain in the butt and, unless the nation is an "ally" of the United States it leads to severe economic sanctions. We, the US, have a double standard when it comes to rogue nuclear weapons nations. N Korea is under severe economic sanctions because it has nuclear weapons. Iran, which doesn't even have a nuclear weapon in violation of the NPT, is under severe economic sanctions. The other rogue nuclear weapons nations of Pakistan, India and Israel seem to be except from economic sanctions and they are all in violation of the conditions of the NPT and UN. I would suggest that the US stop it's hypocracy related to nuclear weapons nations. Nations like Pakistan, India and Israel (as well has N Korea) that have nuclear weapons are a much greater threat than Iran which does not have nuclear weapons.
because Israel will need to fly over other countries to reach Iran, any country that gives permission is immediately drawn into the conflict and target for Iran...US interests are at stake(US/world economy) the entire idea is stupid, Israel cannot stop Iran's development of nuclear energy only delay it and in doing so guarantees Iran will absolutely develop nuclear weapons and will be motivated and justified to hit back...
This Israeli paranoia is a political tactic.. Its about manipulating the US to avoid a just peace.. putting the world economy at risk to have a free hand in the Occupied territories and Lebanon.
No one can ever guess what Israel is going to do as it does not comply with international laws or it's treaty obligations. One thing is certain and that is that the US should distance itself from Israel in this and if Israel sparks a regional war that could include Syria initiating a retallitory response as an ally of Iran the US should stay the hell out of the matter..... With the exception of calling for economic sanctions against Israel for violating it's treaty obligations under the UN Charter in the UN Security Council.
No US interests are at stake except as it applies to being a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the fact that Israel would be in gross violation of it's treaty obligations under the UN Charter if it attacks Iran. The UN Security Council has NOT authorized any military action against Iran. A regional war between Iran and Israel is not a threat to either the US economy or the world economy and even if it was then Israel would be responsible if it attacks Iran and not Iran. Israel should face the consequences of violation the UN Charter and the laws and customs of war if it attacks Iran.
They had to fly other countries to reach Iraq as well. And the exact same claim could have been made back in the earlier bombing. Some here seem to think that Israel bothers to get permission from others. They do not. Generally it is more like "We are going through you to attack XXX, please look the other way". And they do. And that is what happens, because the other countries in the region do not want to see potentially threatening nuclear powers in their neighborhood either. And for them, Israel is a convient nation to do the attacks. They can give covert assistance, and then claim they did not know afterwards.
The problem is that Israel isn't just a potentially threatening nuclear power in the region but instead that it is a very real threatening nuclear power in the region. This is a primary reason why, in 1998, the proposal was initial drafted to eliminate all WMD's in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and virtually every country including Iran support the banning of WMD's in the Middle East... that is except Israel.
Resolution 487 (1981) Adopted by the Security Council at its 2288th meeting on 19 June 1981 The Security Council, Having considered the agenda contained in document S/Agenda/2280, Having noted the contents of the telegram dated 8 June 1981 from the Foreign Minister of Iraq (S/14509), Having heard the statements made to the Council on the subject at its 2280th through 2288th meetings, Taking note of the statement made by the Director-General of the International Atomic Emergency Agency (IAEA) to the Agency's Board of Governors on the subject on 9 June 1981 and his statement to the Council at its 2288th meeting on 19 June 1981, Further taking note of the resolution adopted by the Board of Governors of the IAEA on 12 June 1981 on the "military attack on the Iraq nuclear research centre and its implications for the Agency" (S/14532), Fully aware of the fact that Iraq has been a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since it came into force in 1970, that in accordance with that Treaty Iraq has accepted IAEA safeguards on all its nuclear activities, and that the Agency has testified that these safeguards have been satisfactorily applied to date, Noting furthermore that Israel has not adhered to the non-proliferation Treaty, Deeply concerned about the danger to international peace and security created by the premeditated Israeli air attack on Iraqi nuclear installations on 7 June 1981, which could at any time explode the situation in the area, with grave consequences for the vital interests of all States, Considering that, under the terms of Article 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter of the United Nations: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations", 1. Strongly condemns the military attack by Israel in clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international conduct; 2. Calls upon Israel to refrain in the future from any such acts or threats thereof; 3. Further considers that the said attack constitutes a serious threat to the entire IAEA safeguards regime which is the foundation of the non-proliferation Treaty; 4. Fully recognizes the inalienable sovereign right of Iraq, and all other States, especially the developing countries, to establish programmes of technological and nuclear development to develop their economy and industry for peaceful purposes in accordance with their present and future needs and consistent with the internationally accepted objectives of preventing nuclear-weapons proliferation; 5. Calls upon Israel urgently to place its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards; 6. Considers that Iraq is entitled to appropriate redress for the destruction it has suffered, responsibility for which has been acknowledged by Israel; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council regularly informed of the implementation of this resolution. http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6c57312cc8bd93ca852560df00653995?OpenDocument Israel has been told before to pack in attacking/threatening other states,guess it never learned it lesson.
As with all UN Security Council Resolutions compliance is mandatory for all UN member nations......... except for Israel apparently as Israel ignores them whenever it choses to. When people in other nations look at the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, it's no wonder that they see us as complete hypocrites. Who can blame them because our government really is full of hypocrites.
You make a potentially fatal mistake of assuming that Iran is rational. They are not rational. The people of Iran are told by their leadership to expect Allah to end the world soon. They have been taught martyrdom from the cradle. They've been trained to see Israel as evil. There are very few people in the Iranian government who see the distruction of Iran as a huge problem. They expect to get 40 vrigins and heaven for jihad. They expect their Mahdi to rise from a cave in Iran to lead the charge. Long story short, these people are living under a doomsday cult and thus Iran cannot be expected to act rationally if it has a nuke. You can't convince someone to act rationally if he's convinced that God wants him to kill. They're convinced -- down to the guy who's building the bomb, that they're going to paradise for killing Jews. How do you agrue with them? Please don't go to heaven? Would you mind ever so much NOT wiping out the enemies of your God? It's not possible.
BWAH HA HA HA HA! It's 72 virgins, not 40. And the EVANGELICAL right-wing nut jobs in America are trying to make Armageddon happen so they can go see Jesus. So put that cult in your pipe and smoke it.
the difference being those countries did not give permission so faced no backlash from the target nation...in this situation to overfly Saudi or Turkish territory will require permission from those nations as both are quite capable of detecting and neutralizing the Israeli attack, not to do so will invite attack from Iran... the "we didn't know" excuse doesn't hold water an overflight going in "may" escape detection but the return flight will be known...Iraq can't play this game Iran's political strength with-in Iraq can easily disrupt it's relatively politcal situation...
the US stake in this is enormous, a Iranian retaliatory attack on Saudi oil terminals or closure of the straights of Hormuz if the Iranians believe the Saudi's a complicit in the attack will destroy the US economic recovery, $150-200 oil are you ready for that? ...the only reason the Israelis haven't attacked is because of US resistance, the US has too much to lose...
That is pretty much what happened in the attack against Iraq. You have to realize, the only real reason why you do not request permission is so that nobody can "leak" the information to the other side. By not requesting permission, nobody officially in the nation being flown over can tell the nation you intend to attack that you are on the way. But overflights, military and civilian are an every day occurance. And there are other ways of making such overflights. The Soviets were known for useing transponders identifying the aircraft as commercial or cargo flights. And so what if Saudi Arabia gives permission to overfly on the way back? The mission is done, they have no reason to deny it. And no, I do not expect them to fly over Iraq. They would come from the coast, a much larger area to enter from, and also where the tanker aircraft would wait for them to return.
First of all Middle East oil has nothing to do with the recovery of the US economy which is still linked to the over-production of new homes and the new home construction industry. Next is the fact that if the UN Security Council had taken appropriate actions related to Israel in the past the current situation would not exist. The UN has not imposed economic sanctions on Israel for having nuclear weapons which it should have done 40 years ago nor has the UN imposed economic sanctions on Israel for it's consistant refusal to comply with it's treaty obligations as a member of the United Nations in ignoring UNSC Resolutions in the past. Finally, Iran does not have any nuclear weapons nor has it actually violated the NPT which only prohibits an nation from actually building a nuclear weapon and/or providing materials to another nation for that nation to build nuclear weapons. The NPT also allows any nation to enrich uranium for nuclear power purposes and Iran has not violated that condition of the NPT. The United States, through the United Nations, should be supporting the 1998 proposal to ban WMD's in the Middle East which would not only prohibit any WMD's by Muslim nations but would also require Israel to disassemble it's nuclear weapons. Iran has previously proposed that it will allow any and every IAEA inspection that Israel is willing to comply with. Israel is the problem with the Middle East today when we address the matter of nuclear proliferation. Our problem with Iran is based upon our hypocracy in dealing with Israel in the past.
