Pat Oliphant for November 25, 2013

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    Kip W  over 10 years ago

    They’re in the area around Tehran and Shiraz and east, west, south and north somewhat.

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    Iran is not North Korea. It is not controlled by one family that demand a cult like devotion. Whenever given a choice between an extremist and a moderate, the Iranian people have chosen the moderate. Ahmadinejad was an aberration who was elected because of his success as Mayor of Tehran. He had to steal his reelection. The first popularly President elected after the Islamic Revolution wasn’t a religious fanatic but a French trained economist, Abollhasan Banisadr.Iran currently has very large population between the age of 20-30. Many of them are well educated but the current Iranian economy cannot support them. Iran desperately wants to become part of the international community but they cannot engage in a complete surrender to Western demands. They have to save face.The Iranians have had a nuclear program since 1950s. German intelligence was predicting that Iran was 18 months a from having nuclear weapons capability in 1986. Iran and it’s current leaders are not going to engage in behavior that will lead to it’s own self-destruction.

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    Let me correct myself: Jane’s Defense Weekly reported in April 1984 that West German intelligence believed that Iran could have nuclear weapons within 2 years.The nuclear program had started under the Shah, which included a clandestine weapons program even though Iran had signed a non-proliferation in 1968.-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8b/Shah_of_Iran_building_two_nuclear_plants.jpg/428px-Shah_of_Iran_building_two_nuclear_plants.jpg-Ayatollah Khomeini stopped the weapons program because he considered nuclear weapons against Islamic teaching.He restarted the weapons program as the Iraq-Iran war dragged on.This is the unique nature of nuclear weapons; India has the bomb because China has the bomb; Pakistan has the bomb because India has it. Well, Iran had a weapons program because the believed Iraq may get the bomb.Iran has never been a threat to Israel. There are 2 large countries – Iraq and Jordan – between Iran and Israel. Any attack on Israel can lead to a fallout on its Arab neighbors. It is still using airplanes from the Shah’s Air Force. Iran’s number one goal is creating enough jobs for a large work age population.

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    Theodore E. Lind Premium Member over 10 years ago

    I guess we have two camps here: One that thinks it may be possible to arrive at a diplomatic solution with the new Iranian leader and one that wants to start another meaningless trillion dollar war.

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    zeimetr  over 10 years ago

    According to the deal we will be looking in both sleeves.

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    I think, Oscar is using sarcasm himself.

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    Maybe, we should do what that “heavyweight” Bush did and create a pretext for an invasion? How do you think that will work out? Attacking a country of 80 million people? Do you think the Saudis will provide troops? Israel might be all for blowing up the nuclear sites but do you think it ready for the consequences that come afterwards?Ted Lind is right about the 2 camps; one camp believes in finding a diplomatic solution, if possible.The other side believes in opposing anything this President does.

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    Rymlianin  over 10 years ago

    The last time the Iranians trusted the Americans, we overthrew their government (1953).

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    I think, the magician is Iranian.

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    BE THIS GUY  over 10 years ago

    I guess because you said, it’s true. The critics still haven’t offered an alternative. The whole point of sanctions is to bring them to the negotiating table. What has Iran done with its nuclear sites. Claims have been made since 1984 that Iran was just months away from having nuclear weapons. Twenty-nine years later, it still doesn’t have them. People make comparisons to 1938 Munich. Only problem is, Iran is nowhere near the military power Germany was. It’s Air Force still uses planes from the 1960s and 1970s and does not have access to parts to maintain them.It has a navy whose abilities are limited to the Persian gulf. The US has a larger naval presence in the Persian Gulf with the 5th fleet headquartered at Bahrain.The majority of the Iranian population was born after the Revolution. The younger generation hates the regime and the system. Ayatollah Khomeini’s 2 grandsons are Muslim clerics who have spoken out against the regime that their grandfather founded and asked for greater democracy. One has traveled to the west and met with the Shah’s son, seeking reconciliation. We can be at constant state of belligerence or we can seek ways to resolve this matter.

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