Nuclear Weapons

[Scof]

I think it's worth pointing out that to build a nuclear bomb is actually quite easy. You aren't going to put one together in your garden shed but given access to readily available resources it really is quite easy to build something powerfull enough to take out a city. The science is well known, it isn't a secret & anyone with more than 1 brain cell could quickly assemble the required knowledge. Equally, the actual engineering of a device could be achieved by any well equipped engineering workshop. The most difficult aspect of creating a nuclear weapon is obtaining uranium & then enrichening it. Again, all the information on how to do this is readily available & has been for some time.

Iran is not a backward country, it is not stuck in some medieval timewarp where they all live in tents & the only method of travel is a Camel. It is sophisticated enough to manufacture anything that can be manufactured, it lacks nothing that any other country has.

It is for these simple facts that I'm absolutely 100% certain that Iran has a nuclear weapon capability.

 

[JohnD]

It is for these simple facts that I'm absolutely 100% certain that Iran has a nuclear weapon capability.

As does Israel.

There is no reason to suppose that Iran has nuclear weapons yet.

Israel likes being able to attack and invade its neighbours with impunity, supported by its obedient lackey. It fears losing that power.

 

[noseall]

It is for these simple facts that I'm absolutely 100% certain that Iran has a nuclear weapon capability.

Interesting theory.

They also have a lot of drones and ballistic missiles which were largely sitting idle until the orange idiot abruptly ended talks and decided to have a tantrum.

 

[fillyboy]

Interesting theory.

They also have a lot of drones and ballistic missiles which were largely sitting idle until the orange idiot abruptly ended talks and decided to have a tantrum.

Sitting idle?, they gave them to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to do their bidding on their behalf. Russia had quite a few as well.

 

[noseall]

Sitting idle

Correct.

 

[King Billy]

I think it's worth pointing out that to build a nuclear bomb is actually quite easy. You aren't going to put one together in your garden shed but given access to readily available resources it really is quite easy to build something powerfull enough to take out a city. The science is well known, it isn't a secret & anyone with more than 1 brain cell could quickly assemble the required knowledge. Equally, the actual engineering of a device could be achieved by any well equipped engineering workshop. The most difficult aspect of creating a nuclear weapon is obtaining uranium & then enrichening it. Again, all the information on how to do this is readily available & has been for some time.

Iran is not a backward country, it is not stuck in some medieval timewarp where they all live in tents & the only method of travel is a Camel. It is sophisticated enough to manufacture anything that can be manufactured, it lacks nothing that any other country has.

It is for these simple facts that I'm absolutely 100% certain that Iran has a nuclear weapon capability.

It would be easier for them to buy one from N Korea, Russia or China.

 

[King Billy]

Sitting idle?, they gave them to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to do their bidding on their behalf. Russia had quite a few as well.

Which were used when Israel was killing Palestinians with impunity.
Then Israel turned its attention to the Palestinians in the West Bank.

But USA uses Israel to do its bidding in the Middle East, Why do think Iran should be denied the same tactics?

 

[Odds]

Israel is shinning itself Iran would have the ability to not only defend itself but dictate their own terms in the Middle East power game.

 

[Scof]

Israel is shinning itself Iran would have the ability to not only defend itself but dictate their own terms in the Middle East power game.

Do you understand exactly what the Middle East problem is?

Please explain what you perceive to be the power game.

 

[Highway Man]

Well this is quite a worry.

Iran can still build nuclear weapons without further enrichment. Only diplomacy will stop it

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched at 60 percent would be enough to make several relatively unsophisticated nuclear weapons. So why does nobody talk about it?

thebulletin.org

 

[James Carmichael]

I'd be rather less worried about an individual government getting nuclear weapons. Governments of any persuasion fundamentally want to live (and amass wealth and power). Getting nuclear weapons is table stakes to get them to the top table.

And, anyway, this year's "nice government" is next year's "hostile enemy". It is quite conceivable that Iran could pivot to being a stable democracy, France to an autocratic repressive state.

Overall, given the desire of government leaders, mutually assured destruction is a strong deterrent. Even Iranian leaders aren't actively seeking death - they're seeking to spread their ideology and amass power (just like the West then, and Russia, and China, and ...) Nothing is 100% but MAD is pretty strong.

Where I'd be more concerned is about the inevitable democratisation of the technology placing it in the hands of extremist groups whose intent is to die - eventually, a Waco style doomsday cult will get one and they will be more than happy to "save us all and send us to their Lord" by setting the thing off.

Far more long term dangerous than any government, no matter how dislikeable that government may be.

 

[motorbiking]

Having visited AWE many times and enjoyed going around their museum, I am fairly certain it isn't that easy to create the necessary materials for a high yield nuclear weapon. Of course the assembly of such devices is less complex.

 

[morqthana]

I think it's worth pointing out that to build a nuclear bomb is actually quite easy.

Is it now.

You aren't going to put one together in your garden shed but given access to readily available resources it really is quite easy to build something powerfull enough to take out a city.

Detonated where wrt the city?

The science is well known, it isn't a secret & anyone with more than 1 brain cell could quickly assemble the required knowledge. Equally, the actual engineering of a device could be achieved by any well equipped engineering workshop.

As long as the people working in the workshop don't mind dying.

The most difficult aspect of creating a nuclear weapon is obtaining uranium & then enrichening it.

So, not

actually quite easy

then.

 

[motorbiking]

civilian reactors has a 3%-4% concentration of U-235. 'Weapons-grade' uranium is 90% enriched. This is the tricky part.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I think something that is sometimes missed from the debate is the pov of the Iranian regime. They are being told by x other countries 'you will not have nuclear weapons!' however if they desire to have them, it's only human nature for them to think 'who are you to tell us what we can and can't do?' We look at it from our pov, not theirs.

I don't see any reasonable resolution to this any time soon.

States now saying they're debating whether to send 10k troops to the region. Might be a bluff, might not.

In a different sort of way, could this end up being Trump's Vietnam?