As missiles supplied to Iran’s proxy Hamas fly over the nation of Israel another
source for concern hovers at the back of the minds of Israel’s leaders: Iran’s
nuclear program. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency almost
3,000 machines used to produce nuclear fuel have been mounted at the underground
military facility near the city of Qom.
This move doubles Iran’s ability
to generate medium grade, or 20 percent enriched, uranium in the months
ahead.
What is the global significance of this action? By March or April
2013, Iran’s military could possess enough uranium for one viable atomic weapon.
At that point, the fanatical Muslim leaders in the country will have reached the
“red line” indicated by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. It is at that point
Israel’s leaders must determine not if, but when to take action to protect its
populace.
This boundary could be crossed much sooner if production from
the centrifuges in Natanz is added to the equation. Olli Heinonen, a former
weapons inspector for the IAEA, says, “The number of centrifuges is steadily
increasing, which diminishes the time for a breakout for a nuclear weapon in two
ways: Iran’s inventories will increase as well as its pace of
production.”
Leaders in Tehran continue to assert that Iran’s nuclear
program is only for domestic use. According to sources, Iran’s stockpile of
uranium enriched to 20 percent amounts 232 kilograms of which approximately 96
kilos could be used in the production of a weapon. Knowledgeable experts assess
that another 120 to 150 kilograms would be needed for the production of a
nuclear bomb.
With the Qom plant fully operational, and by restructuring
the centrifuges, Iran could easily convert the store of uranium to weapons-grade
within months. The changes at the facility in Qom are of particular concern to
IAEA negotiators, to the United States, to Europe, and particularly to Israel.
It is feared that the nuclear installation in Qom is invulnerable to attacks by
air.
Thus far, United Nations Security Council talks with Iran’s
officials have produced no discernible outcome, and frankly why should they
have? Despite the 80% drop in the value of the Iranian currency, President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have seen
nothing to make them believe the US or its European allies would make any move
to stop Iran’s forward motion.
The two leaders continue to thumb their
noses at demands for access to Parchin, a facility south of Tehran. Yukiya
Amano, the IAEA’s director general, has charged that the delay is a stalling
tactic to allow time to remove evidence of past nuclear activities. Amano
believes that the site was used as a laboratory for the study of an implosion
device to be used in conjunction with a nuclear warhead.
The organization
has a team scheduled to visit Parchin on December 13, but by that time, any
trace of nuclear activity will have been eradicated.
Also of great
concern to the Israelis is a report that a freighter is en route from Bandar
Abbas to Gaza with a payload of 220 shortrange and 50 Fajr-5 missiles with
larger warheads and greater range than those Hamas possessed at the beginning of
Operation Pillar of Defense.
The cargo on the freighter would replace the
dwindling stockpile of missiles fired into Israel since November 10. To cover
its tracks, the ship has changed names and ownership several times since its
launch. She departed Bandar Abbas as the Vali-e-Asr under the flag of the
Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
According to sources, four Sudanese cargo ships departed the Port
of Sudan recently for an assignation with the Cargo Star. The missiles would
then be transferred to the other vessels at sea. It is believed that the ships
will either put into port in Sudan or rendezvous with a fleet of Egyptian
fishing boats. From there, the arms would be transported to Egypt, and then to
Gaza by way of the tunnel system between the two countries.
While at sea,
the Cargo Star has been shadowed by two Iranian warships.
Intelligence
sources have also revealed that Revolutionary Guard Units from Iran are serving
as advisers to the Gaza terrorists.
What better way for Iran to conceal
its determination to distract Israel, and the world, from its nuclear program
than to begin a skirmish with the Jewish nation? The writer is a New York Times
bestselling author. His latest book is Seven Days
, a new fiction book telling
the riveting story of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It will be
released July 20. For information, visit www.SevenDaysByMikeEvans.com.