Iran, the West, and the Bomb

Tensions continue to mount between the Islamic Republic of Iran and nations in the West. Tomorrow, in Geneva, Switzerland, talks begin between representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the United States with Iran. The topic: Iran's continued development of nuclear technology with the goal of creating a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, sitting in the wings watching these talks is the nation of Israel. More than any other nation, it stands the most to either gain or lose through these talks.

It has not been a secret that Iran has been working on the development of uranium enrichment for the past several years. The Iranians have claimed that it is being developed so that it might be used to create nuclear power for commercial and residential use. But, when the Iranian President Ahmadinejad boasts that his country will soon be able to "wipe the Zionist scourge off the face of the map" one begins to wonder about the expressed intent of the nuclear program. Glyn Davies, the US envoy to the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency is quoted as saying: "Iran is now either very near or already in possession of sufficient low-enriched uranium to produce one nuclear weapon, if the decision were made to further enrich it to weapons grade. This moves Iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity." And the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently said, "The Iranians have the intention of having nuclear weapons."

Just this past weekend, the Iranian government held a series of war games. (I find it very interesting that these were held during the most holy Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Could Iran be sending a statement with the timing of these games?) As part of those games, the Iranians fired a series of rockets. Some of these mid-range rockets had the ability to reach targets in Israel, as well as US and European military bases in the Middle East and in southern Europe.

What will be the results of tomorrow's meeting? If it follows the pattern of previous dialogues, it will be a verbal threat of increased economic sanctions against Iran at a certain date in the future. And, what Iran will do is to ignore these threats, continue with its nuclear program development, and then, as the date which has been established draws closer, will declare that it is ready to resume negotiations. The Iranians have become very good at playing this game.

But, what of Israel? This past week, the IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, in an interview with a Jewish paper, stated, "We all understand that the best way of coping with the Iranian nuclear threat is through international sanctions. However, Israel has the right to defend itself, and all options are open. The IDF's working premise is that we have to be prepared for that possibility, and that is exactly what we are doing." In a recent interview with Reuters in the UK, Israel's former deputy defense ministry Ephraim Sneh said, "We cannot live under the shadow of an Iran with nuclear weapons. By the end of the year, if there is no agreement on crippling sanctions aimed at this regime, we will no choice." Friends, the end of the year is getting closer.

So, will Israel use the military option against Iran? Will Israel act on her own, or will she work in concert with other allies including the United States? Will such an attack come within the next 90 days? How I wished I had answers. If history is a guide, then Israel will use a pre-emptive strike against Iran. Certainly Israel possesses the military and technological capabilities of making such a surgical strike. The question then becomes...will others join together with Israel? The answer to this question is not as certain I am saddened to state.

But, here is the good news. God has a plan for Israel and that plan will be accomplished. When all the shooting is over, and the King has arrived, where does He come? It is to Jerusalem - the city of David in the land of Israel. That's about all I really need to know.