Bomb Iran Now

A nuclear-armed Iran will be as catastrophic as "Hitler marching into the Rhineland," said John Bolton last week, eliciting headlines, hosannas, and seething rebukes from all over the planet with his call to get serious about preemptive military action against Iran.

"John Bolton for President!" cried the giddy apparatchiks at Commentary, where Zeyda Podhoretz earns loving, indulgent smiles this month as he inveighs against the Shia Islamofascists of Tehran. But the thought of an atomic ayatollah has got even the odd Guardian contributor feeling twitchy enough to offer a few words in support of Bolton. Now that's a tipping point.

Should we bomb Iran? That's this week's Big Question, put to Michael Freund of the Jerusalem Post and Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com. Through Thursday afternoon, they'll argue action vs. inaction, warmongering vs. appeasment, bombing vs. diplomacy. Freund leads.

From: Michael Freund To: Justin Raimondo Subject: Bomb Iran Now

Justin,

A few weeks ago, a celebration took place in Tehran that may come to mark a turning point in the history of the Middle East and the entire Western world.

Just as he had been promising for months, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on April 9th a dramatic expansion of his country’s ability to enrich uranium, triumphantly declaring that 3,000 centrifuges had begun operating at the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran. Centrifuges—which spin and purify uranium gas—produce enriched uranium that can then be used to build a nuclear weapon.

Recently, the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies estimated that once Natanz’s 3,000 centrifuges become operational, it could take as little as nine months for Iranian scientists to generate enough enriched uranium to make an atomic bomb.

So no wonder the day of Ahmadinejad’s announcement was celebrated across Iran as “national nuclear day.” It indicated that by the end of this calendar year, the ayatollahs could very well have their hands on the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.

Iran cannot and must not be allowed to acquire nukes. Israel and the U.S. simply cannot stand by and watch as Tehran goes nuclear and threatens the entire civilized world.

The only way to stop the Atomic Ayatollahs is with potent military action—fast, furious, and fierce. And soon.

The press loves to mock the Iranian president, portraying him as a nut, a kook, and a fanatic. But I take him at his word. He has made quite clear what his objective is, telling us over and over again that he plans to eliminate Israel and destroy the West.

Like it or not, we are all in his crosshairs, and we ignore him at our peril. And that is why it is time to show a little more cou
rage and a lot more determination, and to tackle this threat head-on.

The fact of the matter is that diplomacy has run its course. Its only effect has been to give the Iranians still more time to progress toward achieving their malicious aims.

After the UN Security Council passed a resolution in December insisting that Iran end its uranium-enrichment program, Ahmadinejad dismissed it as “a piece of torn paper” and vowed to expand his country’s nuclear program, which is precisely what he proceeded to do.

For more than a decade, Iran hid its nuclear program from the international community. Its government has interfered with inspections of its nuclear facilities, and repeatedly defied demands to cease and desist from its dangerous actions.

Does anyone really think another UN resolution, and more empty words, are going to do the trick?

And while the West dilly-dallies, the ayatollahs have been busy expanding their military arsenal. Back in November, Iran test-fired dozens of missiles, including the Shihab-3, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and can hit targets up to 1,200 miles away—meaning that all of Israel is now within reach.

And if anyone still doubts Ahmadinejad’s intentions, he made them abundantly clear at the Holocaust denial conference he hosted in Tehran back in December. In his closing speech, the would-be Persian executioner gleefully declared that, “The life-curve of the Zionist regime has begun its descent, and it is now on a downward slope towards its fall…. The Zionist regime will be wiped out, and humanity will be liberated.”

And once he dispenses with the Jews, as we know, it is the West that will be next. So this is not just Israel’s battle, it is everyone’s war, and it is time for the decision-makers in Washington and Jerusalem to act.

Sure, the thought of striking Iran is scary, particularly in light of the trouble America is having next door in Iraq. But as frightening as the idea might seem, it pales in comparison with the prospect of the ayatollahs having their finger on the button and being able to threaten the world with nuclear blackmail and destruction.

We must stop Iran at all costs. The alarm bells are ringing, and the danger signs are near. Like it or not, time is of the essence, and there is not a moment to lose. The U.S. or Israel should bomb Iran now, before it proves to be too late.

Michael Freund

NEXT: Leave America out of it. Iran is no threat to the USA.