Not imminent, but “soon.” The die, we are told, is cast. That’s according to a senior European diplomat. What is not known is if Donald Trump will provide the large, 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs that would allow Israel to destroy the underground nuclear facility — a uranium enrichment plant — at Natanz and the facility built inside the mountain at Fordow. More on Israel’s plans can be found here: “European diplomat: Israel has decided to attack Iran’s nuke sites – report,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, January 20, 2025:
A senior European diplomat said Israel has already decided it will attack Iran’s nuclear sites, implying such an attack was not imminent but also not in the too distant future, Al Arabiya reported over the weekend.
“We believe Israel has taken the decision to attack following the developments in the Middle East over the last several months,” one senior European diplomat said, according to the report.
Next, the report said the diplomat did not say the attack was believed to be imminent but said several European countries have opened talks with the incoming Trump administration to check if there is still a chance to use diplomacy or other tools to block Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
According to the report, European diplomats’ activity on the issue has spiked, given their fears that the Trump administration will be far more aggressive with the Islamic Republic.
England, France, and Germany (the E3) held talks with Iran last week to try to gauge the ayatollahs’ readiness for diplomacy in anticipation of new moves by Trump.
The E3 countries still have a faith in “diplomacy” with the Islamic Republic. Why? When has diplomacy ever changed Iran’s behavior? Force and the threat of force are the only things the mullahs understand. Iran will try to drag things out diplomatically, showing a willingness to engage in negotiations with the Americans, hoping thereby to have Washington prevent an Israeli attack until Iran has enriched enough uranium to the 90% level — that is, weapons-grade — to make several bombs.
In December, the E3 expressed “extreme concern” over Iran’s enrichment capacity, with France calling the uranium enrichment close to the “point of no return.”…
Why did France’s leaders not say something more beyond noting that Iran’s uranium enrichment program was “close to the point of no return”? The E3 countries collectively might have added to the French government’s statement that “we cannot allow this to happen. All measures must be considered to prevent this.” Why did Macron not announce that unless Iran halted at once its uranium enrichment program — the halt to be confirmed by Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency and his team of inspectors — not just the E3 counties of France, the U.K., and Germany, but all the member countries of the E.U. would do the following:
1. Impose a total embargo on all Iranian exports, including oil and gas, to the West.
2. Forbid Iranian planes from having landing rights anywhere in Europe and North America. End all commercial air traffic to Iran from Western countries.
3. Freeze all bank accounts held in the West by Iranian political leaders and businessmen.
4. Halt all business deals between Western and Iranian companies.
That should get Tehran’s attention and, possibly, the desired halt in its enrichment program.
Trump is keeping Iran guessing — a wise move, and worrisome for the mullahs. They may be counting on his well-known reluctance to send American soldiers on military adventures abroad. They know that he was horrified at the waste of American lives and money in the Iraq and Afghanistan fiascos. But given Trump’s demonstrated support for the Jewish state, he would undoubtedly be willing to supply Israel with the 30,000-pound bunker busters (Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs) that it would need to destroy the underground uranium enrichment plant underground at Natanz and the plant built inside the mountain at Fordow. He might even be willing to engage in a joint operation with Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, because there would be no need for American boots on the ground, but only for bombers in the now undefended skies over Iran. The risks would be small; the IAF has thoughtfully destroyed most of Iran’s missile defense systems.
As they say in Trump’s hometown, New York City, what’s not to like?
somehistory says
According to India.com, iran is afraid of this and “Major General Bagheri, Iran’s top military commander, made an unexpected visit to Pakistan on Monday. ”
to discuss helping each other in weapons production and fighting *terrorists.* No honor among terrorists, it seems, even when all are mozlum.
Hugh Fitzgerald says
Pakistan should never been allowed to get the bomb. This feat was achieved in large part by the sinister metallurgist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who stole nuclear secrets relating mostly to uranium enrichment from a Dutch labv where he had been working. At the time when Pakistan was hard at work on their nuclear weapon, the Israelis offered to bomb that country’s nuclear program, if India would allow Israeli planes to use Indian airfields. India refused; I presume the Indian government turned the offer down because of the anti-Israel animus among many of its leaders. A grave error, in both senses.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
The Indian government at that time was Indira Gandhi, who was everything short of a concubine to Yasser Arafat (he once referred to her as his “sister”). It wasn’t until 1991 – after the Nehru-Indira clan was out of power, and after the demolition of the Babri mosque – that India finally had full diplomatic relations w/ Israel. The pretext was every muslim country condemning India for the demolition of that mosque
I just wonder how secure those Paki facilities are, at Chagai in northcentral Balochistan, not too far from the Afghan border. A few days ago, there was that report of some of that material had been stolen by Tehrik-e-Taliban, along w/ a few of their scientists. Given what they have, I doubt it’d be much more than a dirty bomb, but that’s bad enough
I know that this new administration doesn’t want war, but just like in 2017 we dropped a JDAM on one of those Afghan cave networks, it’s similarly worth dropping one of those at Chagai, wherever they have their Uranium enrichment facilities
gravenimage says
Yes–deeply foolish, Hugh. Let’s hope we don’t see it again with Iran.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I think that the US should do this in the next few months, if the regime shows no signs of collapsing
The Devil's Trill says
Remember the Munich Agreement. It’s naive and suicidal to trust diplomatic deals with murdering thugs.
James Lincoln says
Mr. Fitzgerald states:
“What is not known is if Donald Trump will provide the large, 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs that would allow Israel to destroy the underground nuclear facility”
If Pres. Trump believes that supplying the bunker buster is the ONLY alternative – if all else fails – he will supply the bombs.
He won’t wait long:
He knows that the “window of opportunity” is rapidly closing…
Madeline Brooks says
Israel may be able to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites without waiting for the 30,000 pound massive bomb from the US. I’m not a munitions expert, but I am thinking repeated bombings of the same site might be just as effective with a lighter bomb that Israel already has.
Madeline Brooks says
Israel may be able to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites without waiting for the 30,000 pound massive bomb from the US. I’m not a munitions expert, but I am thinking repeated bombings of the same site might be just as effective with a lighter bomb that Israel already has.
Walter Sieruk says
The government authorities and officials of the State of Israel have every right to use pre-emptive strike against that belligerent and hostile Islamic regime of Iran.
For its nuclear program for the construction of nuclear missile weapon are a terrible treat against Israel and the citizens of the Jewish State of Israel . Therefore, those in authority in the Israeli government strong a duty and responsibility to have it military to launch a preemptive strike on those nuclear development sites.
It’s a basic matter of self-defense.
As the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe, rightly and wisely, in a speech had declared, “The right to self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.”
Walter Sieruk says
The authorities in power in the State of Israel do have every right to use military force to protect Israel and her citizens from that aggressive and spite-filled “mullah regime “ of Iran.
That hostile and vicious Islamic regime of Iran is enriching uranium for nuclear weapons should be of no surprise to any informed person. It even supplies deadly weapons to those murderous jihad entities Hamas and Hezbollah.
Therefore it should be made known that if the founder of the current Islamic tyranny ,Ayatollah Khomeini would still be alive today ,he would spit on those Westerners who say that “Islam is a non-violent religion.”
For as Ayatollah Khomeini had clearly announced that “Those who know nothing about Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war….There are hundreds psalms and hadiths urging of Muslims to value war and to fight. …I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.” [1] So if he was alive today who would spit on those Westerners who say that “Islam is a non-violent religion.” [1]
There are also many places in the Qu ‘ran that instruct in violence and killing for the cause of Islam.
As found in ,for example Surah 2:191. 4:89.. 5:33. 9:5, 111,112 ,123. 47:4.
[1] THE ISLAM IN ISLAMIC TERRORISM by Ibn Warraq page 339.
gravenimage says
Israeli Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Program
Not imminent, but “soon.” The die, we are told, is cast.
………………………………..
I so hope so–a nuclear Iran, with their constantly threatening to “wipe Israel off the map” is terrifying.