August 24, 2010
Robert Morley
The Trumpet
Iran may be days away from going nuclear—in the full sense of the word. Russia is complicit, Israel is handcuffed, America’s will is broken, and Europe appears impotent. The countdown to a nuclear Iran is nearing its end. Will anyone stop Iran from unleashing a Muslim-inspired Armageddon?
On Saturday, Iran began commissioning its first nuclear power plant. Barring a full-scale invasion, it may now be impossible to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons (if it hasn’t already). With Russian-supplied uranium in its reactors, any aerial bombing risks spreading nuclear fallout far beyond the Persian Gulf region.Who would take such a risk? Israel might have previously, but American handcuffing purposefully postponed military options until the risk of fallout made them non-options.
America does not have the will to stop Iran either. It has proven great at talking, at negotiating, at pleading. And at being told what it can do with all its empty rhetoric.
Iran just doesn’t care!
On Friday, the day before it began loading its radioactive uranium rods, Iran broadcast on state television the launch of a special new upgraded surface-to-surface missile. Written on the side of the missile was a very specific and literal message for President Obama, the world, and anyone who would oppose Iran.
“Ya Mahdi.”
Ya Mahdi—also known as the 12th imam—is the most important Shiite personage after Mohammad. The belief of a returning Mahdi, or 12th imam, is a defining doctrine within the most populous group of Shiite Muslims (known as the “Twelvers”), to which Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a devout adherent.
Why is this important?
Twelvers believe that the 12th imam will emerge from hiding during a time of world chaos to bring order and exult Shiite believers to their rightful place. Ahmadinejad belongs to this sect, which believes it is their job to pave the way for the Mahdi’s return. Ahmadinejad claims that Ya Mahdi has communicated with him personally and that it is within his ability to hasten the Mahdi’s return.
The televised viewing of the missile’s launch, which was accompanied by shouts of “Allahu Akbar” (meaning, our God is greatest) and timed to coincide with the arrival of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr reactor, sent an unmistakable message.
And if the world didn’t get it, Iran sent it another memo on Sunday, the day after the nuclear reactor got the fuel.
On Sunday, Ahmadinejad announced the completion of Iran’s very first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of delivering weapon payloads. Named the Karrar, Ahmadinejad said the new weapon would be an “ambassador of death” for Iran’s enemies.
In the past, American officials have scoffed at Iran’s UAV technology, noting that past models were small drones, only capable of monitoring. This new model has a range of 1,000 kilometers and can carry a smart bomb weighing 500 pounds. Analysts say Iran’s rapid advances are due to Russian technology.
At the same Sunday victory speech, Ahmadinejad also announced that Iran would begin mass production of the Bladerunner 51, a boat often referred to as the World’s fastest. Ahmadinejad christened the more heavily armed Iranian version of the Bladerunner “Zolfaqar.” Zolfaqar was the name of Shiite Imam Ali’s famous sword. Imam Ali, the second imam, was known as “Allah’s Lion” for his aggressive wars against unbelievers. Earlier, in June, Iran announced that it would no longer accept UN-approved cargo inspections on Iran-bound ships. From now on, Iran would use its burgeoning navy to retaliate by searching foreign vessels of offending nations.
So with Iran growing stronger and more radicalized, who is going to stop it from hastening the return of Ya Mahdi by getting the bomb?It certainly won’t be the United States. Remember the famous 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released by the U.S. government claiming that Iran actually gave up its nuclear weapons program way back in 2003. That report also claimed that Iran was a “rational actor” not motivated by religion and that it could be coerced into giving up its civilian nuclear program by conventional means such as economic sanctions and political pressure.
At the time of the 2007 nie report, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote that the “report was America’s indirect announcement to a stunned world that we lack the will to ever stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons” (emphasis mine throughout).
“Americans prefer to live in a fantasy world—like the one portrayed in the nie,” he wrote.
A fantasy world is one in which someone tells you he is going to do everything he can to wipe you off the face of the map and you don’t believe him. A fantasy world is one in which a country labels you as “the Great Satan” because it wants to form a partnership with you. And a fantasy world is one in which a country with the world’s third-largest oil and natural gas resources builds a nuclear power station because it needs more electricity.
Unfortunately, when you are dealing with nuclear weapons, living in a fantasy world can lead to a nightmare.
Iran has sent a clear message to the world: We are going nuclear and there is nothing you can do about it. And even if you try, we will actually welcome that because you are just doing us a favor. Long live the 12th imam and hasten his return.
As America fades from Iraq, one nation is stepping into the power void.
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