Ari Siletz

spending all that money out of shear stupidity? Yes

is there no value in having nuclear arms? As i said it depends who has it.

they're actually truthful and not pursuing nuclear arms?  Doesn't really matter, now does it?! They're at a dead end now.  When Ahmadi came to power and W managed the 1st sanctions Ahmadi's immediate reaction was to start enrichment, effecive immediately!  With this 4th set of sanctions he said they "may" stop cooperating with IAEA.  Read between the lines!

Everything is sacred.

ari, mouse

ari, thanks for the response. i can understand the multitude of beliefs in iran based on background, age, resources... even in the same family.  my own khaleh who is highly educated and had a somewhat powerful position before the revolution (she quit promptly after she was told to wear hejab and report to her underlings) is somewhat conservative in expressing her opinion.  although, i know she hates the mullahs.  so i understand how someone's circumstances can affect their beliefs, or affect the way they express their belief.  at any rate, make sure you eat your khaleh's ash-e kashk.

mouse, so you think the iri's spending all that money out of shear stupidity?  is there no value in having nuclear arms or they're actually truthful and not pursuing nuclear arms? 

Khaleh Zohreh must have watched a lot of half bearded TV guys!

If your only source of information is Iran TV and their half bearded George Michael wannabes, then yes I can see a lot of "logic" behind what they say!  Iran can defend itself!  Yes it can defend itself against Afghanistan during Taliban when they killed several Iranian diplomats, although as I recall Iran didn't lauch any attack or payback or anything.

Iranians call Arabs Omar and Shemr, and doubt they've turned to teflon moslems!  And Arabs well they never liked us and if there is another war between Iran and Arabs chances are it'll be much more brutal than the Iraq Iran war. 

In America we see us living next to each other but in Middle East we'll always be segregated, at least for the foreseeable future in this 21st century.

Hamsade, the "threat" of nuclear capability is good for countries who can use it and live to tell about it.  India and Pakistan wanted to go at it and see how many millions they can kill but Clinton changed their minds! They actually said leave us alone and let us do it!

N Korea knows they can't do squat with their nukes since that'll be the end of them.  If Iran says they have nukes tomorrow that is not a "game changer".  These are all rhetorics we hear here and there.

No one takes Islamic Republic seriously deep down, including the half bearded TV guys!  Islamic Republic will be no bigger of a "threat" with nukes than they are without it.  Are they a "threat" now?!  Who is afraid of them?!  Not even the ghost busters! 

Everything is sacred.

HG

ari jan, where do the

ari jan, where do the iranian people fit into your khaleh's politics?  also, does she know how cook ash-e kashk? :)

Khaleh Zohreh politics

1. Iran is obviously making a strong play for the hearts and minds of the Arab street, and succeeding to a reasonable extent. 

2. Once Iran can defend itself and the region, the Arabs will have a choice--whether they take it or not--between the US and Iran. The very choice destablizes US oil interests (and the Dollar) as Arabs will re-open their agreements with the West with the new realities on the table. The US giving in to a possible Arab demand for their own nukes is a no-winner as terrorism is a bigger threat from the Arab side than from Iran. Not to mention Israel freaking out.

3. Arab leaders know that if they do not take advantage of this new reality their support among their own people will be seriously compromised. Arabs are wary of Iran, but their historic anger at colonianism can be overwhelming once they have a choice of actually expressing it, especially if they can also profit from it.

4. The IRI itself has no choice but to follow this policy because its own survival depends on its successes on the regional scale outweighing its domestic failures.

5. The US knows all this.

***

 Souri: Glad you like Khaleh Zoherh. She is one of my favorites.

COP: Thank you for appreciating the artwork. It is a modification of this design (artist unknown, I hope he/she doesn't shoot me). I didn't sign the drawning because the strongest design elements are not mine.

If

I believed in the religious stuff, I'd have said Amen to that. But I agree.

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IRAN FIRST

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using nuclear bomb against

using nuclear bomb against another nation is not the best way to convince other nations that using nuclear weapons is illegitimate.  however, having nuclear weapons (even without intention of using it) is not without value.  it is actually a game-changer.  india and pakistan may very well fear each other; thus, they would resort to low-level skirmishes.  having nuclear weapons is like having a trump card up your sleeve which would guarantee your safety in face of threat to your existence.

that's why the value of nuclear weapons is much greater to countries that are currently hostile toward each other or have a direct threat toward their existence (iran, pakistan, india, israel, north korea), than counties who don't face such threats (u.s., russia, u.k., france,..).

Hope no nukes go off AND Islamic Republic collapses soon!

Everything is sacred.

In their mind

I said.

In any case, I believe that if anyone detonates a nuke in that vicinity, you're probably looking at an all out war that will reshape humanity and the planet.

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IRAN FIRST

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The aura, under the umbrella

I would've spiked auntie's tea, so she'd divulge more!

When and if the nukes go off it will be the sad end

Of course it is realistic. During Clinton when Ambassador Richardson (the same guy who Clinton told to give Monica a job :-) who was an expert in North Korean diplomacy went to North Korea he told them in no uncertain terms, and later said it to media, that if N Korea attacks anywhere with a nuke they will be blown to parts with a full nuclear attack.

The problems of nukes is that it endangers everyone in the world.  Now that many countries have it means that large populations are at risk.  So when and if a country starts a nuke attack, it is certain that the retaliation will be 10 fold and the rest of the nuke capable countries will probably join in to eliminate that craziness.

It is true that Islamic Republic will not care if millions die in a nuke attack.  However, it won't be just millions who die, it'll be the end of Islamic Republic. 

Islamic Republic's only mean to stay in power it to brutalize its own population.  They can not do squat to the rest of the world!

Everything is sacred.

Yes...but

you know that the option that Obama and Russia offered as nuking Iran is not realistic and the mullahs are counting on that. On the other hand, these bastards do not care if someone detonates a nuke in their backyard and kills millions of Iranians. They do not care about Iran.

No matter what, in their minds, the mullahs and their thug supporters everywhere believe that nukes is the only means to secure power.

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IRAN FIRST

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Nukes will not help Islamic Republic to stay in power forever

Obama and Russia have already singled out Iran as one of the few countries that may be nuked if they do something crazy.

North Korea and Pakistan have nukes, yet no one is afraid of them.  No one is afraid of Iran.  In fact, it is only Islamic Republic and its stupidity that think there is a "crisis" as it relates to Iran's nukes.

There may have been a crisis at some point but when you have Iran needing technological support and admitting to it (something they denied before) and new set of sanctions (all passed during Ahmadi's rein) in response to Iran's admission of reaching a dead end, what is there to be afraid of?

Islamic Republic's existence has been threatened from the beginning as a rule of thumb, including their own actions, mostly through their own actions.

Everything is sacred.

All great points

Ari, anon and onlyiran. I believe that another equally important point to consider is that if the regime gets its hands on nukes, it'll be much harder for anyone to threaten its existence; sort of a gholdore mahale with which, gholdors from other neighborhoods will not be too keen to pick a fight. To me, it is all about sustainability as the regime knows they can remain in power only through sheer force and opression.

Ari, the artwork is brilliant.

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IRAN FIRST

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Excellent analysis

on the function of $DOLLAR$, Ari.

Anonymouse

Well said.  I totally agree with your analysis.  I would also add that the mullahs acquiring nukes will not only NOT convince the Arab states to come under Iran's influence, but it will instead persuade them to acquire their own nuclear weapons on the back market.  And remember, they have money, and money talks.  

I know friends and family who've voted for Ahmadi too

Ari jaan I think the reason US and others don't want Islamic Republic to have nukes is not for the umbrella point you made on Arab countries.  Arab countries will never go under an Iranian flag.  Never have and never will!

I think the reason is they are confident (and so am I) that Iran will actually give it to terrorists, including Al Qaeda or terrorists du jour, when and if there is a crisis or when (not if ;-) the mullahs see their ultimate demise.  Dictatorships don't last forever.

Islamic Republic may not use the nukes themselves but they will proliferate it and send it to bad hands, just like the way they acquired it, through proliferation and bad hands, illegally!

Everything is sacred.

Khob rast migeh digeh............

Ari jon,

Very nice and beautiful text you wrote. You can't blame your khaleh joon Zohere for thinking the way she does. From her point of view (as a middle age Iranian lady) she is absolutely right and you were saying gheib ba cheshm basteh!

What you have tried to convince her , is nothing new for them. They have heard these comments hundred times from different angles....but what does matter for them, is thier day to day life. This is the way they see it.