Iran Rattles Nuclear Sabre Again… Israel Hits Them Hard In Respose

Even now, Trump disavows having had any role in this attack, and even now is hoping Iran will choose peace talks.

But with reports that Iran has refined enough fissile material to manufacture 9 nukes, Israel’s patience has been wearing thin. Trump warned that the offer of a peaceful negotiated path forward was not an offer that could last forever.

After recent negotiations between Trump and Iran stalled out, the US government made public much of the intelligence and maps relevant to Iran’s secret nuclear sites and programs. Then Iran boasted about their big plans to keep advancing their nuclear program.

Iran said it has built and will activate a third nuclear enrichment facility, ratcheting up tensions with the U.N. on Thursday immediately after its atomic watchdog agency censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. — AP

Later that day, Israel’s PM made this announcement:

Iran has enough enriched uranium for 9 bombs, and was moving toward turning it into a functioning weapon. They struck the nuclear enrichment program, their leading nuclear scientists, their ballistic missile program, and senior Iranian military commanders who were among the hardliners standing in opposition to Trump’s peace talks.

Notice that the targets are not hitting infrastructure, bridges, their electric grid, ports or any other target directed at civilian life. We’re looking at surgical strikes looking at decapitating hardline military leadership, as well as crippling the development of the technology with which Iran would threaten Israel.

Rubio has made it clear that this was an Israeli operation, not one in which America took any cooperative role. Even now, Trump is offering Tehran an olive branch and an opportunity for a peaceful resolution to the current conflict… if he’s willing to take it. As for the Iranian hardliners hellbent on pushing Iran to war? Trump has something to say about them, too.

Iran chose the 60th day of Trump’s 60 day negotiation window to tell the West to kick rocks and that it was going full steam ahead with their nuclear development.

The aftermath will be ongoing. Israel has already said this will be a multi-day effort. Civilians there were told to stay near bomb shelters because they were expecting Iran might throw everything they could manage back at them in response.

So far, the attacks have been modest and targeted. But if Iran makes the mistake of targeting US personnel? That could change in an instant. And there’s not much Iran could really say in objection to it either, what with Iran having put a call out for the assassination of several prominent Americans, not the least of which is Trump himself.

The fact that Trump has been offering a path to peace with people who literally organized attempts to murder him personally says a LOT about Trump’s committment to putting the national and regional interests of peace ahead of personal slights and ambitions.

Trump has a meeting later today with Netanyahu. The UN, not surprisingly, is meeting to decide how to respond.