Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Reminds me of the scene in Arrested Development when they find the fake warhead in the house in Iraq.

 

Actually, their missiles are pretty good. Even when they are programmed to fail. However, the transition between the first nuclear explosion test and then making one that can fit on a missile (N Korea's first successful nuke was the size of a semi truck) is many years.

 

Thankfully the difference between power plant fuel and weapons-grade fuel is substantial. Which is why nuclear power plants that have failures don't explode in a nuclear fireball.

The US threw all kinds of resources into their atomic weapons program. They went from the first chain reaction to a weapon in 3 years, which is really amazing given the technology of the time. Converting fuel rods to weapons-grade is barely worth the effort. Diffusion pumping with uranium hexaflouride gas, centrifuges in cascading stages and magnetic acceleration are the path to a weapon.

The Iranians have a lot of centrifuges, so they are certainly on a path to producing a weapon. But how long after blowing up the underground semi-truck sized bomb do we think they will take to build their own missile-compatible bomb?

Their smart play to get one sooner would be to buy one from North Korea, who has managed to successfully test a 5KT "briefcase" nuclear weapon. In reality it's not as small as a briefcase, but it will fit on top of a missile and wipe out a city!

 

Its too bad that the nuclear deal was not submitted to Congress for ratification. Would have been a keeper, if ratified.
One may doubt that Congress would have ever ratified the deal as negotiated.

Mr. Obama viewed Republicans as more threatening than Iran's government. Thus the impasse.

Somehow I am getting the feeling that people here think that Iran was acting in good faith all of this time.

Would a more comprehensive deal negotiated with better and tighter terms have passed ratification? That is our question for today.

 

Trump is so in love with himself, that there is no room left for Kim, or anyone else.

 

Urgh.... Donald Trump is one deluded bloke.

What a nutcase he is.

 

I watched two interviews --over two nights-- of Lev Parnas with Rachel Maddow and one interview he did with Anderson Cooper. The information he provided is very solid. I don't see how the Republican Senators would be able to protect Trump in a genuine trial now. If they prevent witnesses and dismiss the trial, or carry out some sort of half ass trial, well … the voters will know that come November.

 

I agree with what you said. I think the world would be safer without Nukes. I think a good place to start would be to disarm the nations which have the most nukes, like the United States. The United States is the only nation belligerent and bellicose enough to use nukes on a civilian population. The United States should be forced to relinquish all nukes and also be forced to pay restitution and punitive damages to Iraq in the trillions of dollars, pursuant their illegal invasion and war crimes. They should also pay the Iraqi individuals and families who were tortured and murdered by US troops. This could take place at the same time of disarmament, and a war crimes trial in the International Court of Justice.