Iranian Nuclear Threat Delayed???

From Joel Rosenberg's Blog

In the first video blog we produced for new Joshua Fund website in December, I offered a “Year End Assessment of the Iranian Nuclear Threat.”  Based on  discussions with numerous U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials and analysts, I concluded that the prospect of war between Iran and Israel in the first six months of 2011 had diminished and that there was a growing sense that the West’s covert war to slow Iran’s bid for nuclear weapons was working. The threat of Iran getting the Bomb is certainly still there, but for the moment the good guys seem to have the upper hand.

That was December. January now brings official confirmation of that assessment.

“Meir Dagan, who retired from his post as Mossad chief on Thursday after eight years, does not believe Iran will have nuclear capability before 2015,” reports the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “In a summary given to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Dagan said Iran was a long way from being able to produce nuclear weapons, following a series of failures that had set its program back by several years….Dagan concluded his term saying Iran was still far from being capable of producing nuclear weapons and that a series of malfunctions had put off its nuclear goal for several years. Therefore, he said, Iran will not get hold of the bomb before 2015 approximately.”

“The Israeli intelligence community’s assessments of Iran’s nuclear capability have changed during Dagan’s tenure,” the story noted. “In 2003, Israeli intelligence officials thought Iran would have its first bomb by 2007. In 2007, they thought it would be 2009, and a year later they put it at 2011. Now the date has moved to 2015. These adjustments were not the result of mistaken evaluations, but due to the difficulties Iran has encountered in advancing its program, largely because of the Mossad’s efforts.” The article also stated that “Dagan’s term centered around two main issues: the Iranian nuclear program; and the assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and Iranian scientists, most if not all of which have been attributed to the Mossad.”

Dagan’s testimony is the strongest evidence so far that the covert war underway inside Iran — the Stuxnet computer virus, assassinations, defections, sabotage, and other measures – has had a dramatic impact on slowing down Iran’s effort to build nuclear weapons. The question is this: Is Dagan’s assessment accurate? Does Israel and the world really have until 2015, or do the mullahs have a separate, secret track they are operating on that could cause Iran to acquire the Bomb sooner? Time will tell.

In the meantime:

• let’s thank the Lord that He appears to have given the people of the epicenter more time (Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently said 2010 was one of the quietest and most secure years in modern Israeli history)
• let’s thank the Lord for the hard work of U.S., Israeli and other intelligence agencies in slowing Iran down
• let’s continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, according to Psalm 122:6
• let’s continue to care for the poor and needy in the epicenter
• let’s continue to “get ready, be prepared” for war whenever it comes (for prophetically we know several major wars, at least, are coming to the Middle East) — for The Joshua Fund, this means expanding our warehouse capacity, expanding the number of food distribution centers we serve, purchasing more trucks and vans, training more Israelis in humanitarian relief distribution, stockpiling more supplies, etc.
• let’s continue to pray for the persecuted Church in the Middle East, especially as a new surge of extremist violence has led to the murder of many believers, and left many more believers wounded in recent weeks and months, and let’s do everything we can to educate and mobilize Christians around the world to pray for believers in the epicenter
• let’s also continue to do everything we can to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Israel and the rest of the epicenter, to teach the Word of God, to encourage pastors and ministry leaders, and to give everyone in the region the opportunity to hear the good news of the love and salvation only offered through our Lord Jesus Christ, and to make disciples of all nations
• may the Lord bless you as you “learn, pray, give and go”!

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• Come to Israel with The Joshua Fund in May 2011, walk where Jesus walked, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, visit our warehouse, participate in a humanitarian relief project, worship with fellow believers, study the Word of God, and be a blessing to the nation of Israel at this critical time!
• Sign up for Joel’s free email updates, “Flash Traffic”
• Join the “Epicenter Team” on Facebook
• Purchase a copy of The Twelfth Imam, the New York Times best-selling thriller about a CIA operative sent into Iran to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program
• Donor update: Details on some of the latest projects The Joshua Fund is working on
• Prayer updates from Israel and the epicenter
• Visit The Joshua Fund’s new website — www.joshuafund.net – and make a contribution to help us educate Christians about God’s love for Israel and help us bless the poor and needy in the epicenter in the name of Jesus.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

U.N. Report Says Iran Has Fuel for 2 Nuclear Weapons

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: May 31, 2010

WASHINGTON — In their last report before the United Nations Security Council votes on sanctions against Iran, international nuclear inspectors declared Monday that Iran has now produced a stockpile of nuclear fuel that experts say would be enough, with further enrichment, to make two nuclear weapons.

The report, by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a branch of the United Nations, appears likely to bolster the Obama administration’s case for a fourth round of economic sanctions against Iran and further diminish its interest in a deal, recently revived by Turkey and Brazil, in which Iran would send a portion of its nuclear stockpile out of the country.

When Iran tentatively agreed eight months ago to ship some of its nuclear material out of the country, the White House said the deal would temporarily deprive Iran of enough fuel to make even a single weapon.

But Iran delayed for months, and the figures contained in the inspectors’ report on Monday indicated that even if Iran now shipped the agreed-upon amount of nuclear material out of the country, it would retain enough for a single weapon, undercutting the American rationale for the deal.

The toughly worded report says that Iran has expanded work at one of its nuclear sites. It also describes, step by step, how inspectors have been denied access to a series of facilities, and how Iran has refused to answer inspectors’ questions on a variety of activities, including what the agency called the “possible existence” of “activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”

A spokesman for the White House, Michael Hammer, said in a statement on Monday that the report “clearly shows Iran’s continued failure to comply with its international obligations and its sustained lack of cooperation with the I.A.E.A.” He said the report “underscores that Iran has refused to take any of the steps required of it” by the Security Council or the I.A.E.A.’s board of governors, “which are necessary to enable constructive negotiations on the future of its nuclear program.”

Iran, which insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, has said that it has conducted no work on weapons, and argues that the evidence of work on warheads is forged.

Iran’s nuclear progress had been expected to be a central subject at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday at the White House between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Mr. Netanyahu canceled the visit after a deadly raid by Israeli commandos on ships carrying supplies to Gaza.

More of the story here



I question whether anyone (other than perhaps Israel) really has a clue about the actual size of Iran's nuclear weapons stockpile. However, this one thing is quite certain...when the time is right they will try to use them against Israel.

Don

Israel's Dilemma with Iran's Nuclear Facilities/ Isaiah 17

  Iran Tests Advanced Missiles, Threatens Israel
by Maayana Miskin

Iran fired some of its most powerful missiles on Monday as the Revolutionary Guard concluded two days of war games. Among the missiles tested, according to Iranian state media, were the Shahab-3 and Sajjil.

Both missiles have a range of more than 1,000 miles, and are capable of hitting Israel, Europe, and United States military bases.

On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guard fired a number of short-range missiles. Military leaders said they had also tested a multiple missile launcher for the first time, and had successfully fired two missiles at once.

The announcement of the two-day war games, which began Sunday, was made at the same time as Iranian leaders admitted the existence of a covert uranium enrichment site. “Allah willing, this plant will be put into operation soon, and will blind the eyes of the enemies,” the Supreme Leader's Office said in an official announcement."  From Arutz Sheva


  I just read an article about the options Israel has with regard to Iran. 

1. An airstrike, which would not do away with the nuclear facilities, and it would endanger Israeli pilots
2. Using nuclear force, which would endanger Iran's civilian population
3. Praying for a miracle 

This is from Isaiah 17:1 "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." I opt for a miracle from God, who prophesied Damascus' (Iran) destruction in more than one place in the Old Testament.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Apocalyptic Storm Forming over the MidEast

Interesting read from Joel Rosenberg about what is happening right now in the "Epicenter" of the World...
"Humanly speaking, war is coming. The West does not seem determined enough to stop Iran from getting the Bomb. So unless the Lord intervenes, Israel might soon feel compelled to launch a preemptive strike against Iran. It won’t be easy, and the entire region could go up in flames.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. So on this day of Yom Kippur, let us commit ourselves to prayer and fasting for the peace of Jerusalem and the physical and spiritual salvation of all of Israel and all of Iran."
Please read the entire post HERE


Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Nuclear Iran...

Please visit Isrelate and consider joining ~ it's a blessing!

Nuclear Iran

Posted: Fri 28th August 2009 8.18 AM | Author: David Soakell from Isrelate

For the first time in three years, the number of centrifuges enriching uranium at Iran's Natanz facility has not been increased, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The diplomats said the number of centrifuges had not been expanded since the end of May, following steady growth over the previous three years.

The reason for the slowdown was unclear. According to the last International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran, nearly 5,000 centrifuges were processing uranium gas as of 31st May, while more than 2,000 others were ready for operation. Nearly 3,000 pounds - 1,300 kilograms - of low enriched uranium had been produced as of that date, said the more than four-page report. That compared to just over 1,000 kg. mentioned in the previous IAEA report in February, an amount that experts and US officials said was sufficient for the production of enough high enriched uranium for a nuclear warhead.
Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Iran-The Prince of Persia

The Archangel Michael Battles The Prince Of Persia
& Defeats Satan
(By Duncan Long & Guido Reni)

Iran's defense ministry said on Wednesday it had carried out a field test of the latest version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, which defense experts say can reach Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf.

The information comes following an admission by Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani last week that Iran was working on improvements to the range and accuracy of the Shahab-3 in response to Israel's moves to boost its anti-missile capability. Based on the North Korean Nodong-1 and modified with Russian technology, the Shahab-3 is thought to have a range of 810 miles which would allow it to strike anywhere in Israel. Shahab means "Meteor" in Persian – an interesting choice of words:

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters..."

– Revelation 8:10

Tehran is sounding increasingly like Baghdad did before the U.S.-led coalition invaded and removed Saddam Hussein. The Iranians are painfully aware that Israel will not allow them to develop a nuclear weapon. They are equally aware that the last Arab enemy to come close was Saddam Hussein – before Israeli warplanes reduced Iraq's Osiraq reactor to rubble.

Revolutionary Guards Cmdr. Yahya Rahim Safavi gave his best impression of Baghdad Bob, telling Iran's Student News Agency: "If Israel behaves like a lunatic and attacks the Iranian nation's interests, we will come down on their heads like a mallet and break their bones."

Iran deployed the Shahab-3 missiles to its Revolutionary Guards last July after preliminary field tests were successfully completed.

Six of the sand-colored missiles, bearing slogans which said "We will stamp on America" and "We will wipe Israel from the face of the earth," were displayed at an annual military parade last September.

Defense Minister Shamkhani also said:

I completely rule out that Israel would dare direct any military strike at any Iranian facilities. But if Israel one day commits such military folly against Iran, I can promise you that Ariel Sharon, assuming he stays alive, will appear on television screens and announce that he regrets this folly ... He will suffer and scream out in pain.

This sounds like Shamkhani is warning about either biological or even atomic weapons. Iran, or Persia, has been in the center of an unseen warfare from ancient times.

In the 10th chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel, a most extraordinary revelation is made concerning the real rulers behind nations. God pulls back the curtain and briefly exposes the wars that continue in Heaven that affect events on the Earth.

Daniel prayed for Divine insight into the meaning of some prophecies God gave him about the future of his people Israel. An angel appeared to him 21 days later and explained the delay to God's answer:

He said to me, "O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for 21 days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the pertains to the days yet future."

– Daniel 10:11-14, NAS

I mention this here for two reasons. First, it reveals that there are mighty fallen angels called demons that influence earthly leaders. And under God's permission, they even control them. The true "Prince of Persia" was able to hinder the archangel Gabriel.

Only with the help of the archangel Michael was he able to subdue his hindrances. Second, the archangel Michael is said to be the special guardian angel of Daniel and the Israeli people. As it is written, "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise." (Daniel 12:1, NAS)

I realize for some of you this may sound a little spooky. But this is the Word of God and it is true. My point is this: Even though God has allowed Israel to be disciplined, their final fate always remains in His hands.

God has promised that the nation of Israel will never be destroyed once they return from the worldwide dispersion that began with the holocaust in A.D. 70. And all the powers of darkness cannot change God's promise.

Israel was officially reborn May 15, 1948. So even though the modern Persians think they will destroy Israel, God has another surprise in mind for them.
By Hal Lindsey
WorldNetDaily.com

[Hal Lindsey is the best-selling non-fiction writer alive today. Among his 20 books are "Late Great Planet Earth," his follow-up on that explosive best seller, "Planet Earth: The Final Chapter" and "Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad." He writes this weekly column exclusively for WorldNetDaily. Be sure to visit his website, where he provides up-to-the-minute analysis of today's world events in the light of ancient prophecies.]