Does Israel Need to Destroy All of Iran's Nukes?
Bennett Ramberg suggests that Israel doesn't have the capability to destroy Iran's nukes (Letters, June 4). We can't speak for the Israelis, but the conversation among them since Oct. 7, 2023, about the utility of strikes against the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites seems to have shifted in favor of raids that needn't destroy the 'totality' of the atomic-weapons program. Partial destruction with the threat of further escalation, which could include Iran's oil industry, could nullify Tehran's nuclear aspirations for years if not forever. This calculation would depend on whether Israeli means are sufficient to damage severely the enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow.
A principal reason Ali Khamenei hasn't yet tested a nuclear device is surely that he fears Israeli or Western intelligence penetration of his atomic program, which could precipitate military strikes. Fear of such penetration doesn't disappear with an Israeli strike. It wouldn't negate renewed, vengeful nuclear ambitions, but it would complicate them. Americans certainly prefer nonmilitary solutions to our foreign problems; Israelis, who often see the Middle East as an array of depressing, bad choices, aim more often for tactical victories that eliminate imminent threats. The Israeli way can lead to egregious mistakes, and the American has repeatedly led us to ignore Tehran's malevolence, including the death of hundreds of Americans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Israel intercepts aid boat headed toward Gaza
Israeli forces stopped a humanitarian boat attempting to reach Gaza with passengers including climate activist Greta Thunberg and a French member of the European Parliament aboard early Monday, according to Israeli officials and an activist charity group. The aid boat, arranged by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international Gaza solitary group, was one of a number of ships that have tried to reach Gaza by sea in recent years to raise international awareness of Israel's naval blockade of the enclave. Most have been intercepted by Israeli forces before reaching Gaza's shores, or blocked from leaving ports.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tech shares climb after strong Nvidia results despite warning over rise of Chinese rivals
Technology shares climbed on Thursday, buoyed by strong results from Nvidia, despite the AI chip company's boss issuing a warning about the rise of Chinese rivals. The Stoxx Europe tech index rose by 0.8% on Thursday following Nvidia's financial report, with the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML rallying by 2.4%. In the US, futures for the tech-focused Nasdaq climbed 2%, and shares in Nvidia itself jumped 6% in pre-market trading. The boost to tech and artificial intelligence stocks came hours after Nvidia beat Wall Street forecasts, with quarterly revenues jumping 69% to $44bn (£32.6bn). The company also said it expected deals in the Middle East to start to fill a gap left by the loss of Chinese business. In April the US president, Donald Trump, said he was restricting AI chip exports to China, in effect barring Nvidia from selling its H20 AI chips to Chinese companies and blocking a major source of its revenue. Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, warned that Chinese rivals were benefiting from the void left by US firms forced to abandon the market due to US trade restrictions. 'The Chinese competitors have evolved,' Huang told Bloomberg Television. He added that Huawei, which had been blacklisted by the US government, had become 'quite formidable'. 'Like everybody else, they are doubling, quadrupling capabilities every year,' Huang said. 'And the volume is increasing substantially.' While the US government policy is meant to keep AI technologies out of the hands of Chinese actors, Huang said local companies are simply finding other options. 'You cannot underestimate the importance of the China market,' Huang said. 'This is the home of the world's largest population of AI researchers.' Nvidia said it expects to miss out on $8bn in revenue in the second quarter as a result of Trump's trade restrictions. Tech investors were also optimistic after a US trade court ruled against Trump's sweeping tariffs regime, in a move that could ultimately block the president's sweeping trade levies. But there is further uncertainty ahead, with the White House having already filed an appeal against the decision, issued by judges from the New York-based court of international trade. Meanwhile, shares in Tesla, another leader in artificial intelligence technology, rose 2.6%, after the company's chief executive, Elon Musk, confirmed that he would formally leave his role in the Trump administration. Musk has been leading the 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) since January, which ruthlessly cut state spending across a number of public departments and agencies. He said in April he would be stepping back after seeing Tesla's earnings plunge and failing to win a supreme court race in which he spent millions of dollars supporting a Republican candidate. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iran carried out implosion tests for nuclear weapons development, IAEA reports
A new IAEA report reveals Iran carried out undeclared nuclear tests, prompting calls to refer the case to the UN Security Council. Much of the IAEA report is based on evidence from the Mossad. The recent special International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iranian nuclear violations added many points, one being that Iran carried out multiple implosion tests, a key military skill necessary for developing the atomic bomb. Implosion tests do not have civilian nuclear uses. Notably, though much of the report refers to Iranian military activities from 20 years ago, Tehran's careful record-keeping means that any progress that the Islamic Republic made back then could be used to help with a more sudden, rapid push for a breakthrough to a nuclear weapon in 2025. The fact that it carried out various explosive tests also suggests that Iran is further along in other skills needed for developing a nuclear bomb, besides just enriching uranium, than many observers may have thought. This and multiple other findings are analyzed in detail in a position paper introduced this weekend by the Institute for Science and International Security, spearheaded by lead author and president David Albright. According to the think tank, the IAEA Board of Governors must refer Tehran's nuclear violations to the UN Security Council during its meeting, which opens on Monday and runs until June 13. All of this is occurring as the Islamic Republic and the US are the closest they have been to a new nuclear deal in years, but also not far from a possible collapse in the talks, which could lead to an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. In a more detailed analysis of the IAEA report, the think tank said that the agency discloses its assessment 'that Iran tested neutron initiators produced at Lavizan-Shian and cites specific dates, but notably, it does not mention a location.' Albright wrote that the IAEA report said instead that 'the EDNS [explosively driven neutron sources] produced at Lavizan-Shian were small-scale, designed for testing, and integrated into scaled implosion systems. [They were] tested on at least two occasions (on February 15 and July 3, 2003).' Next, the May 2025 report also stated anew that the IAEA found indications that 'equipment was developed and tested at Lavizan-Shian that included neutron detectors and housings' and that 'an identical housing for neutron detectors was deployed in an explosive test at Marivan on April 15, 2003.' Further, the IAEA report provided new information about the equipment and materials that were present at Varamin, saying, 'This equipment contained all of the essential equipment for a uranium conversion facility, including small but heavily contaminated (and possibly full) UF6 Cylinders, uranium extractants (such as tributyl phosphate (TBP), uranium extraction and conversion hardware, fluorine-based chemicals (hydrofluoric acid (HF) and potassium difluoride (KHF2), and radiation monitoring equipment.' Moreover, the IAEA said that in sorting the material and equipment and placing it into containers, Iran categorized the items as either 'essential' or 'nonessential.' This resulted in five containers being deemed 'essential' and eight containers being categorized as 'nonessential.' 'The operators of Varamin' also took into account the level of contamination with nuclear material and that one of the containers considered 'essential' was categorized as being 'the highest level of contamination,' containing 'small UF6 Cylinders and other 'special materials,'' according to Albright. The report also concludes that Lavizan-Shian, Marivan, and Varamin, as well as 'other possible related locations,' were 'part of an undeclared structured nuclear program.' It added that Iran retained nuclear material or related equipment from this program at Turquzabad from 2009 to 2018. The whereabouts of these resources is currently unknown. The IAEA also discussed and connected these activities to the missing amount of uranium that was once present at Iran's Jaber Ibn Hayan Multipurpose Laboratory (JHL). Also, Albright wrote that for the first time, 'the IAEA revealed its assessment that the four sites and missing nuclear material in Iran are directly connected.' Moreover, the think tank said that the report provided new information on the extent of Iranian attempts to sanitize locations of interest to the IAEA and provide false information when faced with questions. It stated that 'the provision of inaccurate and sometimes contradictory explanations seriously obstructed' the IAEA's efforts. The atomic watchdog agency said explicitly that although the matters on Lavizan-Shian and Marivan were 'no longer outstanding,' this did not mean the issues were 'resolved.' Much of the IAEA report originated from evidence brought to it by the Mossad, which seized Iran's nuclear archives in 2018.
