Nuclear Proliferation

st slowing down, Iran’s arming itself with long-range missiles has far reaching repercussions vis-a-vis Israel as well. The experts who analyzed the Iranian missile program have reached the conclusion that it intends to equip the Shihab 3 with a nuclear war head. They found an almost total resemblance between the size and shape of the Iranian warhead to the Scud-B developed by the Soviets. The combination of an ambitious missile program and nuclear weapons, on which the Iranians are laboring, may pose a threat to Israel that would lead to a complete change of the power balance and stability in the Middle East.

Therefore, if Schmucker’s theory is correct and the Iranians cannot develop on their own a missile whose range exceeds 1,100 km (the range to Israel), then stopping the technology and equipment spill from Russia and China into North Korea and Iran would also put off the Iranian threat to Israel. The problem is that urgent action must be taken, because the transfer of missiles and technology to Iran is continuing in the meantime, and it is possible that in the not-so-distant future Iran will have enough missiles to create a strategic threat to Israel.

Examining the international bodies’ attempt to prevent the missile technology spill, and analyzing the activity of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), leaves no room for hope that international pressure will stop the cooperation between Russia and China on the one hand, and Iran and North Korea on the other. The problem is that the leaders of Europe are still not convinced that time is running out and that they must act swiftly and resolutely. They believe that it is possible to persuade Iran to stop developing nuclear arms in diplomatic ways.

The agreement they reached with Iran to suspend the uranium enrichment will not necessarily put an end to the Iranian program. They are ignoring Russia and China’s part in helping Iran for the meantime, and the Iranian missile development program is not even on their agenda.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is standing alone as a barrier, albeit a penetrable one, in the face of Iran’s attempts to equip itself with long-range missiles and nuclear arms. Sadly, this is not enough, and in the end Israel might find itself facing a nuclear Iran.