Logic for Iran Deal

President Obama’s fallback defense for the Iran deal is that if the deal
fails – be it in a week or in decades – the United States will always have
the same military option available that it has today.

But Mr. Obama should know better than that.

The U.S. military option hinges on the ability of B-2 stealth bombers loaded
with Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs to reach strategic Iranian
targets.

The B-2 can carry out the mission today – but there is no certainty that
this will be the case in the future.

Just this month – as the talks with Iran were winding down, the Russians
made a stunning announcement:

“Neither the Northrop B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber nor Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
can fly undetected from Russian missiles, said [Major General Sergei]
Babakov, the head of Russia’s anti-aircraft missile troops.”
US ‘Stealth’ Bombers Can’t Hide From Russian Anti-Aircraft Missiles –
Sputnik News 5 July, 2015

A reminder: Anti-Aircraft missiles are defensive systems and thus not
considered subject to any supply restrictions to Iran.

It is only reasonable to expect Iran to pay Russia whatever it costs to
install systems that can track and shoot down B-2’s threatening strategic
Iranian sites.

Let’s be clear about this:

When we consider the ability of the United States of America to act against
a future Iranian move to build nuclear weapons we aren’t talking about the
American “will to act”.

We aren’t talking about American “resolve”.

We are talking about American “capability”.

A few years down the road, with Iranian strategic sites protected by Russian
anti-aircraft systems that can detect and shoot down B-2’s, the United
States won’t have the capability to rapidly destroy an Iranian nuclear bomb
making project in process.

And even if the United States had the will to send in ground forces – under
the unprecedented condition of operating without the benefit of air cover –
it would take too long.

The smug claim by the Obama team that future U.S. presidents will always
have the military option if the deal fails is more than smug.

It’s an outright lie.

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=67921

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