God is on their side, they have no doubt.
And because of that, I fear what they would do, "knowing" they were in the right.
Now that the genie is out of the bottle, many nations have realised that nuclear weapons are not as difficult to build as everyone thinks. At least crude "Hiroshima" type weapons (atomic bombs) could be built by virtually any major manufacturing firm, IF they have the raw material. And that is the key. Larger thermonuclear devices (H-bombs) are more complex, and require more in the way of engineering and raw materials, but the basic principles are common knowledge nowadays. A really dedicated nation probably could produce even one of these in secret, if they had access to the right materials and people.
You can build a reactor to run on natural Uranium. It is more difficult, but it can be done. Enriched Uranium makes the process alot simpler. There are a couple of nations that can, and do enrich Uranium for customer countries to make fuel to run their reactors. Iran could buy enriched Uranium, to make into fuel, or they could buy fuel rods already constructed. They are not doing this. There is too much international oversight to suit them. Instead they are buying the centrifuges and other machinery needed to "enrich" the Uranium themselves. This is the key element that indicates that they are NOT just interested in nuclear power. The centrifuges and other equipment that is used to enrich natural Uranium is also the machinery needed to concentrate fissile Uranium for use in a weapon. It takes a bit less than 30 pounds to make a Hiroshima size weapon (20 KT). This stuff doesn't even need to go through a reactor. All that has to happen is that the fissile element is extracted from natural Uraniuim ore, and concentrated. The hard part is that fissile Uraniuim is only about .7% in natural Uranium. So it takes alot of natural U to get enough fissile U to make a bomb. Tons must be process to get a few pounds of the stuff that goes boom. And the Iranians have got themselves the equipment to do it with. It is also quite possible they have people with the capability of operating the equipment as well.
So, the have the technology, and apparently they have the will to do it. The problem for the diplomats is that they also have publically stated aims that indicate that they will use the bomb when they get it built. SO,....at what point do we act? After they turn a city into radioactive waste? Or when we have "proof" that they intend to do so? When they have the capability, they will likely attack Israel, but there is no guarantee.
Sept 11 is proof that Moslem extremists do not target just Israel. A Hiroshima style bomb could be physcially smuggled into any city in the US, a possibility that keeps security people up nights.
and FYI, depleted Uranium is not particularly toxic. it is slightly radioactice, so breathing the dust is not a good idea, but it is excreted by the body, and does not persist in the organs, so there is no real long term exposure. Chemically it is not toxic. Now Plutonium on the other hand is a whole different critter. Radioactive and a heavy metal toxin. And it is a bone seeker, staying in the body for ever without treatment. very bad stuff.
