I mentioned before. it's more a matter of independence than economy. we're sitting on oil, but we don't have enough refinery plants to produce gas for more power plants and inside usage. we're also sitting on great amount of uranium, so why don't we use that?

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I crave therefore I am and that is all I ever feel
I hoped you'd understand, One love, One pain, One enemy
I toast to misery, as I dig into the devil's bone
And for eternity the pain became me
Unholy me alone...

If it's purely economic, the sanctions are unnecessary. While I am skeptical of claims that Iran is not trying to develop weapons, Russia and China stand by that notion, and so there is some merit to it.

Not that I believe we can fully trust those two nations, but we can trust them to act like the nations they are; and we can hold them accountable.


That's not a national sentiment. Personally, I think we should scour al qaeda no matter which side of the mountain they are on.

.....Far East

Jewish Autonomous Oblast

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Yes if it were purely economic we wouldn't sanction them, but I think very few people believe that.

I don't think Russia or China believe it either. It's just the same old game. I mean the US supported a "peaceful nuclear program" for Iran back in the day. But we didn't believe for a second they wouldn't use it to make nukes, we might have even helped them take it to that level. It's just that at that time the nukes would be pointed at Russia.

These days they'd be pointed at western interests. Probably Israel. So now China and Russia are for Iran having nukes.

And what are you saying about holding them accountable f0ca1? When Iran tests their first nuke do you think anybody is going to do anything to Russia or China? They'll throw up their hands and say, "whoops, fooled us!" and nobody will do anything except stamp around and try to get them to support new sanctions, which they may or may not do.

[quote=sunnyside;451842]They'll throw up their hands and say, "whoops, fooled us!"/QUOTE]

Well, it's not quite so simple as that.

If Iran turned out to be developing weapons, Russia and China have a vested interest in doing more than sanctions.

Moreover, the opinion of our new friend reflects the case made to the Iranian people.

While a large majority of Iran clearly supports a nuclear energy program, it remains unclear how many would support a weapons program.


I guess my whole point here is this: we're half a dozen steps from Iran being a nuclear power.

The latest NIE claims that at the earliest it'll be 7 years before they could develop weapons materials, and that's only if they restarted a test program that was stopped in 2003.

Iran needs to be monitored, and shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt.

I simply think our most imminent threat is from al qaeda.

Yes they are a major player. We just don't worry, because they have a pro-american dictator. If they didn't, I can assure you we would be very worried!

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"Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead." -Thomas Paine