A Rational Actor in Pursuit of Wholly Irrational Goals

The Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of building an operational nuclear warhead. It already possesses ballistic missiles capable of delivering it.

Those who understand the eschatological doctrines of Shi’a Islam know that a nuclear-capable Iran will not be deterred, as the Soviet Union was deterred during the Cold War, by the prospect of Mutually Assured Destruction. According to Shi’ite theology it is the duty of faithful Muslims to bring on the End Times and expedite the appearance of the Twelfth Imam. One of the recommended ways of hastening the Shi’ite apocalypse is to cause widespread destruction in the world by whatever means come to hand.

Given these circumstances, it would be foolish to assume that the mullahs in Teheran can be discouraged from using nuclear weapons once they acquire them. Yet the Obama administration seems to be staffed with fools who are prepared to kick the Iran can down the road one more time, right into the mushroom cloud.

In this video, David Brog of CUFI (Christians United for Israel) lays out the case for Resolution 380, which is now before the United States Senate:


Below is the text of Senate Resolution 380. (Note: the link used here is for a THOMAS query, which means it will eventually expire and no longer work. After that, the curious reader will have to run a new query at thomas.loc.gov to find the same text.)

American readers who consider this resolution important may want to write their senators, if those senators have not already supported this resolution, and express their concern. The CUFI letter may be signed here.

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SENATE RESOLUTION 380 — TO EXPRESS THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTING THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAN FROM ACQUIRING NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY — (Senate - February 16, 2012)

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Casey, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Coats, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Heller, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Portman, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Risch, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Sessions) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

S. Res. 380

Whereas since at least the late 1980s, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has engaged in a sustained and well-documented pattern of illicit and deceptive activities to acquire nuclear capability;

Whereas the United Nations Security Council has adopted multiple resolutions since 2006 demanding the full and sustained suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities by the Iranian Government and its full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on all outstanding issues related to its nuclear activities, particularly those concerning the possible military dimensions of its nuclear program;

Whereas on November 8, 2011, the IAEA issued an extensive report that —

(1)		documents “serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme”;
(2)		states that “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device”; and
(3)		states that the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2) may be ongoing;

Whereas as of November 2008, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA —

(1)		approximately 630 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 3.5 percent; and
(2)		no uranium-235 enriched to 20 percent;

Whereas as of November 2011, Iran had produced, according to the IAEA —

(1)		nearly 5,000 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 3.5 percent; and
(2)		79.7 kilograms of uranium-235 enriched to 20 percent;

Whereas on January 9, 2011, IAEA inspectors confirmed that the Iranian government had begun enrichment activities at the Fordow site, including possibly enrichment of uranium-235 to 20 percent;

Whereas if Iran were successful in acquiring a nuclear weapon capability, it would likely spur other countries in the region to consider developing their own nuclear weapons capabilities;

Whereas on December 6, 2011, Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia stated that if international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons fail, “we must, as a duty to our country and people, look into all options we are given, including obtaining these weapons ourselves”;

Whereas top Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened the existence of the State of Israel, pledging to “wipe Israel off the map”;

Whereas the Department of State —

(1)		has designated Iran as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” since 1984; and
(2)		has characterized Iran as the “most active state sponsor of terrorism”;

Whereas Iran has provided weapons, training, funding, and direction to terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Shiite militias in Iraq that are responsible for the murders of hundreds of American forces and innocent civilians;

Whereas on July 28, 2011, the Department of the Treasury charged that the Government of Iran had forged a “secret deal” with al Qaeda to facilitate the movement of al Qaeda fighters and funding through Iranian territory;

Whereas in October 2011, senior leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force were implicated in a terrorist plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States on United States soil;

Whereas on December 26, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution denouncing the serious human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including torture, cruel and degrading treatment in detention, the targeting of human rights defenders, violence against women, and “the systematic and serious restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly” as well as severe restrictions on the rights to “freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief”;

Whereas President Obama, through the P5+1 process, has made repeated efforts to engage the Iranian Government in dialogue about Iran’s nuclear program and its international commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Whereas on March 31, 2010, President Obama stated that the “consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran are unacceptable”;

Whereas in his State of the Union Address on January 24, 2012, President Obama stated: “Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal”;

Whereas Secretary of Defense Panetta stated, in December 2011, that it was unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, reaffirmed that all options were on the table to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons efforts, and vowed that if the United States gets “intelligence that they are proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon then we will take whatever steps necessary to stop it”;

Whereas the Defense Department’s January 2012 Strategic Guidance stated that U.S. defense efforts in the Middle East would be aimed “to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons capability and counter its destabilizing policies”;

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate —

(1)	affirms that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability;
(2)	warns that time is limited to prevent the Iranian government from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability;
(3)	urges continued and increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran to secure an agreement from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran that includes —
	(A)	the full and sustained suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities;
	(B)	complete cooperation with the IAEA on all outstanding questions related to Iran’s nuclear activities, including —
		(i)	the implementation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Additional Protocol; and
		(ii)	the verified end of Iran’s ballistic missile programs; and
	(C)	a permanent agreement that verifiably assures that Iran’s nuclear program is entirely peaceful;
(4)	expresses support for the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the Iranian people;
(5)	strongly supports United States policy to prevent the Iranian Government from acquiring nuclear weapons capability;
(6)	rejects any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran; and
(7)	urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and oppose any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat.

Hat tip: Nick.