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| In leaked emails, Colin Powell says Israel has 200 nukes | |
| 2016-09-16 | |
Former US secretary of state and four-star general Colin Powell alleged that Israel possesses some 200 nuclear weapons, in an email apparently leaked by Russian hackers this week. Discussing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 2015 speech to Congress about the dangers posed by the Iranian nuclear deal, in an email he sent to US Democratic party donor Jeffrey Leeds, Powell wrote that he doubted the Iranian regime would use an atomic bomb even if it could get one, since "the boys in Tehran know Israel has 200, all targeted on Tehran, and we have thousands." The email was published by the LobeLog foreign policy website. Israel maintains a policy of so-called nuclear ambiguity, neither publicly confirming nor denying the existence of an atomic arsenal. According to a 2014 report by the Federation of American Scientists, however, the Jewish state is believed to possess between 80 and 400 nuclear weapons, though that document’s authors estimated the figure was closer to 80. Powell’s email, sent on March 3, 2015, more than doubled that approximation. As a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, his figure of 200 nuclear weapons would appear to carry more weight than the approximations of the "news media reports, think tanks, authors, and analysts" cited in the FAS report. A trove of Powell’s emails was posted on the website DCLeaks.com and first reported by Buzzfeed News late Tuesday. Powell, 79, did not deny the emails’ authenticity when asked for comment by Buzzfeed. The emails, which run from March 2015 through last month, offer rare insight into the unvarnished opinions of the respected retired US Army general, who was secretary of state under President George W. Bush. DCLeaks.com has been alleged to be an outlet for hackers tied to the Russian intelligence groups. The website, which says it intends to expose the misuse of political power, has previously released emails from other Washington political figures. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... his March 3, 2015, email dealt specifically with the Iranian nuclear deal and Netanyahu’s controversial speech to Congress that day about it. Powell told Leeds, his business partner, that he had watched "parts of it," and that is was "well done, but nothing new. I could have mouthed it." He challenged some of the assertions made by Netanyahu in the speech. According to Powell, the Iranians "can’t use [a nuclear bomb] if they finally make one," because of Israel’s overwhelming arsenal. "As Akmdinijad (sic) [said], ’What would we do with one, polish it?'" he wrote, referring to former Iranian president Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad. Powell said that while all his "buddies" in Abu Dhabi wanted an Iranian nuclear deal and had been working for over a decade to reach one, he was unconvinced. "I don’t trust Iranians -- almost went to jail over Iran-Contra," he wrote, referring to a political scandal in the United States in the late 1980s, in which American officials were caught facilitating weapons sales to Iran, despite an arms embargo. Powell also cast doubt on the amount of time that Netanyahu and others estimated that it would take Iran to develop a nuclear bomb. "Bibi likes to say ’a year away,’ as do our intel guys. They say it every years (sic)," Powell wrote. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #13 Condi also agreed with Powell's assessment of Benghazi a "witch hunt". She has been fully assimilated. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2016-09-16 14:53 |
| #12 Also, some or all of the Ayatollahs are Twelvers - they believe that the 12th imam is hiding in the well and a nuclear war will bring him out. He will bring about peace, justice, and/or the end of the world. Which they think is a good thing. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2016-09-16 12:12 |
| #11 Powell thinks the Mad Mullahs won't use a nuke because the Juice have 200 of them aimed at Tehran? Since they believe that if they are losing Allah will be forced to intervene to tip the scales in their favour, starting a nuclear war they are bound to lose is logical. Al Qaeda believed the same thing before 9/11; it was the massive damage that the Ummah recoved at the hands of George W. Bush's coalition that changed minds about that whole hard jihad of the sword thing until President Obama proactively left the battlefield. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-09-16 11:57 |
| #10 That's a number that's been out there for some time--not too much of a leak Speculation vs. confirmation from someone in a position to know, JohnQC. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-09-16 11:51 |
| #9 A Quark Bomb A next generation atomic weapon, suggested in some scientific journals as possible. Essentially it is a weapon which somehow splits open protons to release their quarks, the subatomic particles which make up protons, in theory releasing masses of energy. (possibly about 1200 times more energy than an atomic bomb of similar size) |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-09-16 11:45 |
| #8 Powell thinks the Mad Mullahs won't use a nuke because the Juice have 200 of them aimed at Tehran? What a fool. They don't call 'em Mad Mullahs for nothing. They really are crazy and there is no telling what they might do. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2016-09-16 10:52 |
| #7 Tarnished by association with Bush. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2016-09-16 10:32 |
| #6 Did Condi's name get so tarnished? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2016-09-16 10:13 |
| #5 One of the most underrated outcomes of the last Bush administration is that we will never have to worry about a Colin Powell or Condi Rice GOP candidacy for prexy |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2016-09-16 09:09 |
| #4 whether it's 5,000 or 1. The difference is the will to use them to survive |
| Posted by: Frank G 2016-09-16 08:58 |
| #3 "According to a 2014 report by the Federation of American Scientists, however, the Jewish state is believed to possess between 80 and 400 nuclear weapons, though that document’s authors estimated the figure was closer to 80." The 80 figure goes back to the nineteen eighties. It is believed that Israel now has enough neutron bombs to eliminate Dar al-Islam were Israel ever threatend with extinction. The Saudis know this, and as Mekka and Medina would be the first to be hit they act very circumspectly. |
| Posted by: Shick de Medici6262 2016-09-16 07:45 |
| #2 Good thing dammiyankees know nada about the quark bomb. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-09-16 06:58 |
| #1 That's a number that's been out there for some time--not too much of a leak. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2016-09-16 06:50 |