Andrea Mitchell just showed a clip of Military Brass testifying (it looked like)

[gateley]

that the sanctions we're imposing may not be enough to thwart their development of nuclear weapons.

If sanctions don't do it, what's the next step?

Thanks.

EDIT: Just got a CNN Breaking News email that

Iran's president offers to resume talks over nuclear program as soon as possible, according to letter sent to EU.


Happy to hear that!

[Lint Head]

1. And the bombing starts......?

[gateley]

2. That's why I asked because that's what I feared, but

I always jump to the worst conclusion so thought I'd ask those who understand it better than I. There would HAVE to be some interim -- or several -- steps before it came to that, wouldn't you think?

Not just because we don't want to engage in another War (except Cheney, probably) but we have no money and our troops have been stretched beyond endurance.

Just got a CNN breaking news email that Iran's Prez sent a letter to the EU saying he's ready to resume talks, so that's good to hear.

I wonder if they were engaging in kind of soft, quasi sabre-rattling?

[Lint Head]

5. I really hope the talking thing is true and not just a hedge to stall for time.

[gateley]

6. I'm with ya on that! nt

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Personally, I think every country in the world ought to have at least one nuke. Might

help to keep the bullies at bay.

[gateley]

4. Agree in theory, but there are some certifiably insane leaders out there who might

not use logic in their decision.

Hell, Rumsfeld and Cheney, to name a couple.

[Selatius]

7. I don't believe there will be anything but sanctions to impose on Iran.

A war may end up being far more costly than any benefit that could be gained from such a venture.

At the very least, such a war would mean Iranian retaliation all over the region. They would be firing scud missiles at the Green Zone in Baghdad where the US embassy is. They would be encouraging Shi'ite militias in southern Iraq to attack the Green Zone in person. They would be firing on oil tankers and naval vessels in the Hormuz Strait. They would be ordering their intelligence agents throughout the region to do things like sabotage or blow up oil pipelines in places like Saudi Arabia, and they would be encouraging Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to fire rockets into Israel itself and launch suicide bombing attacks as well as Hamas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The skyrocketing oil prices alone could send the world economy into another Great Depression.