Buying Time

"The significant distances involved and hardened features of Iran's nuclear facilities make any 'massive surprise' aerial attack a very high-risk operation for Israel to undertake on its own." Jane's Defence Weekly

No fear, no need to be concerned.  After all, the meeting scheduled to take place in Turkey between its great good friend the Islamic Republic of Iran and its unceasing tormentors, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and Germany will resolve the worries.  Iran will repeat, once again, its mantra of civilian-centred nuclear power.

That axis of world defiance represented by North Korea, Syria and Iran have proven, time and again, that it is simple enough to prod and provoke, sit back and enjoy the reaction, then simper they didn't mean it.  And the promises to reform and render unto the IAEA and the United Nations that which is its universal mandate come readily enough.

For these simple assurances do their work; their interlocutors are satisfied that at last they have managed to penetrate the impulsive defence mechanisms of the world's impish rogues to impress upon them the rank unacceptability of their missions.  Promises sought, promises given.  And then, time passes.  With no discernible reality check to accompany those promises.

But in the succeeding hiatus ample time given to perfect yet other complex technological advances - in Syria's case, advancing its armoured tanks and artillery and military forces into city centres, with impressed women and children going before the tanks to diminish the opportunities for Syrian Free Army units to fire upon the tanks lest they kill their own.

North Korea is now set to launch its latest ballistic missile, threatening both Japan and South Korea that should they make an effort to shoot it down or any parts thereof, it will consider such action a declaration of war and act accordingly.  And, just incidentally, since it has the world's almost-undivided attention now and again, it is set to launch its third nuclear test.

And Syria's promise has now evaporated; it will no longer be expected to withdraw tanks and artillery from city centres, and that's one huge surprise.  Instead it has fired on refugee camps set up inside Turkey's border for fleeing Sunni Syrians.  And for good measure launched fire against refugee camps inside the Lebanese border, perhaps with the help of Hezbollah?

But Iran, now, where attention has once again swivelled in the world's concern over Israel's indecision.  The Instanbul talks are considered to be the 'last chance' to use diplomatic means and economic sanctions to destroy Iran's nuclear ambitions.  Israel is recommending the sanctions be tightened to noose level in view of Iran's collapsing economy.

The West is prepared to inform Iran it must seal and dismantle the Fordow uranium enrichment plant buried into a mountainside near the holy city of Qom.  This, to be a symbol of good intentions.  The 20% enriched uranium has not impressed the outside world - outside of North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, that is.

Iran bemoans the level of misunderstanding that exists between its innocent intentions to produce only medical isotopes for its cancer-plagued population, and the unfair, discriminatory and pusillanimous accusations levelled by the Great Satan against it.  Confident that its expertise in the design of the reinforced mountain bunker would ensure that no air strikes will damage its aspirations.

If it is earthquake-proof in an earthquake-prone zone, it will withstand those bunker-busting bombs, Iran assures itself. So Israel may look elsewhere for destabilization opportunities; air strikes on power plants, supply facilities, communications emplacements and not least the centrifuges themselves shocked into malfunction.

Buying time.