[Mefustae]

Actually, since Iran launching a nuke at a heavily populated area (say, bigger casualty figures 'achieved' than hiroshima) would mean pretty much the end of the world for human civilization, I don't think it's unreasonable for Iran to launch an intercontinental nuke. Think, for example, if all the social welfare programs that they offer are no longer relevant (bad example actually, they probably don't have much in the way of such programs in Iran). Then they could pour all that funding into getting a nuke. I mean, what the hay, they could even just steal one using an agent inside a country that does have one.
Anyway, it may be useful to note that it would be pretty easy, in comparison, for Iran to threaten Israel with a short-range one. It's in their freakin' constitution. That may actually be better for the world - maybe Israel would be able to defuse the situation more or less by itself without anyone getting nuked.

No. No. No. Iran will not get ICBM capability. Hell, it'll be at least 3 years before they even get nukes, let alone develop a platform for launching at another continent. But, okay, let's say that they do somehow get an Nuclear-tipped ICBM through the ludicrous economic policies you described or simply 'stealing one' a la Dr. Evil; why the f*** would they nuke anyone?! Honestly, the only people they would want to nuke would be Isreal, and if that were ever a real posibility, Isreal would turn Iran into a f***ing crater at the drop of a hat. If, for some reason, they suddenly get a brainstorm to throw a nuke at another nation at random, they'll live just long enough to see about 200 nukes coming at them from all directions. If the thought of nuking someone even crosses their minds, they can kiss their little portion of the planet goodbye, so why the f*** would they risk it?

Even if Iran gets the bomb, it will only be short range, they have absolutely no possible way of acquiring intercontinental weapons short of buying one off Russia or something [which is still unbelievably far-fetched], which would lead to pre-emptive strikes the second any major western intelligence organisation gets wind. I am so sick and tired of everyone blowing this crap utterly out of proportion saying 'zomg, Iran has teh nukes, they're gonna nuke everyone!! Oh noes!!', when in reality they most likely only want nuclear weapons so they have a trump card should the US or another nation get wiley and try to invade [a la North Korea].

Unless you live in or around the Middle East, there is absolutely no chance of a Nuke getting dropped on you, so the only person allowed to be worried is probably Sarno.

[aceofspades]

Mefustae, I am not, contrary to what my post may have indicated, worried about Iran nuking someone, although I am..uh, not pleased?...by the more real possibility that Iran develops nuclear weps purely for the threat, ala Cold War style, or the doomsday machine from Dr. Strangelove (which this whole thing reminds me of). At most, I am remotely worried by Israel getting nuked.

[Mefustae]

Mefustae, I am not, contrary to what my post may have indicated, worried about Iran nuking someone

Damn. And I thought I was going to live long enough to get my PhD.

[aceofspades]

It's called hyperbole. The purpose of the sentence was to convey frustration/displeasment with the deterioration of international relations, especially with regards to military force, not to indicate I was sad because I was convinced I would die soon.

[Eightball]

Current Iranian missle technology lets them hit targets within parts of Turkey, I believe.

What if ten years down the road they can hit inside Europe?  Have another cartoon incident then, why don't you.

What is more worrisome then all discussed scenarios, however, is if Iran assembles a dirty bomb and passes it along to one of their terrorist friends.  If Tel Aviv is hit by one of them, would we strike Iran?  Could we know for sure they did it?

I imagine in that scenario, there would be widespread calls for Israel to not strike back.  MAD defeated.

On the whole of it, in principle, if Iran can make their own nuclear weapons, who are we to stop them?  I think we can certainly try to stop sharing nuclear technology, but self-developed, I'm not so sure.

I'm opposed to Iranian nukes on the more practical grounds that the nation has an unstable government, and them acquiring nukes will only complicate things.

Suppose a democratic uprising in Iran looks like it will win.  What if the Ayatollahs launch a nuclear attack on Israel just before they can be stopped by the rebels?  Fun, eh?

[Nuke]

"in the history of mankind there has been but one device of its creation that is capable of restoring the natural equalibrium of the human race, nuclear ****ing warheads"
-nuke

we need the ocasional use of nuclear warheds to diminish the earth's population, its that simple. now let em burn!

[Mefustae]

we need the ocasional use of nuclear warheds to diminish the earth's population, its that simple. now let em burn!

Would you quit saying that, it's not gonna happen!

[Nuke]

we need the ocasional use of nuclear warheds to diminish the earth's population, its that simple. now let em burn!

Would you quit saying that, it's not gonna happen!

and that is unfortunate
but it just takes one nutjob with a bomb. if it doesnt hsppen with iran (and i dont think it will), then it will happen somwhere else some other time. it will happen i tell you, it must!

[Mefustae]

and that is unfortunate
but it just takes one nutjob with a bomb. if it doesnt hsppen with iran (and i dont think it will), then it will happen somwhere else some other time. it will happen i tell you, it must!

Take the initiative, then! If you want my advice, go for the tried & true method of hi-jacking a truck carrying a Nuclear Warhead and holding the world ransom.

[ilya]

For 1 Million dollars!
MUWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[WeatherOp]

But, a hurricane puts out the power of a few thousand atom bombs in it's lifetime, so just borrow the weather machine from the mafia, gives you the effects of the atom bomb without the raditation.

[Mefustae]

But, a hurricane puts out the power of a few thousand atom bombs in it's lifetime, so just borrow the weather machine from the mafia, gives you the effects of the atom bomb without the raditation.

Nonono, my current plan for world domination:

1- Through various means, create an economic crisis in Japan, thereby forcing them to call back their international loans to prevent economic crisis. This would include calling in the multi-trillion dollar loan to the US.

2- Shortly thereafter, detonate a small-yeild nuclear weapon [acquired from old communists in Russia] right on the San Andreas fault, causing it to shift and create an earthquake with power roughly equivalent to that of every nuclear weapon on the planet detonating at once over 800 times.

3- Due to moronic city planning, most buildings currently on the fault-lines in California are Civic buildings, such as Police & Fire Stations, Hospitals, etc. As such, these would be the first to be destroyed.

4- In effect, a large portion of the Western US Seaboard is now in a state not  unlike New Orleans shortly after Katrina. The following crisis will destabalise and eventually destroy the already damaged US economy, thereby creating a domino-effect that will cause another, truly Global Great Depression.

5- Then, somehow... i'm still working on this part... unite this ravaged world under the promise of stablity and prosperity, and thus you shall reign supreme. *Evil laughter*

[Nuke]

nononono, you get it all wrong, i dont want to dominate the earth, i want it to burn. baked earth mother ****er!!!

[Mefustae]

Well, that's the thing, when you've got total domination, you pick a number of individuals to assist in repopulating the human race and unleash an engineered virus out to destroy Humanity while doing comparitively little damage to the rest of the environment. Quick, clean, and environmentally friendly. A baked Earth is all well and good, but I would think that taking part in repopulating the Human Race would be a lot more... fun...

[Flipside]

nononono, you get it all wrong, i dont want to dominate the earth, i want it to burn. baked earth mother ****er!!!

That's scorched Earth, Baked Earth is 30 minutes on Gas Mark 7, Scorched is when you just crank it up to full and walk away Of course, you could just drop a Nuke on one Pole and have Baked Alaska

[aceofspades]

...Of course, you could just drop a Nuke on one Pole and have Baked Alaska

Now I have this mental image of a Special Ops airlift parachuting HLP forum members onto a glacier.
Or this Polish person I know.

[Gloriano]

I think bush is just bored and want some action to his life *let's use Nuclear weapons against some country because it's fun*

but there must be better options than nuclear weapon usage

[Nuke]

yes, what of the excess of vx nerve agent the usa has lying around, it is said that its enought to kill every human on the planet 10 times over. lets use that instead

[aceofspades]

Nononono, we wait until the population is ten times larger than now, so that there's no waste. 

[ilya]

We can't do it all at once tho...no panic then.