IRANIAN NUKES – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  There was a huge blast this past week at an Iranian nuclear plant.  The smart money says it was espionage.  Other smart money says the episode proves the Iranian nuclear-weapons program is still live.  From Fox: 

The massive blast at an Iranian nuclear plant earlier this week remains shrouded in mystery, but it cleared up one thing, according to those who track the Islamic Republic: The nuclear weapons program Tehran has long denied is real.

The massive blast Sunday night rocked buildings more than 10 miles away, and before-and-after satellite images published by the Israel Defense Force showed startling destruction at a facility Iran has repeatedly barred international inspectors from entering.

“[The] images indicate that a complete section of structures was simply eliminated by an unexplained explosion,” IDF analyst Ronen Solomon said. “The explosion wiped several testing units off the face of the earth while inflicting collateral damage on adjacent buildings.”

Iran, which initially denied an explosion took place, was forced a day later to own up to a blast, via the IRNA official Iranian news agency. The report said two people had been killed as a result of a fire at the site. The true casualty figure may never be known.

Israel has long insisted that Iran’s charm offensive, successful in easing western sanctions, is a ruse to buy time while it pursues nuclear weapons.

“Don’t be fooled by Iran’s manipulative charm offensive,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 29. “It’s designed for one purpose and for one purpose only: to lift the sanctions and remove the obstacles to Iran’s path to the bomb.

COMMENT:  I'm guessing that this was an Israeli operation.  There will be pro forma denial, of course, but why else would the Israel Defense Forces be providing before-and-after images? 

It may have been a warning sent by the Israelis that any agreement with Iran reached by international negotiators is not binding on Israel.  

Western negotiators are working toward a nuclear deal with Iran right now.  Many grown-ups in the West are afraid that the deal may be another Obama cave-in.  The Israelis are the most worried of all.

October 10, 2014