Israel and Iran - lannan13's Tourney

This debate is going to revolve around whether or not Israel would be justified in a military strike against Iran focusing on the Iranian nuclear program. First we must ask: why would this be justified? Iran's Nuclear ProgramIran has been enriching uranium now for a number of years under increasing scrutiny from the West. On the surface their program seems peaceful and the Iranian government has continuously said that their nuclear program is for "peaceful" purposes only. [1]However, despite these claims there are a few things about the nuclear program that don't add up. a) The Plea for Nuclear PowerThe main topic of conversation with Iran about its nuclear program are centered around these "peaceful" efforts in the field of nuclear science. The Iranian government claims it needs to develop nuclear energy to provide power for the country. But this looks a little suspicious for a number of reasons. - Iran is the 4th largest oil producer in the world. [2][3]- Iran takes in $77 billion a year in oil revenue [4] - Iran is home to the third largest oil reserve in the world [5]- Iran is home to the second largest natural gas reserve in the world [5]From these statistics we can see that energy should be no problem for Iran. This abundance of energy sources makes people wonder about the intentions of their nuclear program since it seems apparent that they are not hurting for energy. In fact, 18.5% of all Iranian electricity is lost to waste due to technical failure [5] which points to infrastructure problems not production problems. b) Relations with the IAEAThe International Atomic Energy Agency has been dealing with Iran's nuclear program for some time now and has given Iran's program a clean bill of health but always after a few glitches. Countless reports were delayed due to discrepancies or disagreements between the two groups. Iran has hidden details of its program, expelled UN inspectors and disagreed with IAEA regulations and claims. The two always seem to be at odds. (For full list of issues see source 1)Once again this adds suspicion to the whole program. The United States has shown that their enrichment facilities are not efficient or big enough to be used for atomic energy, especially with their infrastructure problems, but are big enough for use in a bomb. From the apparent abundance of energy in Iran to the disagreements with the IAEA makes Iran's nuclear program seem a little suspicious in the eyes of the West and Israel. But this isn't enough to warrant an attack. Iran and Israel Standing alone the strange circumstances of Iran's nuclear program isn't enough to provoke an attack but if you couple it with the current regimes apparent hate for Israel you get a different situation. Iranian "President" Ahmadinejad has been quoted countless times threatening Israel and vowing her destruction. "This entity (Israel) can be compared to a kidney transplanted in a body that rejected it," he said. "Yes it will collapse and its end will be near. " [6] "Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime (Israel) as symbol of suppression and discrimination," Ahmadinejad said in an interview with a Lebanese television network, carried by ISNA. [7] "Do not assume you will be boosted with a (U. N. ) recognition of a Palestinian state," Ahmadinejad said, addressing Israel. "There is no room for you in the region. " [8] Couple these quotes (a few of many) with this famous quote:"Israel must be wiped off the map" [9] and you get a recipe for a military intervention. Now I must note that this quote was claimed to be mistranslated by the Iranian government but this claim is still up for debate. The correct translation according to Iran should have been "the current Israel regime should be taken off the pages of history" [9] Either way the rhetoric is anti-Israel and inflammatory just like the rest of his quotes. Putting 2 and 2 Together If you add the strange and seemingly unnecessary circumstances in which Iran is going about building a nuclear program plus the continuous brutal anti-Israel rhetoric you get a situation in which Israel feels threatened and has right to believe that Iran's nuclear program may be used for more sinister things than clean energy. Preemptive StrikeIf Israel were to launch a military strike against Iran and her nuclear program it would be a preemptive strike launched out of self-defense. Such an attack would be completely justified given the evidence I have laid out. A defensive strike against a potential nuclear threat would be justified. Other Things to Note:- Israel is hated by many other countries in the area such as Syria, a powerful Iranian ally. - Israel is attack on an almost constant basis by terror groups such as Hamas which up until recently was being openly funded by Iran. [10]To wrap up, all of these things together, the nuclear program and energy facade, the anti-Israel mentality and the constant pressure of attack from Iran supported groups could lead to a justified defensive preemptive strike by Israel on Iran. Thank you. [1] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[2] . http://www.huffingtonpost.com...[3] . http://www.infoplease.com...[4] . http://en.wikipedia.org...(Iran) #Revenues_from_crude_oil[5] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[6] . http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...[7] . http://www.haaretz.com...[8] . http://www.foxnews.com...[9] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[10] . http://www.haaretz.com...