Going Nuclear

Amir Taheri on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East:

There is no doubt that the current nuclear race in the Middle East is largely prompted by the fear of a revolutionary Iran using an arsenal as a means of establishing hegemony in the region. Iran's rivals for regional leadership, especially Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are aware of the propaganda appeal of the Islamic Republic's claim of being " the first Muslim superpower" capable of defying the West and rivaling it in scientific and technological fields. In that context, Tehran's development of long-range missiles and the Muslim world's first space satellite are considered political coups.

It's been an open secret for years that Israel possesses nuclear capability. It's an interesting comment on the genuine - as opposed to rhetorical - threat that the Zionist Entity is deemed to pose that it's only now, when Iran is on the verge of joining the nuclear club, that other Middle Eastern and Arab countries get concerned about developing their own programs.

Comments

[Dom]

You're absolutely right, and I never thought of that. I'm amazed that others haven't.

[DaninVan]

I'd been musing about when I first heard rumours re Israel's acquiring nuclear weapons and concluded it was in the mid to late '60s. Googling sort of answered the question:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/
The article neglects the discussion of how advanced the weapons are (thermonuclear?) and also fails to mention Israel's sub fleet when listing delivery systems. Their latest generation of subs are believed to be specifically designed to launch cruise missiles.
http://www.nti.org/db/submarines/israel/index.html