Iran'S Nuclear Option: Tehran'S Quest for the Atom Bomb and Those Who Guard its Secrets - Tapa dura

"an outstanding survey of the threats the present Iranian regime poses to the world. One of this books great strengths is how carefully Venter documents Iran's efforts to obtain parts and personnel for weapons building....shows clearly and convincingly why stopping Iran's nuclear program is a cardinal interest not only for any particular state, but for humanity as a whole."--Jerusalem Political Studies Review "the place to turn for technical details and footNoted references...offers the most systematic exposition to date about Iran's nuclear program and its role in world affairs..."--Middle East Quarterly "...of great interest to anyone watching the current nuclear proliferation problem..."--Parameters "...a chilling insight into the scope and sophistication of Iran's concerted, multi-decade quest for the atomic bomb... a sobering blow by blow account of how Tehran managed diplomatically to stall, mislead and confound the IAEA..."--The National Interest

Non-proliferation Treaty *Questions why and how the Islamic Republic of Iran eluded the West in its quest for the atom bomb *Exposes the extraordinary amount of trafficking in illegal nuclear materials which involves dozens of countries The United States remains convinced that Tehran has been pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons program. As one observer noted, "following some pretty intrusive detective work by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in late 2003 and early 2004, everything points to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons parity within the next few years." The consensus within the nuclear club is that that target is likely to be reached sooner rather than later. That revelation emerged in October 2003 when Tehran - after almost a year in denial following ever more thorough inspections by the IAEA - admitted that it had secretly been producing small quantities of weapons-grade uranium as well as plutonium. Although Tehran initially agreed to allow inspections by the IAEA it then reneged a few weeks later. What is clear, said The Washington Post at the time, is that the world now faces its own Iranian deadline. Jerusalem has already hinted that if the West allows a similar situation to develop in Iran as the international community faced in Iraq prior to 'Operation Iraqi Freedom', then it might be forced to act unilaterally. As one Knesset member phrased it,"we need to stop the rot." Al Venter, the author of The Iraqi War Debrief: Why Saddam Hussein Was Toppled deals with Hizbollah, an Iranian surrogate terror group that has tentacles stretching well beyond the eastern Mediterranean and, by inference, with al-Qaeda. The question now facing observers in the West is how much more of this kind of nuclear proliferation has been secreted by Tehran's mullahs. Al Venter is available for interview.