Isn't Iran Basically Saying They Want the West To Drop 20 Nuclear Bombs on Tehran?

I'm serious - I think Iran is begging for the West to completely destroy their country and kill every last one of their inhabitants...what else could the reasoning be for this regime to come out today and continue the "in your face" rhetoric and threats? We all know that the Ayatollah and the mullahs think that the 12th imam is just waiting to show up when total chaos and ruin hits the Middle East - that the "Mahdi" will show up to save the Iranians...so this is why the Iranians don't give a shit what the West's response is...they think they are covered by the magical Mahdi.

So I say, let's give it to them. Let's set the table for the return for this so-called 12th imam - we will pound Iran with nuclear bombs, we will level that country into a smoldering, glowing mass of radiation and then we'll wait for the Mahdi to show up. Okay? Deal?

The story is from The Telegraph.

Iran retaliates over international pressure with threat to stop selling oil to the EU


The regime announced that it had used domestically-made fuel rods in a reactor for the first time, and claimed to have built a "new generation" of centrifuges. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared on live television at the Tehran Research Reactor to unveil what he described as a "very big new achievement".

The regime then threatened to pre-empt the EU's decision to embargo Iranian oil from July 1, suggesting that supplies to some European countries could be halted immediately.

But Tehran carefully balanced its defiance with conciliation, formally offering to resume talks with the world's leading powers over its nuclear ambitions.

The unusual series of rapid-fire announcements suggested that Iran's leaders have decided how they will deal with the wall of diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions that their adversaries are seeking to construct around them.

The European Union has taken the most far-reaching step with its decision to impose a full oil embargo. Yesterday, however, Iran invited six European ambassadors to the foreign ministry in Tehran.

Those present included envoys from Greece, Italy and Spain, who buy some 450,000 barrels of Iranian crude every day, making them Tehran's biggest European customers. By phasing in the agreed embargo over almost six months, the EU aimed to give them time to find alternative supplies.

But the ambassadors were told that Iran would halt its oil sales unless these countries agreed to sign long term supply contracts - a step that would violate the EU embargo, which already bans new agreements with Tehran.

Representatives of France, Portugal and the Netherlands - who only buy token amounts of Iranian oil - were also present. They were told these minimal supplies would stop immediately, according to Mehr, a semi-official news agency.

The unveiling ceremony took place in Tehran (AFP/GETTY)

The oil market reacted to the possibility of Iran halting oil sales to Europe by sending the price of a barrel of Brent crude up by $1 to reach $118. Taking this step could be a "very smart move" for Iran, said Prof Paul Stevens, senior research fellow on energy at Chatham House.

Iran would almost certainly be able to find alternative buyers in Asia, he said, noting that China aims to purchase 450,000 barrels every day this year to fill a newly-completed strategic reserve. Iran would probably have to offer a discount to secure a new deal with China, but if oil prices were to rise, its revenues could hold up anyway, argued Prof Stevens.

"The Iranians have said to the EU, if you want to play hardball, we can play hardball too," he said. "To some extent this was inevitable arising from the stunning incompetence of the EU, which didn't think through the consequences of introducing an oil embargo."

Prof Stevens added: "The oil market is too complex and too diverse for any embargo to be effective."

However, western officials disagree with this assessment, pointing out that Iran is now forced to keep huge quantities of unsold oil sitting at sea on idle tankers. Last October, Iran had 34.3 million barrels of crude in "floating storage", according to the International Energy Agency, suggesting a serious difficulty with finding buyers.

While trying to use oil for diplomatic leverage, Iran also sent the West a defiant message over its nuclear ambitions. During his appearance at the Tehran Research Reactor, Mr Ahmadinejad told scientists that Iran needed four more plants of this kind in "four different spots", adding: "Go build them, to carry out research activities and provide radio-medicine needed by the country."

Mr Ahmadinejad also claimed that 3,000 new centrifuges had been installed at a different plant, including advanced "fourth generation" models, allowing uranium enrichment to proceed far more rapidly.

However, experts treated both announcements with scepticism. The Tehran reactor is a genuine civilian facility designed to produce medical isotopes for cancer treatment. "There are absolutely no military implications to this at all," said Mark Fitzpatrick, head of non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The implications are political: it's basically a way of showing Iran's people that sanctions have not impeded the nuclear programme."

As for the claim that Iran had managed to build "fourth generation" centrifuges, Mr Fitzpatrick said that was "almost certainly" an exaggeration. Iran has spent most of the last decade trying to develop a second generation centrifuge. While 260 have been installed, they are still only at an experimental stage.

"I'm sceptical that they're leapfrogging on to the next generation," added Mr Fitzpatrick. "We shouldn't be too impressed by this. We shouldn't start to build bomb shelters yet."

While proclaiming the alleged progress of its nuclear programme, Iran also accepted an invitation to resume talks with the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany.

Saeed Jalili, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, wrote to Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, saying that Iran "welcomes" negotiations "in order to take fundamental steps toward further cooperation".

The last talks took place in Istanbul over a year ago and led to no progress. At that time, Iran was unwilling to discuss its nuclear ambitions except in the most general terms.

Since then, however, tighter sanctions have increased the economic pressure on the regime. Western officials believe these tougher measures have effectively brought Iran back to the negotiating table. They interpret Iran's recent moves as possible signs that the country's leadership could be willing to modify its position.