Don’t Bomb Iran

summary: Feb 2005 - The presenter of flagship current affairs program in Australia asks neocon Daniel Pipes “What do you think should happen if Iran continues with its program, its secret program, to develop nuclear weapons?”  Lateline is perhaps the most serious current affairs program in Australia, nightly on the ABC, Australias national broadcaster.  It isimilar to Newsnight on the BBC.

The relevant part of the transcript is below.   The contact page for Lateline is http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/contact.htm
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT

LOCATION:
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1299517.htm

Broadcast: 09/02/2005
Pipes criticises Middle East leaders

Reporter: Tony Jones

TONY JONES: Let’s talk about the other debate that’s going on
between diplomacy and action, and that is in Iran. What do you
think should happen if Iran continues with its program, its secret
program, to develop nuclear weapons? Do you believe the United
States could or will take military action against Iran, or that Israel
may?

DANIEL PIPES: I don’t think the Israelis have the capabilities. The
Iranians have learned the lesson of Osirak in 1981 when the
Israelis came in and bombed the one installation, and that was that
for the Iraqi nuclear weapons program; and the Iraqis and then the
Iranians and others have learned that you put it all around and put
it underground. So it would be much more difficult. I don’t think at this
point the Israelis could do it. The United States Air Force could do it,
and the goal of the US Government these days is, in conjunction with the
Europeans, to send a signal to the Iranians: don’t do this; an attempt to
establish a deterrent: please don’t do this. You won’t like the results.
We don’t want to do this. The Iranians appear not to be listening, but it
could be a bluff. I’m not on the inside; I don’t know actually what’s
going on, but from what we can tell from that side, the US efforts, US and
European efforts have so far not had great success.

TONY JONES: But could the US threats also be a bluff? I mean, do
you believe the United States would be willing to take this
tremendous risk, and consider the potential results of that risk on a
Shi’ite-controlled government in Iraq which America is relying on, which
has close links to Iran?

DANIEL PIPES: There are many, many implications of taking out
the Irani nuclear facilities. It would be a dangerous act. But I do
think that the Bush administration has kept that as a possibility, and I
would not be shocked if things came to that.