Iran plans to knock out U.S. with 1 nuclear bomb with electro-magnetic pulse

I am no expert but i find it very hard to believe that 1 nuke could have the EMP intensity to take out the whole continental US eletronics etc. It would make much more sense for them to use it for a localised attack on a big part of the US financial infrastructure like NYC.
Besides most military hardware will be hardened to this type of attack esp the military internet or whatever they use, surely they are not stupid enough to have such an important defence exposed, Iran must know that the US military will hardly be effected.
It is still something not to ignore though by anymeans. I cant believe there are people that are so dissmisive of the idea, esp after 9/11. Thank god they are not in charge.

[edit on 27-4-2005 by ufo3]

hear is more info on EMP Bombs just to help stay informed.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I hope you're not gullable enough to believe such crap!! Iran has ABSOLUTELY no designs against the U.S.A. whatsoever! It's exactly the other way around! This is cheap and tasteless Israeli & American propaganda. Iran is and has always been a peaceful country, and all it wants is to live in peace and to develop into a selfsufficient, industrialized and scientifically and technologially advanced country. It is the U.S. which has constantly interfered in Iran's internal business - It's been that way since the 1930's. And Iranians are sick and fed up with it. The game the U.S. and Israel are playing by spreading this kind of misinformation and outright lies is a most dangerous one. Look at Iran's modern history and compare it with the modern history of the U.S. and Israel - Not once has Iran been an agressor and attacked other countries. The same cannot be said about Israel and the U.S. The biggest threat to world peace are the U.S. and Israel.

Originally posted by Jamuhn
You know, I can't wait to see a legitimate news story come out of worldnetdaily. I can't understand why people actually believe the garbage off that site.

Has it ever crossed your mind that there is something called STUPID, and that a lot of people who live in the U.S. are afflicted with this handicap? And that there are some greedy, criminal evil crooks who know that that these stupid people can easily be taken advantage of over and over and over and over again.....? That's exactly what has happened with 9/11 and all the sick things we see coming from the U.S. ever since.

What I don't understand is all the posts here saying that hurting or destroying our economy would be 'no big deal' because THEN we'd attack them back.

Earth to all appeasers: our economy would still be 'hurt' or destroyed. Remember what happened to the economy after 9/11. Businesses closed, people's lifetime investments wiped out, etc.? Think that after the EMP fried your PC that you'd still be posting on ATS? Try imagining your life, but in the 1920's or even earlier until every electronic device we depend on got repaired or replaced - which might take a very long time since the industries that built it all would have been fried, too. Our country couldn't have supported the current population on 1920's technology. You do the math. People will starve. They will be dead as a result of the attack just as surely as if they had been killed in the blast.

This is like a chess game. Try thinking a few moves ahead of your current position to see what might happen if you continue to pretend that everything will be all right if we just don't even think about it.

Originally posted by Siroos
I hope you're not gullable enough to believe such crap!! Iran has ABSOLUTELY no designs against the U.S.A. whatsoever! It's exactly the other way around! This is cheap and tasteless Israeli & American propaganda.

Horse pucky!

Then why chant "Death to America' within your Parliament? The Iranians that I have spoken to can't wait to get the mullahs out of power so that Iran CAN join the world community again. With the oil wealth and technological aptitude Iran can be a great leader in the Middle East, but alas not at the moment with the likes of what Government it does have. It is not just the US and Isreal that are watching this situation in Iran and the dangerous game that your country is playing........

This is certainly the oddest propaganda I've heard yet, especially since Iran isn't even close to having something able to reach the US.

How can you even prepare for an EMP attack? Is there actually a defense for it?

EMP shielding, and/or simply turning things "off" when it's supposed to hit...

Originally posted by centurion1211
Earth to all appeasers:

www.nizkor.org...

Originally posted by Deleuze

Originally posted by centurion1211
Earth to all appeasers:

www.nizkor.org...

Funny, but playing with logic doesn't save people from getting killed - especially when dealing with people willing to die for their cause. Here's one back at you that is way more appropriate to the discussion of this thread. Pay close attention to the thoughts expressed by the "quiet sleep" line. This is the same 'logical' process I think you and some others are using. Didn't work out to well for the world back then, now did it? Why should we trust our lives to that kind of failed 'logic' again?

library.byu.edu...



[edit on 4/27/2005 by centurion1211]

Originally posted by Deleuze

Originally posted by centurion1211
Earth to all appeasers:

www.nizkor.org...

nice

Originally posted by fledgling666

Originally posted by Deleuze

Originally posted by centurion1211
Earth to all appeasers:

www.nizkor.org...

nice

Hmmm. Isn't there an ATS rule against one line posts? How about one word posts? If after reading all that has been posted so far, "nice" is all you can think of to add to the discussion, then I would suggest you save your words, since they seem to be in such short supply for you.

[edit on 4/27/2005 by centurion1211]

Originally posted by jsobecky
Back to the topic, Iran would have one pesky little detail to solve: getting that nuke close enough to the US to make it a worry.

They'd also have to invent a magic bomb that can actually accomplish this.

quote]Originally posted by Red Golem
An EMP bomb set off at a certain Alt. will cover the entire 48 states.

According to what?

one nuke detonated in the atmosphere near certain areas could easily destroy the power grid.

How in the world is it supposed to knock out the entire country with an emp blast???

Detonated at a height of 60 to 500 kilometers above the continental U.S., one nuclear warhead could cripple the country – knocking out electrical power and circuit boards and rendering the U.S. domestic communications impotent.

I think that that is the very analysis that everyone objects too. Yes, nukes produce electromagnetic pulses. No, a single nuke isn't doing to destroy all the electronics equipment in the US.

al-Qaida is believed to own about 80 such vessels

From what I undestand, that claim is a large exaggeration, and based mainly on considering all pirates in the region as members of al-qaida. IOW, the al-qaida pirate fleet is not anywhere near as dangerous as suggested.


I notice that there is still no explanation from poster edsinger as to how Iran is able to do any of these fantastical things that are alleged, or why worldnutdaily should be listened to at all.

Is iran dangerous? Yes. Are they, an oil rich country, developing nuclear plants to generate electricity? Certainly not. Are they opposed to the US, well, if you beleive them they are. Does that mean that a nuke can wipe out all the electronics in the US? heck no.

edsinger
If I was Iran or even a non-country, I know this would be the ultimate in SHOCK and would be fairly easy to do.

Demonstrate this. Some posters disagree as to the Iranian animosity torwards the US, almost everyone agrees that a nuke can't do what you suggest.

sir, perfer to do as TeddyR

You neither speak softly nor carry a big stick. TR realized the value of having good realtions with other countries. Hysteria over a mythical 'uber-nuke' is pointless, and not somethign TR'd be concerned about. This is like, for example, TR worrying about a mega-fleet of super-dreadnaughts storming out of the atlantic from Italy to destroy the entire east coat up to a hundred miles inland. Its nonsense. Develop an equivalent of the Great White Fleet, sure, defense thru strenght, sensible enough. But feeding panic over a non-issue? Pointless.

what if they have the Thermonuclear warhead designs that China bought

Why in the world world china sell a super-nuke to Iran so it can use it against the US and result in the thermo-nuclear destruction of both countries??? If china realizes that they can break the back of the US with a single super nuke then wth do you think they think about america's super-arsenal of uber-nukes????

So whats your solution? Negotiate with them? Just when has that worked?

Speak softly and carry a big stick. Big stick? Check, super-nuke-arsenal capable of annihlating the former USSR in a matter of minutes, combined with the biggest and most mobile and powerful army every to stalk the planet along with a national missile defense shield and vital weapons systems immune to this kind of attack? Er, check. Speak softly? Ok, lets work on that. The US already has a detterent effect in place.
What happened to Trust but Verify, for that matter? Make a deal with the iranians, they're not sub-human animals, there's a core of the mullahs even who would rather rule iran than die as a martyr, appeal to them, let them know that they will face crippling sanctions that will wreack their economy, if they don't allow full inspections of the nuke program. Give them immediate benefits for cooperating, and punish them harshly, but non-militarily, when and if they muck up.

negativnihil
whatever happened to your son that was heading into basic? They'll need some fresh bullet stoppers if we invade Iran

Such abuse is not permited, everyone needs to discuss the issue cogently, not bash 'tulipwalkers' (whatevertheheck thats supposed to mean) or 'blockheads' or anything else.

There are only a few issues that are to be discussed here. What is the proper strategy to deal with iran, and other threats (and of course the converse side to). Can a single nuke like that that iran might make wipe out the US, and what would be required to do that, etc etc.

Edsinger is not the topic of concern.

Rumor has it they purchased some low yield (~10kT) warheads in the middle 90's

And yet never used them???? They're ready to martyr their entire country and selves to fight the great satan, have a couple of war heads, but haven't used them? No, thats prima facie absurd. If they have nukes, they use them. If they have them and don't use them, then they're nothing like the threat many perceive them as and the threat order needs to be reassesed.

Rufus Metellus
Hmmm. Isn't there an ATS rule against one line posts?

IO! And indeed there is, I gave out a one liner warn. I also gave out a lot of warns in this thread. Everyone needs to discuss the matters at hand. I think I gave out enough to at least one person to actually get them 'temp banned' (which disappears after the warns dissapear). Everyone is going to get more of them for even usually slight breaches of the rules, for slight insults, etc etc, because this thread has moved well out of hand.

The next series of posts below this one need to be about the subjects, and need to be cogently discussed.

Originally posted by Gazrok
EMP shielding, and/or simply turning things "off" when it's supposed to hit...

Don't forget to unplug these "things" coz if they're turned off but still plugged they will be affected by the EMP surge...

Originally posted by Gazrok
EMP shielding, and/or simply turning things "off" when it's supposed to hit...

Unfortunately, just "turning it off" won't do the trick. Any type of pulse that is strong enough to fry ICs and other electronics, would be strong enough to do it with the unit turned off, unplugged, etc.

This one one of the MANY things depicted in the movie "Broken Arrow" which upset those in the nuclear community. When John Travolta turned the ignition off in the hummer to 'protect it' is a perfect example. It fries whether or not it is turned on.

Shielding, on the other hand, DOES work. Basically a type of Faraday Cage.

Nygdan has posted an excellent argument and analysis above, which summarizes almost everything on this topic.

I would just like to add that the idea of one nuke producing an EMP big enough to take out 48 states is really beyond preposterous. I am a scientist by education and did study a little of civil defense, and this mega-weapon is a pure work of fiction along with the Batman and Rescue Rangers.

Originally posted by Aelita
Nygdan has posted an excellent argument and analysis above, which summarizes almost everything on this topic.

I would just like to add that the idea of one nuke producing an EMP big enough to take out 48 states is really beyond preposterous. I am a scientist by education and did study a little of civil defense, and this mega-weapon is a pure work of fiction along with the Batman and Rescue Rangers.

No Rescure Rangers? WHAT?

Holy nuclear-non-proliferation treaty Batman!
external image

Ave, Nygdan.

Appreciated the "IO". Nice authentic Roman touch to your response.

Now, back to the fray. I'm in!

Salvete,

R. Metellus Ahenobarbus

Originally posted by NygdanHow in the world is it supposed to knock out the entire country with an emp blast???

If you read the article, one of sufficient size at the correct altitude could do so yes, read it. Maybe southern Arizona would be safe and maybe Maine but the 48 states would be in big trouble.

Originally posted by NygdanI think that that is the very analysis that everyone objects too. Yes, nukes produce electromagnetic pulses. No, a single nuke isn't doing to destroy all the electronics equipment in the US.

And your proof is where? When did a 1 MT blast not effectively deliver EMP of that scale and when has a Nuc been exploded at 200k feet in the ionosphere?

Originally posted by Nygdan
I notice that there is still no explanation from poster edsinger as to how Iran is able to do any of these fantastical things that are alleged, or why worldnutdaily should be listened to at all.

I gave some 'potential' scenarios and you can laugh at WND all you want while reading the NYT as gospel ok?

Originally posted by Nygdan
Demonstrate this. Some posters disagree as to the Iranian animosity torwards the US, almost everyone agrees that a nuke can't do what you suggest.

Well many in Iran want the mullahs out and where is my proof? Look at the candidates that were disqualified last election. As for the Nuke, oh yes it can and the USSR and USA have known it for a while.

Originally posted by Nygdan
You neither speak softly nor carry a big stick. TR realized the value of having good realtions with other countries.

He also didn't tolerate what we are forced to tolerate today. Oh we have the big stick and maybe we are not speaking softly because no other country has the balls to do the right thing.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Why in the world world china sell a super-nuke to Iran so it can use it against the US and result in the thermo-nuclear destruction of both countries???

And why wouldn't they? they sold them to Pakistan? North Korea? Whats the difference? they have already helped whom,ever had the cash.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Such abuse is not permited, everyone needs to discuss the issue cogently, not bash 'tulipwalkers' (whatevertheheck thats supposed to mean) or 'blockheads' or anything else.

Tulipwalkers = leftists peacenicks treehuggers capitulaters I guess you get the meaning so go ahead and flag me again.

Originally posted by NygdanEdsinger is not the topic of concern.

Come on you believe that? The Tulipwalkers love every chance they get.

Originally posted by Nygdan

Rumor has it they purchased some low yield (~10kT) warheads in the middle 90's

And yet never used them????

tactical nukes, and no they have hence my tritium comment, but if they would have had them in the 80's they would have, but I cant blame them.

Originally posted by NygdanI also gave out a lot of warns in this thread.

Boy did you ever, 2 of which I can not figure out why. You like me don't you?

Originally posted by edsinger

Originally posted by NygdanHow in the world is it supposed to knock out the entire country with an emp blast???

If you read the article, one of sufficient size at the correct altitude could do so yes, read it. Maybe southern Arizona would be safe and maybe Maine but the 48 states would be in big trouble.

The preposterous thing about the "article" is that it plainly states that Iran plans to knock out the US with a single bomb. If one lookes at this sensationalist statement, they find that (1) Iran does not have the multimegaton warhead that would be required for such a feat (2) Iran is willing to be annihilated for the dubious purpose of having the US in blackout for a few weeks -- an ICBM launch is sure as hell to be detected and properly attributed.

A major nuclear power would be capable of pulling this off technologically, but a multimegaton weapon in Iran... Puh-leeze.


[edit on 27-4-2005 by Aelita]