WORLD AT WAR: 12.11.20 - Is Tehran Building a Devil's Kitchen?

Is Tehran Building a Devil's Kitchen? - by Amir Taheri - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16831/iran-fakhrizadeh-revenge To hit back, or not to hit back? This is the question that has heated up debate within Tehran's ruling Khomeinist circles for almost a week. The debate was triggered by the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,a shadowy figure in the top echelons of Tehran's murky establishment. Despite an avalanche of obituaries and reports on the event, it is not yet quite clear who Fakhrizadeh was and what he was doing. The official narrative started by introducing him as a military figure. He was, we were told, a brigadier-general and bore that title of Deputy Defense Minister. Then theDefense Minister, Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami spoke as if he hardly knew Fakhrizadeh while praising him for his unspecified "immense services". The narrative then switched to presenting Fakhrizadeh as a nuclear scientist and thus a victim of "enemies who do notwish to slow down Iran's progress in peaceful use of nuclear science." In other words, Fakhrizadeh joins the lengthening list of Iranian nuclear scientists assassinated by unknown assailants over the past 10 years. But then Ali Akbar Salehi,the man who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IEAO) made it clear that Fakhrizadeh was working on a parallel project not connected with the mainstream nuclear program. More intriguingly, Salehi revealed that Fakhrizadeh's work was linked to "nucleardefense", thus having a military aspect. Then it was the turn of Maj. Gen. Hussein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to add his layer of mystery by praising the "key role" that Fakhrizadeh played in the Islamic Republic's missiledevelopment project. But that was not all. The Islamic Foreign Ministry spokesman Khatibzadeh brought in a shade of his own by claiming that Fakhrizadeh had been a member of the Iranian team negotiating the infamous JCPOA (the Obama "nuke deal" with the thenUS Secretary of State John Kerry.) Finally, and perhaps because they realized that the persona initially depicted for the "martyr" might not generate the desired degree of sympathy, the regime's propagandistsstarted presenting Fakhrizadeh as a scholar, poet, philosopher, and moral guide. They even broadcast a videotaped speech in which he offers a comprehensive plan for defeating Covid-19 and curing those affected. Whether or not Fakhrizadeh was a scholar, scientist, soldier, diplomat, philosopher, epidemiologist, and moral guide, in other words, a quintessential Renaissance man, wedon't and perhaps can never know. But two things are clear. First, that Fakhrizadeh was a member of the inner circle of "Supreme Guide" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has created a parallel government structure that wields the realityof power while "elected" presidents and their ministers provide the façade behind which power is exercised. In a number of "special interest" domains, Khamenei relies almost exclusively on his handpicked and tested aides. Thus, when it comes to relations withRussia, for example, he relies on former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati. On relations with China, Khamenei has just put former Islamic Majlis Speaker Ali Ardeshir Larijani in charge. Relations with Arab neighbors and Afghanistan was handled by the lateGen. Qassem Soleimani. (Not clear whether Soleimani's successor Brig. Gen Esmail Qaani has also inherited that distinction.) Relations with Turkey and Pakistan seem to be handled by Maj. Gen. Muhammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Islamic armed forces. Thus,it seems that while Salehi, and others before him, were in charge of the civilian aspect of the nuclear program, it was Fakhrizadeh who orchestrated the military part. If that reading is correct, the second thing that becomes clear is that the Islamic Republic has always had a parallel military nuclear program, kept secret even from itsown official government. Saleh says he didn't know much about what Fakhrizadeh was doing because what he did "could not be made public even in scientific papers." This does not necessarily mean that the Islamic Republic has been building a bomb in secret. We have no means of verifying that. But it may indicate that the parallel projectcould have the limited aim of ensuring progress towards what nuclear scientists describe as "the threshold to breakout", a point at which a nation has all the scientific and industrial means of making the bomb but stops before making it. This is like building a kitchen and providing all the ingredients needed to make a soup but not start the cooking until you want to give a dinner party. Such a scenario may also dispel some mysteries surrounding the Islamic Republic's bizarre missile program. For example, why would anyone spend huge sums of money and effortto develop long-range missiles capable of carrying payloads of no more than 75 kilos of classical explosives that would do little harm to any target? However, the scheme could make sense if the payload in question comes in the form of a nuclear warhead. Thisis why Fakhrizadeh is presented as the man who had a crucial role in both the nuclear and the missiles projects. Let us return to the question that started this piece. Tehran these days is full of voices calling for "revenge" and "punishment" of those responsible for Fakhrizadeh'smartyrdom. The daily Kayhan, reputed to reflect Khamenei's views, is even calling for a full-scale attack on the Israeli port of Haifa, insisting that we should make sure that large numbers are killed. Other voices, especially from the "New York Boys" aroundPresident Hassan Rouhani, call for restraint so as not to jeopardize the hope of leading the Americans up the garden path through talks with a would-be President Joe Biden. In talks with President Barack Obama, Tehran was prepared to offer concessions on thecivilian side of its nuclear project because the military side of it was never even raised. Nor did Obama pay any attention to Tehran's missile program. We may be proved wrong, but our guess is that Tehran will do nothing to raise the degree of tension even by one notch -- something that could make it hard to sell the Americansanother bill of goods. Two facts may support that view. First, the US is not presented as the main culprit in Fakhrizadeh's assassination, as it was when Soleimani was obliterated. Some fingers have even pointed at Israel, followedby promises of revenge. But even then, the rival version, based on the claim that the crime may have been the work of Iranian opposition groups, is kept in circulation along with another version that the operation did not involve boots on the ground but wascarried out through remote control. Secondly, Khamenei promised "hard revenge" for Soleimani's death but has vowed nothing but "prosecution and punishment" of perpetrators. His emphasis is on "the continuation"of Fakhrizadeh's work. In other words, as long as our progress towards the "threshold" isn't halted, we can grin and bear Fakhrizadeh's martyrdom. China Launches Nuclear-Powered �Artificial Sun�: Is �Isaiah�sProphecy Coming to Fruition�? � Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.israel365news.com/161773/china-launches-nuclear-powered-artificial-sun-is-isaiahs-prophecy-coming-to-fruition/ And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when Hashem binds upHis people�s wounds and heals the injuries it has suffered. Isaiah 30:26 (The Israel BibleTM) China recently turned on a huge nuclear fusion device patterned after the process that takes place inside the sun. The device generates ten times the heat of the sun andthe scientists hope to double that within the next few years. FUSION: THE OPPOSITE OF NUCLEAR FISSION BUT MORE On Friday, China powered up the HL-2M tokamak, a huge device that uses a powerful magnetic field to confine hot plasma in the shape of a torus in the hopes of generatingpower using nuclear fusion. �Tokamak� is a shortening of the Russian term for �toroidal magnetic confinement.� �The development of nuclear fusion energy is not only a way to solve China�s strategic energy needs, but also has great significance for the future sustainable developmentof China�s energy and national economy,� said the People�s Daily. Fusion fuses atomic nuclei to create massive amounts of energy, the opposite of the fission process used in atomic weapons and nuclear power plants, which splits them intofragments. Fusion does not create radioactive waste and carries less risk of accidents or the theft of atomic material. The fusion process requires vast amounts of energy and no fusion reactor has achieved net-positive energy but the scientists believe that the process will begin to produceenergy at higher temperatures. Using a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma, the apparatus is able to operate at 270 million Fahrenheit, a temperature 10 times hotter than the sun which producesenergy using hydrogen and deuterium gases as fuels, a process called stellar nucleosynthesis. Yang Qingwei, chief engineer of CNNC�s Institute of Fusion Science at the Southwest Institute of Physics which oversees the project, was quoted by Xinhua on Friday as sayingthat HL-2M can achieve magnetic plasma confinement time of up to 10 seconds. �HL-2M is China�s largest artificial sun with the best parameters,� Xu Min, director of the institute, was quoted as saying. The HL-2M tokamak has three times the plasma volume and six times the plasma current intensity compared with China�s previous facility. The HL-2M tokamak has been iteratedsince 2006 and in 2018, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reached a milestone 180 million degrees. In 2019, EAST announced they intended to double that by 202o. The deadline has passed, and that goal has not been achieved but the projectis considered a success nonetheless. One of the major obstacles to achieving nuclear fusion is controlling the high-energy plasma which must be maintained at a temperature far greater than any material on earthcan contain requiring containment in a magnetic field. China announced plans to build an experimental reactor as early as next year, an industrial prototype by 2035, and go into large-scale commercial use by 2050. SCIENCE DECLARING WAR ON THE CREATOR As scientists strive for greater achievements, the implications of overreach and mistakes become greater. This self-realization of scientific hubris was perhaps best expressedby Robert Oppenheimer, frequently described as the �father of the atomic bomb, upon witnessing the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945. After seeing first-hand the horrific destructive power of his own work, Oppenheimer quoted the Bhagavad-Gita,a Hindu text, declaring, � �Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds�. Rabbi Yosef Berger warned that such experiments could bring about disastrous results the scientists had not anticipated but which the Biblical prophets had foreseen. Therabbi cited the Prophet Isaiah, who described a light seven times greater than the sun which would appear in the end-of-days with disastrous results. And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when Hashem binds upHis people�s wounds and heals the injuries it has suffered. Behold Hashem Himself Comes from afar In blazing wrath, With a heavy burden� His lips full of fury, His tongue like devouring fire Isaiah 30:26-27 �They call this science, presenting it as being for the good of mankind, but as we saw with the atomic bomb, they are really setting out to make war against God, to provethat Man is stronger than Creation,� Rabbi Berger said. �This is precisely the sin of the generation that built the Tower of Babel.� �They think that their sun is stronger than the sun of God. But the proof is that their sun cannot work for even one moment but God created the sun and it has stood sincecreation, providing warmth to all the world. And what powers the sun? Hashem (God; literally, the name). This is something that the scientists are not even close to replicating. Their thinking is entirely wrong. But if they turned to God, worked from a perspectiveof coming close to the creator, they would achieve so much more.� Rabbi Berger cited Psalms as a source for learning from the actual stars and heavens. The heavens declare the glory of Hashem, the sky proclaims His handiwork. Psalms 19:2 �If the scientists would set their eyes to the heaven rather than trying to be greater than the Creator, they would achieve so much more, and would do so without releasingdestruction into the world,� Rabbi Berger concluded. Hezbollah's Great Diversion - by Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16845/hezbollah-great-diversion More than four months have passed since the huge explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and many Lebanese are demanding answers to role of the Iran-backedHezbollah terrorist organization in the port "massacre." They are also demanding an end to Iran's occupation of Lebanon. On August 4, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Beirut port exploded, causing at least 204 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage. An estimated300,000 people were left homeless. Many of Hezbollah's political and civil opponents blamed the terrorist organization for storing the dangerous chemicals. A commission of inquiry set up by the Lebanese governmenthas so far failed to provide satisfactory answers, prompting many Lebanese to call for an international probe. Denying responsibility, Hezbollah this week threatened to sue those who have accused it of being behind the explosion. Hezbollah's denial, however, has failed to convince many Lebanese, who are saying they are fed up with the terrorist organization's lies. On December 5, Lebanese demonstratorstook to the streets, chanting "Hezbollah the terrorist" and asking questions about its role in the explosion. "We, Lebanese, should do to [Hezbollah Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah the same thing Libyans did to [slain Libyan dictator] Gaddafi: Step on his face and crush it.,"The Beirut Journal wrote on Twitter. A hashtag named "Hezbollah is Terror" that has recently been trending on Twitter and other social media platforms accuses the terrorist organization of hijacking and destroyingLebanon to serve the interests of Iran. The hashtag further accuses Hezbollah terrorists of beating and intimidating peaceful demonstrators in various parts of Lebanon. "What has Nasrallah done to the Lebanese people?" asked Lebanese social media user Martine J. Zaarour. "1. Killed our people. 2. Stolen our money. 3. Destroyed Beirut. 4.Placed on the terrorist list 5. Made war with Israel. 6. Prioritized Palestinians and Syrians. 8. Threatened us with illegal weapons." Some Lebanese citizens scoffed at Hezbollah's threat to sue those who hold it responsible for the port explosion. "If Hezbollah is resorting to the judiciary, this meansthat it trusts the Lebanese state," remarked Lebanese political activist Charbel Frem. "So why does Hezbollah not surrender its weapons to the state?" In response, Nizar Salloum, also from Lebanon, wrote: "Hezbollah trusts the judiciary it controls with its weapons." Although the Lebanese government has set up a commission of inquiry into the port explosion, many Lebanese are wondering why the results have not been published yet. Theyare convinced that the Lebanese government is afraid to point the finger of blame at Hezbollah. "Four months have passed," noted Larissa Aoun, a Lebanese reporter for Sky News Arabia. "Where is the investigation? Where is justice? Who is responsible? We will not forget." Alarmed by the growing criticism of Hezbollah's presence as a state-within-a-state in Lebanon and allegations over its responsibility for the Beirut explosion, the terroristorganization has begun berating and intimidating journalists who dare to speak out. One victim, Maraim Seif, was recently attacked at her home by Hezbollah terrorists for her repeated criticism of the terrorist organization. "Hezbollah's 'resistance fighters' have officially turned into thugs," commented Lebanese anchorwoman Dima Sadek. "These resistance fighters attacked the activist, journalistand friend Mariam Seif and her family, beat them and threatened to kill them. Mariam was assaulted for articles she wrote attacking Hezbollah." Sadek herself was targeted by Hezbollah thugs for supporting protests against the terrorist organization. She recently resigned from Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation Internationalafter receiving threats from Hezbollah. "Lebanon is ruled by an armed militia and a corrupted mafia," said Serge Dagher, Secretary-General of the Lebanese Kataeb party. "No change can be achieved in this countryexpect with holding parliament elections, changing the ruling authority as a whole as well as the mafia and militia that has been prevailing over the country for the past period." He blamed the Lebanese government for mishandling the Beirut port explosionand pointed out that none of the Lebanese officials has taken to the streets and supported the people. The failure of the Lebanese authorities to reveal the identities of those responsible for the explosion has led several Lebanese politicians, political activists and journaliststo call for the intervention of the international community. Samir Geagea, Chairman of the Lebanese Forces, a Christian political party, threatened to resort to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the Lebanese government's investigationinto the port explosion does not reach clear results. "We will go to the International Criminal Court to uncover the truth and the circumstances surrounding this crime," he said. In an apparent attempt to divert attention from the port explosion, Hezbollah claimed on December 5 that one of its unmanned aerial drones flew over the Galilee in northernIsrael. The claim came as Lebanon is facing a deep economic crisis and amid growing outrage in the country over Hezbollah's responsibility for the disasters that have befallen the Lebanese people in the past few decades. The Lebanese are na�ve in the extreme to believe that the international community is going to listen to their grievances or interfere to stop Hezbollah and its masters inIran from destroying Lebanon. They are also painfully na�ve if they believe that anyone in the international community cares about the assaults and threats against Lebanese journalists and activists who criticize Hezbollah or call for an end to Iran's occupationof Lebanon. The international community has more pressing issues on its mind: Israel. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly approved five pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeliresolutions. The Lebanese who have lost their loved ones or their homes in the port explosion could not care less about Israel. In fact, such resolutions are harmful to the Lebanese because they keep the world's attention focused only on Israel. The UN is not going to provide relief or answers tothe families of the victims of the Lebanon explosion because its members are busy passing resolutions day and night against Israel. The only step left for the Lebanese is to revolt against the terrorist organization that has turned their country into a militaryand political base for the mullahs in Tehran. VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM