It would be interesting to see a few data about Iran from the CIA factbook (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html:

Land boundaries:
total: 5,440 km
border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline:
2,440 km; note – Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

This means a lot of ways to attack…

Population:
69,018,924 (July 2004 est.) Ethnic groups:
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Wow, the Persians are only 50 %. So much about national unity some garryBs 😀 mentioned…

Government type:
theocratic republic

Cool! :diablo: :dev2: :diablo: :dev2: :diablo: :dev2:

chief of state: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
head of government: President (Ali) Mohammad KHATAMI-Ardakani (since 3 August 1997);

Heil to them…

Economy overview:
Iran’s economy is marked by a bloated, inefficient state sector, over reliance on the oil sector, and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale – workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass some $22 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and inflation. In December 2003 a major earthquake devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people.
GDP:
purchasing power parity – $478.2 billion (2003 est.)

Maybe this is why they don’t buy Flankers — for the very simple reason that they could not afford them in a meaningfull numbers(~100 planes)
(To relate to the original topic of this thread, that thanks to the antiamercanism of some garrybs :p has been hyjacked…) Also the nuclear program doesn’t come cheap, especially when you shoud run it underground.

Military expenditures – dollar figure:
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)

Shoud I add any comment?

With the US actually practising a policy of Regime change and has clearly i the past described both NK and Iran as an “Axis of Evil”, they have very right to impliment any defencive measures they see fit.

I told you in another thread that you are either naive, or biased.

The US addopted a stiffer foreign policy after Sept 2001. The Iraq invasion was in 2003. On the other hand, these countries (an Israeli politolog called them “crazy states”) begun their nuclear programs decades ago.

Do some research before posting nonsense…

Question:Even if R&D happens in some buried bunker in a remote mountain region, don’t they still need the reactor to produce the fuel?

Unfortunately, thanks to a Pakistani scientist, the Iranians don’t need a reactor, because they can go the other way to obtain fissile material–centrifuge. This is the big problem: unlike a reactor (to obtain plutonium) which is big enough and impossible to hide, a centrifuge (to obtain uranium 235) is smaller and could be concealed.

However, with good intelligence the Israelis could still destroy these facilities.

A nuclear weapon in the hands of a state like Iran is indeed a nightmare. Not because it would be used against an aggressor. I can’t see anyone threatening the very existence of Iran. The main concern is a bomb in the hands of some terrorist nourished by the ayatollahs.

If many of you guys mentioned it–Top Gun.
Aside some flows already mentioned here, the film was good– about 1/2 hours of cummulated Tomcat flying, especially the scenes of AA practice at Miramar (actually flown at Fallon 🙂 )

I confess, when I heard about the decision to retire the Tomcat, I rented the video (for the 10 time 😮 )

Indian, the Russian system(s) can’t detect targets at 80-90 km, even AB targets from rear hemisphere. 40-50 km for an AB target are more plausible.

Thales could claim whatever they want about Pirate. It is not yet operational, while the AAS 42 has around 15 years of operational service in one of the most demading environment-US carriers! It was continously refined in terms of software, put on the E 2C, but foremost it will be the main sensor of modifiede B 7474 airborne laser (ABL); this on will have 6 such sensor to detect balistic missile launch from more than 200 km.

The US did not put this superb sensor on all its fighters for two reasons; 1) price–it cost as much as a high performance radar and 2) unlike radar it is weather dependent wich is the main IRSTs limmit– the slightest humidity would reduce its range next to human eye.

Hammer,

Before all, I really hope that it will be no war, and the mullahs will drop their nuclear military program.

Now about what you said:

1) Both Iraq and Afghanistans military were in shambles after years of global military and economic sanctions, Iran on the other side is as strong as it’s ever been since the fall of the Shah in 1979

Name a few up-to-date weapon systems the Iranians have…

3) Iran can attack simultaneously at american troop concentrations and air bases in the west (Kuwait and Iraq) end to the east (Afghanistan) without needing overflight authorizations by any other country.

I will put this in a different way: US could attack Iran from Iraq and from Afg, not to mention from the sea…

4) Infiltrating Iranian Special forces into Iraq or Afghanistan is childsplay, compared to similar american efforts into Iran. Iranians ought to be able to find many more collaborative locals in this innitiative than the US…

Partially true, but US could find also plenty locals to cooperate.

Are there any US carriers INSIDE the Gulf today? These should provide for a undenyable target to Iranian anti-naval assets

Unless the US N carrier will not come closer than 200 km (to be outside Iranian ASMs) ther is no danger, since Iran has no blue navy. Considering the range of the carrier planes (400-500 Nmiles for hi-hi profile without refueling) + the range of the stand-off weapons, I can’t see way USN would come so close.

The Gulf may become way too small for a US Carrier Task Force to safely manouver in…

Indian Ocean is another possibility…

6) After the removal of hundreds of US fighters from the Gulf Area after the “end of the war”, are actual fighter fleets enough to resist an Iranian Air Force surprise attack? How long would it take to reconvene these forces after a preemptive attack by Iran?

To resist an Iranian surprise attack????? By the time than a plane is taxiing on the runway of any Iranian air base, it will be picked upby an AWACS. Are the USAF units in region “capable” of resisting an Iranian AF attack? -Is a joke, or what?

7) What would be the US Government´s reaction to the Iranians using the “Bush Doctine” card at the UN Security Counsel to justify their own attack against US forces in the Region…

Don’t kidd yourself. If attacked, US will not raise the issue to Security Council–it will masacre the attacker…

How much more are the americans willing to spend to occupy Iran?

And why would US do this? Tehy want just to destroy nuclear facilities (of couyrse, if identified)

See their respectful and cooperative stances toward India and Pakistan

These stances came from the fact that these countries did not hurt the US intersts and cooperate with US

check for yourself:

http://www.neosophist.com/trddfram.htm

Iran converted to Euro

My god !:eek:

It is not all about debt but savings rate of a nation

It is not all about the saving rate, but about the net worth of a nation…