James Forsyth James Forsyth

Preparations for a possible strike on Iran stepped up

The speculation over whether President George W. Bush will order strikes on Iran before he leaves office in January 2009 will ramp up another notch with the news that the Bush administration is requesting $88 million to alter B-2 Stealth bombers so that they can carry the largest conventional bomb yet developed by the US military. These bunker busting bombers would enable the US to hit the parts of Iran’s nuclear network that are far below the surface.

Jonathan Karl, ABC News’s national security correspondent, has the story:

The one-line explanation for the request said it is in response to ‘an urgent operational need from theater commanders.’ …

There doesn’t appear to be any potential targets for a bomb like that in Iraq. It could potentially be used on Taliban or al Qaeda hideouts in the caves along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but there would be no need to use a stealth bomber there.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in