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Report: W.H. eyes bomb sale to UAE

The Obama administration has drafted plans to sell “bunker-buster” bombs to the United Arab Emirates in an effort to turn up the heat on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The bunker-busters and other equipment would enable the UAE to target certain structures like bunkers and tunnels, where Iran is suspected developing nuclear weapons, and the weapons sale proposal is expected to be presented to Congress in a matter of days, the Journal said.

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Some underground Iranian structures are believed to be able to withstand multiple direct strikes, so just how effective the bombs would be are still unclear, the paper said.

According to administration officials, growing UAE’s stockpile would allow the country to assume a role in which it can deter Iran and have an expanded security role in the region, the Journal said, and those familiar with discussions about the proposal told the publication that a serious congressional challenge to the plan isn’t expected.

According to other reports, the Obama administration also has sold bunker busters to Israel, touching off speculation that the Jewish state planned to use the sophisticated explosive in an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The development comes as earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, released a report offering evidence that Iran is in the process of developing nuclear weapons.

The Obama administration has spoken out forcefully against the news. “An Iran armed with nuclear weapons is an intolerable threat to regional and international security, and we remain determined to prevent that outcome,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Thursday.

He added that the White House is “looking at additional ways to apply pressure on Iran,” saying the “onus is on Iran to address the questions raised by the international community about the intent of its nuclear program.”


Eric D. Schwerin
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com

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