*Predicts Isreali attack
*Concern over the fate of oil supply mounts
17 July 2012, Sweetcrude – The head of Britian’s intelligence service warned that Iran will acquire a nuclear weapon by 2014 at the latest, and predicted a military strike may be the only way to prevent such a calamity.
Sir John Sawers, head of Britain’s MI6, told a group of civil servants Friday that Iran is on the path to acquiring a weapon and predicted Israel will act to stop her.
“The Iranians are determinedly going down a path to master all aspects of nuclear weapons; all the technologies they need,” Sawers was quoted by London’s Telegraph.
Sawers said Israel likely will strike Iran before she acquires such a weapon, which he said could happen by 2014.
Previously, Israeli intelligence sources have suggested that Iran may acquire the bomb, or the ability to make one quickly, sometime this year.
Sawers apparently doesn’t buy establishment thinking that Iran’s aquisition of a nuclear weapon is inevitable or acceptable.
It’s equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state, he said.
Sawers also said MI6 played a key role in covert operations that stopped Iran from creating a nuclear weapon as early as 2008.
In the past two years, four key Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated. Iran has blamed Israel, Britain and the United States
for the killings.
Will Obama back Israel in coming strike? Will Iran’s retaliation harm world economy?
With the U.S. increasing its military forces in the Persian Gulf and Iran’s foreign minister openly warning that if sanctions are fully enforced, his nation will close the Strait of Hormuz and choke one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, many are asking: Is a war with Iran imminent?
Some experts believe the Israeli military may strike Iran soon and that the “window” is closing for Israel to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
The threat of an escalation is real. And if Iran is struck, what would this do to the price of oil, the world economy and the stock market?
And would Iran retaliate against Israel and the U.S.?
In the past few days, the New York Times reported: “The United States has quietly moved significant military reinforcements into the Persian Gulf to deter the Iranian military from any possible attempt to shut the Strait of Hormuz and to increase the number of fighter jets capable of striking deep into Iran if the standoff over its nuclear program escalates.”
Iran continues to secretly enrich uranium amid reports that it is pushing forward with its nuclear weapons program, while diplomatic talks to thwart Iran’s program and stop preemptive Israeli airstrikes have so far failed.
Culled from Newsmax.