Irresponsible Headline Watch
I came upon this shocking headline on the Spectator's home page:
Wow! They have the bomb!! This is a major story! I had no idea they were that close. So I follow the link to the story:
Now what do most of you think that the term "nuclear weapons" refers to? The actual warheads, of course. Does a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead constitute a nuclear weapon? Of course not.
Does anyone edit the Spectator?
"Iran succeeds in developing nuclear weapons"
Wow! They have the bomb!! This is a major story! I had no idea they were that close. So I follow the link to the story:
Iran has missiles to carry nuclear warheads
By Con Coughlin
(Filed: 07/04/2006)
Iran has successfully developed ballistic missiles with the capability to carry nuclear warheads.
Detailed analysis of recent test firings of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile by military experts has concluded that Iran has been able to modify the nose cone to carry a basic nuclear bomb. The discovery will intensify international pressure on Teheran to provide a comprehensive breakdown of its nuclear research programme.
...
Now what do most of you think that the term "nuclear weapons" refers to? The actual warheads, of course. Does a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead constitute a nuclear weapon? Of course not.
Does anyone edit the Spectator?
posted by Anonymous at 2:12 AM
3 Comments:
What's worse, just because the nose cone has the form factor for a nuclear weapon, and the missile has the capacity to lift the payload, doesn't mean Iran is anywhere close to having a nuclear capable missile.
By far the most difficult feat, given ballistic speeds, is to develop the means to fuze the weapon so that it functions at the correct altitude.
A second too early, and the weapon will have little effect. A hundredth of a second too late, and the weapon is nothing more than a hazmat sight.
And what about a guidance system? This missile that they describe sounds a lot like a Scud. If they just aim it in the direction of Israel, it may just take out Amman, Jordan.
Oh, people edit the Spectator, just not for factual accuracy.
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