Old Persia Goes Nuclear By Gary Stearman

Present-day Iran is really old Persia, mentioned in the Old Testament by Ezra, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others. Most famously, where this ancient country is linked with the infamous Gog of Ezekiel 38. There, it is listed as the northern invader’s chief ally:

"And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

"And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

"Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet" (Ezk. 38:3-5).

Its present territory stretches from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on the north, to the Gulfs of Persia and Oman on the south. It is strategically positioned between Russia and the Arabian Peninsula. Possessed of great oil wealth, it is about to become a major producer of nuclear weapons.

Last October, Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, underscored his country’s new feeling of power by declaring that Israel should be wiped off the map. At that point, a number of countries reacted by attempting to slow Iran’s nuclear progress.

Likud MK Benjamin Netanyahu reacted by saying that Israel should deal with Iran’s nuclear facilities in the same way that it did with Iraq in 1981. At that time, Israel bombed Saddam Hussein’s Osirak Reactor into rubble. Now with Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor scheduled for completion in 2007, Israel’s Ariel Sharon has declared that his country cannot accept Iran’s entry into the world’s list of nuclear powers.

At the same time, as reported by Israel’s December 1st YnetNews, "Sharon warned that a nuclear Iran is not only a threat to Israel but also to Arab states and many western countries, but added that Israel is not spearheading international efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions."

Sharon said, "Israel needs not lead the campaign, yet we are in close contact with countries that are dealing with the issue."

He said that he "… agrees with the U.S. President George W. Bush that dealing with Iran’s push for nuclear armament is a top priority." His carefully crafted language constitutes a veiled warning to Iran. Israel would not threaten to take out the Iranians’ nuclear capability unless it had a plan to back up their talk.

Beginning in 2001, the Israelis began to take delivery of the new Lockheed Martin F-16i ground attack fighter. With a huge engine, extra fuel, two seats allowing for a weapons officer and an array of missiles, it could travel to Iran and knock out the contested facilities there. Called the Soufa (Storm), it has become a major part of the Israeli Air Force. Their first order of 50 aircraft will become complete in 2008, bringing the total number to 362. The F-16i has state-of-the-art electronic control, aiming and guidance systems. It is also capable of blocking the enemy’s detection systems.

Enter the Russians

At a moment’s notice, the Soufa can streak across the Syrian and Iraqi deserts to find its Iranian targets. Russian military advisors to Iran know all about the capabilities of this flying super-weapon. They are now helping Iran to defend against it.

As reported by a December 2nd WorldNetDaily article by Joseph Farah, "Russia has signed a deal with Iran to sell 29 of its Tor M-1 anti-missile systems, a development that will complicate any planned pre-emptive attack on the rogue nations nuclear facilities."

A description of this system suggests that it is specifically designed to stop attacks of the type that can be launched by the Soufa: "The [Tor M-1] system would theoretically permit Iran to intercept some cruise missiles as well as airborne missiles that U.S., Israeli or other western countries might use in an effort to keep the terrorist-supporting nation from developing nuclear weapons or using them.

"Russian sources say the Tor system is ‘a weapon of defense’ and does not represent a danger to the U.S. as long as Washington does not attack Iran.

"Another Russian source says Iran only seeks ‘to defend its nuclear thermal power station’ that Moscow is building in Bushehr – set for completion in 2007.

"Washington, meanwhile, along with European nations, claims Iran is attempting to develop offensive nuclear weapons under the pretense of civilian activities."

As we watch the Middle East, the tension builds toward the prophesied war of Ezekiel 38, in which "Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshach and Tubal," forms an alliance with Persia to invade Israel from the north. It is universally recognized that Magog is a code name for Russia.

Under Vladimir Putin, their alliance with Iran is tightening on a moment-by-moment basis. One nuclear detonation – regardless of its size or point of origin – could trigger Ezekiel’s prophecy. The Russian-Persian alliance is not a future possibility. It is a present fact. We await its outcome.