With American and Iranian relations on the brink of war due to news or a nuclear program being developed out of Tehran, Obama administration insiders say the US is about to cut an arms deal with a powerful American ally in the region.
According to a report published today in the Wall Street Journal, American officials are finalizing a deal that would send advanced “bunker-buster” bombs to the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf. Separated by just a small strait, the UAE has strong ties with American authorities and could help launch an attack on nearby Iran in a moment’s notice should a strike be ordered by Obama.The move comes after a report from UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Western powers interpreted as proof that Iran continues to develop nukes despite statement that any nuclear program in the Islamic republic was for peaceful purposes only.“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 responded to reporters upon the release of the finding.Sources close to the rumored deal between Washington and Abu Dhabi report that the deal would put 500 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles into the UAE, in addition to 4,900 so-called smart bombs. Those “bunker-busters,” once deployed, could quickly disintegrate underground warhead factories where Iranians are rumored to be working on nuclear weaponry.Additionally, a report today in Politico suggests that the United States has also sold similar equipment to Israel as word circulates that the Jewish state is at risk of warring with Iran. On Thursday, the White House’s Carney added that the Obama administration was “looking at additional ways to apply pressure on Iran.”