Iran's greatest threat to the world may be an attack straight out of a James Bond movie - electromagnetic pulses.
"EMP is the threat of the future," Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said in a campus appearance yesterday.
Before a crowd of roughly 20 in Huntsman Hall, Weldon presented his thoughts on the security of Israel in a talk jointly sponsored by the Penn Israel Coalition and the College Republicans.
Weldon specified a number of initiatives that he deemed necessary for the preservation of Israeli society, including the diplomatic re-engagement of Russia and the support of democratic initiatives in Iran.
He pointed to Iran as the principal threat to Israel, predicting that the nation under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would develop a crude nuclear weapon within two years.
Soon afterward, he said, Iran would be able to launch nuclear weapons into the atmosphere and deliver electromagnetic pulse attacks that would render a target country's electronic systems useless, as seen in the movie Goldeneye.
He also indicated illegal Russian sale of "suitcase nukes" to Iran as a possible threat to Israel, citing the disappearance of 84 such portable weapons from Russia as well as the trade relationships established between Russia and such "rogue states" as Iran during the 1990s.
Weldon sought to dispel audience skepticism by pulling a true-to-life Russian accelerometer and gyroscope recovered from a nuclear warhead in a Middle Eastern "rogue state" out of a duffel bag.
The congressman said that the United States was in part responsible for threats to Israeli security, adding that President Clinton neglected to enforce arms-sales treaties and that U.S.-based intelligence agencies failed to investigate Iranian nuclear capabilities.
"Our intelligence with Iran has been absolutely abysmal," Weldon said.
Following his presentation, Weldon took questions from audience members, many of which centered upon North Korea's growing nuclear capabilities.
"War with North Korea is unacceptable," Weldon said.
Instead, he proposed the construction of a natural-gas pipeline from Russia through North and South Korea in order to eliminate the isolated nation's need for nuclear energy.
Campus political coordinator for the Penn Israel Coalition and Wharton sophomore Alex Sulyevich closed the presentation by giving Weldon a T-shirt proclaiming "Wherever we stand, we stand with Israel."
College sophomore Alexandra Levy, a Penn Israel Coalition member, said she found the speech "exciting and engaging."
"We were very honored to have him." Levy remarked.
