Yet another reason why this little Hitler of the middle east needs to be eradicated along with his group of clerical buddies. I feel sorry for the Iranian people who forcefully being fed the rhetoric of the select few in power. Let's just suppose ANY other Western leader called for the Iranian regime to be wiped off the map. The rest of the world would condemn them and start protesting to the joke of the planet called the United Nations. The level of actually documented facts in this book is astounding.

This is one fantastic book with full historical documentation of the Iranian government's atomic energy program, and support of radical Islamic terror groups.

The Iranian government's support of insurgent killers who murder, torture, and maim innocent Iraqi civilians and American soldiers alike is another very serious wake up call for the west in our collective attempts to stabilize those nations like Iraq and Afghanistan plagued by war and civil terrorist violence.

The UN also has a responsibility to prevent the Iranian government from obtaining nuclear warheads, on top of sanctioning them for their rouge activities.

The president of Iran is a shrewd and media savvy individual, but also a hate filled and dangerous man who the west should always keep their collective eyes on.

All western nations, and Israel should be on guard, and on alert from the Iranian government's unscrupulous, and vile activities while holding full resolve in confronting Iran when or if the necessary time comes for possible confrontation.

All terrorist groups supported or allied with Iran should be immediately destroyed by full western military force, and all political and economic efforts by the UN and the west should be utilized when confronting the Iranian government on her nuclear ambitions.

This is one fantastic book with full historical documentation of the Iranian government's atomic energy program, and support of radical Islamic terror groups.

The Iranian government's support of insurgent killers who murder, torture, and maim innocent Iraqi civilians and American soldiers alike is another very serious wake up call for the west in our collective attempts to stabilize those nations like Iraq and Afghanistan plagued by war and civil terrorist violence.

The UN also has a responsibility to prevent the Iranian government from obtaining nuclear warheads, on top of sanctioning them for their rouge activities.

The president of Iran is a shrewd and media savvy individual, but also a hate filled and dangerous man who the west should always keep their collective eyes on.

All western nations, and Israel should be on guard, and on alert from the Iranian government's unscrupulous, and vile activities while holding full resolve in confronting Iran when or if the necessary time comes for possible confrontation.

All terrorist groups supported or allied with Iran should be immediately destroyed by full western military force, and all political and economic efforts by the UN and the west should be utilized when confronting the Iranian government on her nuclear ambitions.

Timmerman goes right through the history of Iran's growing threat - both the motivation and the nuclear program. He details all the signals that the US ignored and downplayed, as well as the willful blindness on the parts of our allies and the IAEA. After you read it, you will be fully versed on the topic.

...for 100%-pure bigots. If you want to reinforce your prejudices, your Coulterian demons, this book is for you. If your friends are tired of your quoting Coulter, now you can impress them with quotes from this pseudo-intellectual Timmerman. Countless assertions are made in this hackjob which the author makes no attempt to substantiate, but which are clearly designed to increase your level of hatred against people you don't understand.

Read this book, memorize the hooks, and go back to your favorite rightwing chatroom, where you can impress your bigoted pals with your newly found pseudo-knowledge.

By a bigot, for bigots. Wish I had thought of this grand way to make a pile of bucks.

(I didn't buy the book, and I'm glad I didn't)

Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran
1. Iran has Uranium enrichment centrifuges and used to convert uranium into fuel for nuclear weapons.

2. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has used Germany made tunneling equipment to bore into a mountain creating six tunnels. Two underground chambers house 15 nuclear warheads. The tunnels are disguised with a rock door. Two tunnels house Shahab-3 missiles that can be driven outside and launched in 25 minutes; likewise, the missiles can be moving the missile quickly back into the protective cover of the mountain, in the case of a counterstrike.

3. Harden underground near Isafahan is though to be a location where uranium hexafluoride is produced as a nuclear weapon fuel.

4. Weaponized labs near Parchin produce HMX, a non-nuclear lens that triggers a nuclear bomb.

5. UN IAEA turned a blind eye to Pakistan nuclear mastermind Dr. Abdel Qader Khan, who in 1986 signed a nuclear consulting agreement with Iranian leadership. Dr. Khan facilitated black market supply chains for the last 18 years, the inventories are bear, and it is believed that Iran possesses enough fissile material to produce 20 to 25 nuclear weapons.

6. Iranian officials were involved in 911 and collaborated with Al Qadea: provided passports, safe haven, intelligence assistence, secure communications, training in explosives and airline hijacking. Murder is one tool the ruling clerics used to disrupt opposition "Velayat-e faghih".

7. July 26,2001 Hamid Reza Zakeri defected and disclosed a the 911 plot to CIA operatives. In Zakeri's, 5 page letter, he describes "impending terrorist attack", however, the CIA thought Zakeri was lying. Zakeri sketched out the organization chart for the Iranian Shadow Intelligence Organization and revealed that Ali Akhar Nateq-Nouri was the top man and Mustafa Hadadian reported to him, Zakeri's boss. The 911 attack was to happen on the 20th of Shahrivar and strike: the World Trade Center, the Whitehouse, the Pentagon, and Camp David.

Countdown to confrontation:
1. Apr 12, 1996, Hussein Mohammad Mikdad, a Lebanese Shiite was instructed by Iranian handlers to hand carry a bomb onto an El Al flight in Tel Aviv.

2. Iran financial funds Hamas groups to disrupt security stability in Israel

3. Homayoun Maghadam, a member of the Iranian People's Party, describes an elaborate RAAD plan.

4. June 10, 1996 Homayoun says the Republican Guard Police and Iranian Defense plan to hijack a U.S civilian airline using Lebanese surrogates. The CIA can not use the information because it is not a specific airline threat lacking a date and location. The information can not be communicated to the airlines. The airlines do not want generalized threats because of the negative impact to their business.

5. June 20, 1996, CIA meets with Homayoun but can't confirm his "Elvis" source.

6. June 24, The Defense Intelligence Agency Middle East is told a plan is unfolding in Saudi and two days later, the Khobar Towers are bombed.

7. July 11, Homayoun reports that "attack on US civilian airliner is imminent".

8. July 17, The TWA flight 800 explodes, 20 minutes in the air, and 230 people die. The bomb is thought to be a double device: standard chronometer that delays activation and barometric that triggers the bomb at a certain pressure.

9. Apr 1997, Iran's Shahid Hemat Industrial Group test fires a R-214 rocket engine; the R-214 was a component of a Russian Intermediate rage nuclear missile from an SS-4, a mille that supposedly was destroyed under the 1987 INF treaty.

10. 1994, Iran turned to Russia after the failed test of the No-Dong/Zelzal 3 mille developed by North Korea.

11. Iran claims development and production of a new missile called the Shahib-3. The Shahib-3 gives Iran the capability to launch an unconventional warhead on Israel. Russia is becoming more active in Iran's nuclear missile program and Iran benefits from Russian advisors and shipment of missile components.

12. Russian missile cooperation has been accelerated by Vevgeny Primakov, the foreign minister in power, in 1996. Primakov believes Russia stands to gain from a stronger Iran as a counter against US influence in the Persian Gulf.

13. Yuri Koptev, a member of the Russian Space Agency is also involved in the transformation of Iran.

14. Russian Federation Security Doctrine states, "the main external force potential capable of creating a threat to Russian Federation military security and to Russian economic and political interest" is the US: conventional Forces in Europe and encroachment in the oil-rich Caspean sea.

15. July 21, 1998, The Shahib-3 prototype flew 620 miles Southeast from Shahroud toward the Persian Gulf and consuming 100 seconds of fuel burnt then is exploded midair. The Shahib-3 has a range of 800 miles and could read targets as far away as Tel Aviv and possibly Cairo.

16. Aug 31, 1998, North Korea test fires a multi stage missile called the Taepo Dong and the missile travels over 1,000 miles and overshoots Japan.

China:
1. July 7, 1991, Li Peng had a 3-day stop over in Iran with the purpose of determining if Iran would pay for Chinese weapons. The culmination of the trip, the two leaders signed $5 billion agreement for military, industrial, and economic packages. Li told the press that China would provide the expertise and technology to complete the Iranian Busheir reactor. China would help Iran build the manufacturing process that would allow Iran to nuclear components for their reactor. China backed off building the 27 megawatt heavy-water reactor under threats they would lose most favored nation status, if the deal went through.
2. China provided Pakistan assistance with its weapons program. China was heavily invested in Pakistan nuclear infrastructure, in some sensitive areas it was easier for China to operate through Pakistan than deal directly with Iran. Iran and Pakistan ancestral hatred was a concern between the two communities; Rafsanjani acknowledge strong ties to fellow Shiites in Pakistan but the commitment only extend through charitable foundations, not meddling in the domestic affairs; Iran was committed to developing strategic cooperation with Pakistan, and was pleased to have China's blessing in this endeavor. Pakistan was producing new weapons with Chinese help in Islamabad and Lahore and eventually Pakistan and Iran concluded a defense treaty. China gave Pakistan bomb designs, equipment, and technical assistance. Pakistan turns around and sells it to Iran.

EPCI
1. 1990, Bush passed the Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative to prevent military technologies from reaching Iran. Under EPCI, U.S. exporters were required to obtain a license to export any goods-even a pencil or screwdriver-to foreign entities or projects of proliferation concern. The regulation called on Commerce to develop a black list of such projects and make it available to exporters. The Commerce never published a blacklist, for fear that identifying projects and entities of concern would jeopardize U.S intelligence sources and methods. New trade restrictions signed into law by President Bush in 1992 prohibited high-technology sales to Iran altogether. Despite this US exports to Iran increased in the ensuing month under G-DEST authority of the commerce department. In 1992, 60 of the $750 million worth of US goods and equipment shipped to Iran were subject to Commerce Department shipping. By Oct 23, 1992, the percentage of licensed goods dropped to mere 2.5 percent of total exports. Among the equipment shipped under G-DEST authority were toxins (medical research or bioterror), microorganisms, turbojet engines, vacuum pumps, centrifuges, machine tools, gas separation equipment, large hydraulic presses for metal formation, gas chromatagraphs, and mass spectrometers; also, a series of high-powered computers, worth close to $1 million each. The commerce department classified these items as "Low-level equipment". Lantos name more than 230 companies that were selling technology and equipment to Iran.

Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran
1. Iran has Uranium enrichment centrifuges and used to convert uranium into fuel for nuclear weapons.

2. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has used Germany made tunneling equipment to bore into a mountain creating six tunnels. Two underground chambers house 15 nuclear warheads. The tunnels are disguised with a rock door. Two tunnels house Shahab-3 missiles that can be driven outside and launched in 25 minutes; likewise, the missiles can be moving the missile quickly back into the protective cover of the mountain, in the case of a counterstrike.

3. Harden underground near Isafahan is though to be a location where uranium hexafluoride is produced as a nuclear weapon fuel.

4. Weaponized labs near Parchin produce HMX, a non-nuclear lens that triggers a nuclear bomb.

5. UN IAEA turned a blind eye to Pakistan nuclear mastermind Dr. Abdel Qader Khan, who in 1986 signed a nuclear consulting agreement with Iranian leadership. Dr. Khan facilitated black market supply chains for the last 18 years, the inventories are bear, and it is believed that Iran possesses enough fissile material to produce 20 to 25 nuclear weapons.

6. Iranian officials were involved in 911 and collaborated with Al Qadea: provided passports, safe haven, intelligence assistence, secure communications, training in explosives and airline hijacking. Murder is one tool the ruling clerics used to disrupt opposition "Velayat-e faghih".

7. July 26,2001 Hamid Reza Zakeri defected and disclosed a the 911 plot to CIA operatives. In Zakeri's, 5 page letter, he describes "impending terrorist attack", however, the CIA thought Zakeri was lying. Zakeri sketched out the organization chart for the Iranian Shadow Intelligence Organization and revealed that Ali Akhar Nateq-Nouri was the top man and Mustafa Hadadian reported to him, Zakeri's boss. The 911 attack was to happen on the 20th of Shahrivar and strike: the World Trade Center, the Whitehouse, the Pentagon, and Camp David.

Countdown to confrontation:
1. Apr 12, 1996, Hussein Mohammad Mikdad, a Lebanese Shiite was instructed by Iranian handlers to hand carry a bomb onto an El Al flight in Tel Aviv.

2. Iran financial funds Hamas groups to disrupt security stability in Israel

3. Homayoun Maghadam, a member of the Iranian People's Party, describes an elaborate RAAD plan.

4. June 10, 1996 Homayoun says the Republican Guard Police and Iranian Defense plan to hijack a U.S civilian airline using Lebanese surrogates. The CIA can not use the information because it is not a specific airline threat lacking a date and location. The information can not be communicated to the airlines. The airlines do not want generalized threats because of the negative impact to their business.

5. June 20, 1996, CIA meets with Homayoun but can't confirm his "Elvis" source.

6. June 24, The Defense Intelligence Agency Middle East is told a plan is unfolding in Saudi and two days later, the Khobar Towers are bombed.

7. July 11, Homayoun reports that "attack on US civilian airliner is imminent".

8. July 17, The TWA flight 800 explodes, 20 minutes in the air, and 230 people die. The bomb is thought to be a double device: standard chronometer that delays activation and barometric that triggers the bomb at a certain pressure.

9. Apr 1997, Iran's Shahid Hemat Industrial Group test fires a R-214 rocket engine; the R-214 was a component of a Russian Intermediate rage nuclear missile from an SS-4, a mille that supposedly was destroyed under the 1987 INF treaty.

10. 1994, Iran turned to Russia after the failed test of the No-Dong/Zelzal 3 mille developed by North Korea.

11. Iran claims development and production of a new missile called the Shahib-3. The Shahib-3 gives Iran the capability to launch an unconventional warhead on Israel. Russia is becoming more active in Iran's nuclear missile program and Iran benefits from Russian advisors and shipment of missile components.

12. Russian missile cooperation has been accelerated by Vevgeny Primakov, the foreign minister in power, in 1996. Primakov believes Russia stands to gain from a stronger Iran as a counter against US influence in the Persian Gulf.

13. Yuri Koptev, a member of the Russian Space Agency is also involved in the transformation of Iran.

14. Russian Federation Security Doctrine states, "the main external force potential capable of creating a threat to Russian Federation military security and to Russian economic and political interest" is the US: conventional Forces in Europe and encroachment in the oil-rich Caspean sea.

15. July 21, 1998, The Shahib-3 prototype flew 620 miles Southeast from Shahroud toward the Persian Gulf and consuming 100 seconds of fuel burnt then is exploded midair. The Shahib-3 has a range of 800 miles and could read targets as far away as Tel Aviv and possibly Cairo.

16. Aug 31, 1998, North Korea test fires a multi stage missile called the Taepo Dong and the missile travels over 1,000 miles and overshoots Japan.

China:
1. July 7, 1991, Li Peng had a 3-day stop over in Iran with the purpose of determining if Iran would pay for Chinese weapons. The culmination of the trip, the two leaders signed $5 billion agreement for military, industrial, and economic packages. Li told the press that China would provide the expertise and technology to complete the Iranian Busheir reactor. China would help Iran build the manufacturing process that would allow Iran to nuclear components for their reactor. China backed off building the 27 megawatt heavy-water reactor under threats they would lose most favored nation status, if the deal went through.
2. China provided Pakistan assistance with its weapons program. China was heavily invested in Pakistan nuclear infrastructure, in some sensitive areas it was easier for China to operate through Pakistan than deal directly with Iran. Iran and Pakistan ancestral hatred was a concern between the two communities; Rafsanjani acknowledge strong ties to fellow Shiites in Pakistan but the commitment only extend through charitable foundations, not meddling in the domestic affairs; Iran was committed to developing strategic cooperation with Pakistan, and was pleased to have China's blessing in this endeavor. Pakistan was producing new weapons with Chinese help in Islamabad and Lahore and eventually Pakistan and Iran concluded a defense treaty. China gave Pakistan bomb designs, equipment, and technical assistance. Pakistan turns around and sells it to Iran.

EPCI
1. 1990, Bush passed the Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative to prevent military technologies from reaching Iran. Under EPCI, U.S. exporters were required to obtain a license to export any goods-even a pencil or screwdriver-to foreign entities or projects of proliferation concern. The regulation called on Commerce to develop a black list of such projects and make it available to exporters. The Commerce never published a blacklist, for fear that identifying projects and entities of concern would jeopardize U.S intelligence sources and methods. New trade restrictions signed into law by President Bush in 1992 prohibited high-technology sales to Iran altogether. Despite this US exports to Iran increased in the ensuing month under G-DEST authority of the commerce department. In 1992, 60 of the $750 million worth of US goods and equipment shipped to Iran were subject to Commerce Department shipping. By Oct 23, 1992, the percentage of licensed goods dropped to mere 2.5 percent of total exports. Among the equipment shipped under G-DEST authority were toxins (medical research or bioterror), microorganisms, turbojet engines, vacuum pumps, centrifuges, machine tools, gas separation equipment, large hydraulic presses for metal formation, gas chromatagraphs, and mass spectrometers; also, a series of high-powered computers, worth close to $1 million each. The commerce department classified these items as "Low-level equipment". Lantos name more than 230 companies that were selling technology and equipment to Iran.

Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran
1. Iran has Uranium enrichment centrifuges and used to convert uranium into fuel for nuclear weapons.

2. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has used Germany made tunneling equipment to bore into a mountain creating six tunnels. Two underground chambers house 15 nuclear warheads. The tunnels are disguised with a rock door. Two tunnels house Shahab-3 missiles that can be driven outside and launched in 25 minutes; likewise, the missiles can be moving the missile quickly back into the protective cover of the mountain, in the case of a counterstrike.

3. Harden underground near Isafahan is though to be a location where uranium hexafluoride is produced as a nuclear weapon fuel.

4. Weaponized labs near Parchin produce HMX, a non-nuclear lens that triggers a nuclear bomb.

5. UN IAEA turned a blind eye to Pakistan nuclear mastermind Dr. Abdel Qader Khan, who in 1986 signed a nuclear consulting agreement with Iranian leadership. Dr. Khan facilitated black market supply chains for the last 18 years, the inventories are bear, and it is believed that Iran possesses enough fissile material to produce 20 to 25 nuclear weapons.

6. Iranian officials were involved in 911 and collaborated with Al Qadea: provided passports, safe haven, intelligence assistence, secure communications, training in explosives and airline hijacking. Murder is one tool the ruling clerics used to disrupt opposition "Velayat-e faghih".

7. July 26,2001 Hamid Reza Zakeri defected and disclosed a the 911 plot to CIA operatives. In Zakeri's, 5 page letter, he describes "impending terrorist attack", however, the CIA thought Zakeri was lying. Zakeri sketched out the organization chart for the Iranian Shadow Intelligence Organization and revealed that Ali Akhar Nateq-Nouri was the top man and Mustafa Hadadian reported to him, Zakeri's boss. The 911 attack was to happen on the 20th of Shahrivar and strike: the World Trade Center, the Whitehouse, the Pentagon, and Camp David.

Countdown to confrontation:
1. Apr 12, 1996, Hussein Mohammad Mikdad, a Lebanese Shiite was instructed by Iranian handlers to hand carry a bomb onto an El Al flight in Tel Aviv.

2. Iran financial funds Hamas groups to disrupt security stability in Israel

3. Homayoun Maghadam, a member of the Iranian People's Party, describes an elaborate RAAD plan.

4. June 10, 1996 Homayoun says the Republican Guard Police and Iranian Defense plan to hijack a U.S civilian airline using Lebanese surrogates. The CIA can not use the information because it is not a specific airline threat lacking a date and location. The information can not be communicated to the airlines. The airlines do not want generalized threats because of the negative impact to their business.

5. June 20, 1996, CIA meets with Homayoun but can't confirm his "Elvis" source.

6. June 24, The Defense Intelligence Agency Middle East is told a plan is unfolding in Saudi and two days later, the Khobar Towers are bombed.

7. July 11, Homayoun reports that "attack on US civilian airliner is imminent".

8. July 17, The TWA flight 800 explodes, 20 minutes in the air, and 230 people die. The bomb is thought to be a double device: standard chronometer that delays activation and barometric that triggers the bomb at a certain pressure.

9. Apr 1997, Iran's Shahid Hemat Industrial Group test fires a R-214 rocket engine; the R-214 was a component of a Russian Intermediate rage nuclear missile from an SS-4, a mille that supposedly was destroyed under the 1987 INF treaty.

10. 1994, Iran turned to Russia after the failed test of the No-Dong/Zelzal 3 mille developed by North Korea.

11. Iran claims development and production of a new missile called the Shahib-3. The Shahib-3 gives Iran the capability to launch an unconventional warhead on Israel. Russia is becoming more active in Iran's nuclear missile program and Iran benefits from Russian advisors and shipment of missile components.

12. Russian missile cooperation has been accelerated by Vevgeny Primakov, the foreign minister in power, in 1996. Primakov believes Russia stands to gain from a stronger Iran as a counter against US influence in the Persian Gulf.

13. Yuri Koptev, a member of the Russian Space Agency is also involved in the transformation of Iran.

14. Russian Federation Security Doctrine states, "the main external force potential capable of creating a threat to Russian Federation military security and to Russian economic and political interest" is the US: conventional Forces in Europe and encroachment in the oil-rich Caspean sea.

15. July 21, 1998, The Shahib-3 prototype flew 620 miles Southeast from Shahroud toward the Persian Gulf and consuming 100 seconds of fuel burnt then is exploded midair. The Shahib-3 has a range of 800 miles and could read targets as far away as Tel Aviv and possibly Cairo.

16. Aug 31, 1998, North Korea test fires a multi stage missile called the Taepo Dong and the missile travels over 1,000 miles and overshoots Japan.

Kenneth Timmerman's 'Countdown to Crisis' was interesting for what it is. He outlines Iran's quest for nuclear weapons and how they have put their clandestine program together. He also draws attention to al-Qaeda's relationship to Iran. He weaves in horrific stories of Iran's hand in terrorism inside and outside of Iran for further effect.

Considering Iran practically admits it desires nuclear weapons this book seems more like history than an expose. Much of his intelligence regarding al-Qaeda is from an Iranian defector named Zakeri who the CIA and others believe is not reliable. Timmerman also seems to elude that the CIA has an interest in sheltering Iran which is difficult to comprehend.

Even though it appears that Timmerman is familiar with all sides of the Iranian resistance, it seems he does not understand Iran well. There are a fair amount of 'cheap shots' and sarcasm throughout the book which make it seem more like an editorial than anything scholarly. Timmerman comes across as an idealogue and almost xenophobic, although he is apparently well traveled.

Timmerman assumes that the Iranian government needs to be changed but does not lay out the case for that opinion. In the last chapter he suggests some ways that could be done which are far from complete. He does not care for Reza Pahlavi or the Mujahedin-e Khalk, but suggests that we support pro-democracy groups inside Iran clandestinely. It may be a good idea... if reliable, legitimate ones existed. He also paints a picture of a sea launched nuclear weapon near the East Coast which came across as nothing more than a scare tactic for a knock out punch.

After reading this book you will know that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons and that they may have had a working relationship with al-Qaeda- if Timmerman's sources are to be trusted. You will not understand the internal politics of Iran or the nature or history of the United State's relationship with Iran. A much better and comprehensive book in my opinion is 'The Persian Puzzle' by Kenneth Pollack.

is nothing but left-wing diatribe. It reads like it was written by the most rabid anti-American in the insane Hollywood left-wing camp.

Anyone who says we don't have this threat, when even the leaders of Iran say they will nuke Israel, is too stupid to argue with, so I won't. Don't any of these people pay any attention to what has gone on in the Middle East for centuries?

Patrick Clawson said well, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have uncovered one hidden Iranian nuclear program after another during the last two and a half years. Tehran has now acknowledged having concealed (for eighteen years) a wide range of nuclear activities. Some of them have few peaceful applications but are directly useful for nuclear weapons. This surprising nuclear progress fits a context, for the Iranian regime has also tested long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and its Supreme Leader has proclaimed that Israel is a cancer that should be excised by being wiped off the map.

Iran's nuclear program has attracted much attention from governments and from authors intent on highlighting the Iranian threat. Some books are scaremongering, ill-informed, or both; in contrast, the Timmerman and Venter (Iran's Nuclear Option: Tehran's Quest for the Atom Bomb) books are solid accounts (as the forthcoming Iran's Strategic Weapons Programmes: A Net Assessment from London's International Institute of Strategic Studies also promises to be).

Timmerman writes in a chatty style with much color about the various players, structuring his account around the interaction among the actors. Learning, for example, that German foreign minister Joschka Fischer is married to the daughter of an Iranian dissident illuminates the dynamics of policymaking. Timmerman's account is also extraordinarily well-informed, reflecting his years of association with the policy circles he describes. Unfortunately, he undermines his credibility by accepting too readily the accounts of some Iranian exiles, especially the defector Hamid Reza Zakeri, who tell hair-raising stories about Iranian hidden capabilities. Timmerman is correct that U.S. intelligence agencies have a bias against defectors, preferring assets they themselves cultivated, but Zakeri's accounts are at times suspiciously convenient. That said, Timmerman's Countdown is the book to read for an engaging peak behind the curtain.

Venter's Nuclear Option is the place to turn for technical details and footnoted references. It offers the most systematic exposition to date about Iran's nuclear program and its role in world affairs. After a solid introduction to the history and political culture of the Islamic Republic, with a solid exposition about Iran's support for terrorism, especially by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Venter carefully walks the reader through Iran's nuclear and missile programs. Along the way, he incorporates essays by leading experts from the Institute for Science and International Security (David Albright and Corey Hinderstein) and the Federation of American Scientists (Charles Vick). As might be expected from a South African author, Venter highlights the parallels between South Africa's successfully concealed nuclear program and what is known about Iran's efforts. Some of the most technical information is in appendices; nevertheless, his account does make for heavy reading.

Kenneth Timmerman's *Countdown to Crisis* is a blatant work of propaganda.

*Countdown to Crisis* is a poorly documented, incoherent, and all but unreadable collage of Woodwardesque snippets that rely on two-dimensional caricature, innuendo delivered in a knowing tone, breathless communication of undocumented and, one often suspects, invented rumors, and incoherent assemblages of factoids, all based on a Manichaean view of Iran as evil, the United States as good, and other world powers as cynical or decadently inert.

In many cases Timmerman's disingenuousness is transparent. Despite the impression one gets from the reviews and endorsements that appear on this website, Timmerman's claims have in fact been endorsed only by right-wing propaganda organs like the *Washington Times* and the web pages FrontPage and NewsMax. The enthusiastic reception of this book shows signs of being the work of propagandists as well.

Juan Cole exaggerated somewhat when he wrote (Informed Comment, Apr. 1, 2006): "Timmerman is taken seriously by the White House, Congress, and the U.S. press," but was right in the rest of his remarks: "[B]ut in fact [Timmerman] has no credibility as an Iran expert (at Informed Comment we like our Iran experts to know Persian, the way you'd expect an expert on France to know French; we're funny that way). Even the usually canny Jon Stewart gave Timmerman a respectful hearing. -- French philosopher Michel Foucault defined `representation' as a process whereby a culture creates a stereotype of something and then substitutes the stereotype for the reality forever after. Once a `representation' is established, the reality can never challenge it, since any further information is filtered through the representation. The `representation' of Iran as a nuclear power, when it just has a couple hundred centrifuges (you need thousands) and is not proven even to have a weapons program, is becoming powerful and unchallengeable in the U.S. media."

This book is very important to read. The situation with Iran will come to a head in 2006. Don't be spouting partisan propaganda (both Right and Left), get a hold of the facts.

It is very serious. We are talking about nuclear weapons in the hands of religious extremists. That is unacceptable.

Kenneth Timmerman, an author known for his right leaning books and connections to the neo-conservative right wing truley surprised me with this book. After the "election" of a new radical President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard) in Tehran and the restarting of Iranian efforts to become a nuclear power, this book becomes much more relevant.

Timmerman outlines how the Islamic Republic of Iran has been openly and secretly skirting IAEA, International groups, American and European efforts to create an atomic bomb and aquire advanced weapons. Timmerman also shows how Iran and al-Qaeda are working hand in hand against their "Western infedel" enemies.

The author utilizes his numerous connections to government intelligence figures and most spectacularly a high ranking Iranian official. He paints an excedingly scarier picture of what the Iranian regime will be capable of in the comming years.

The exploration in the arms dealing connection with a fellow "Axis of Evil" member North Korea was incredibly intriguing and scary. At some point Iran may have a very advanced ICBM. I think one of the most interesting portions of the book was how the author connects al-Qaeda to the Iranian regime, he shows through documents from his informant Mr. Motamer that "Bin Laden is one of the very few people who can pick up the phone and talk directly with Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, in Tehran." (pg.174) In addition he describes Iran's external operations against the United States, Israel, and the West.

Quite possibly the most unnerving portion of the book had nothing to do with Iran having "the bomb" or conducting terrorist operations against Americans. It was that American leaders have tried to cover up the facts and have had numerous major intelligence lapses that have only increased Iranian resolve to attack us.

The current quagmire in Iraq is only exsaserbated by Iranian influence. With new tactics in terrorism and newly aquired super weapons, one must wonder why the US didn't pass over Iraq and strike at Iran. Because our armed forces are spread thinly across the world one wonders what can we do to resist increasing Iranian power.

Timmerman begins by relating how Hamid Zakeri (an Iranian intelligence agent) came to the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan on 7/26/01 with information about a planned big U.S. attack on 9/10/01. Zakeri had provided security for bin Laden's son, seen photos of the World Trade Center, White House, CIA headquarters, and the Pentagon on a wall in Iran's intelligence headquarters that was used to identify current targets, and also stated that six people trained as pilots had just left Iran as part of the plot. The Germans saw Zakeri as credible; the American CIA did not.

While only a 9/11 contributor, Iran was directly responsible for the '83 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut. Again, warning was provided - this time through a message intercepted 4 months prior. Unfortunately, it was not passed on until two days after the bombing. Navy Secretary Lehman is reported to have had no doubts as to Iranian and Syrian responsibility; Defense Secretary Weinberger, however, did and therefore pulled the plug on planned retaliation. This U.S. failure to respond, combined with our withdrawal was seen as weakness, per Osama bin Laden.

The hijacking of TWA flight 847 in 1985 and the U.S. Embassy bombing in 1983 are also attributed to Iran - according to Timmerman. Thus, Iran has credibly established itself as a serious source of terrorism.

In 1986 Iran then began an effort to develop atomic weapons, consulting and contracting with Pakistan's Khan - father of the "Islamic bomb." Following his advice, Iran also undertook mining uranium for enrichment with Khan-designed centrifuges - the beauty of this approach was that it avoided utilizing uranium that the IAEA knew Iran already had, and thus would avoid scrutiny.

Delivery systems came next. In 1988 China began helping Iran develop missiles, and North Korea then assisted with making longer-range versions.

Bomb-Making 101: Natural uranium is 0.7% fissionable U-235 - the rest is relatively benign U-238. Enriched to 4% U-235 it can be used to generate power; at 90% it is bomb material. Uranium hexafluoride (yellow-cake natural uranium with flouride added) spun at 60,000 rpm centrifuges can be enriched. An industrial-sized facility (bomb-making) requires about 50,000. Each is perched atop a tiny bearing that requires electrono-beam welding. Plastics explosives pumps are also required to move the powerful C4 etc. materials used to set off an A-bomb (and for powerful conventional explosives manufacture). Construction also requires vacuum melting furnaces to shape molten radioactive material into weapon cores. All these materials, except the locally mined uranium, have been acquired by Iran from other nations - eg. Germany, Pakistan, etc.

Bottom Line: Iran's "nuclear threat" is much more credible than Iraq's was. They have been deceiving the world for about 20 years in this regard, while also pursuing missile technology. Its facilities are dispersed and hardened against air attach. A showdown seems highly

After Iraq, imperialist hawks are looking for another war. Obviously, the next target also needs to be a oil-rich country in the middle east. Which country other than Iran could be the best target for this purpose? But it needs some groundwork and this book is nothing but an attempt to lay that groundwork. Iran's alleged 9/11 connection (as claimed by the author in the book) is not only ridiculous, but laughable. George Bush also made similar allegations about Iraq as a groundwork for invasion.

The Bush administration together with Israel is planning to conduct nuclear terrorism on Iran. There are plenty of reports that the Bush administration is planning to use "low yield" nuclear weapons in its forthcoming war with Iran. What a shameful bankruptcy of policy! Nuking others to prevent them from acquiring nukes is ultimate hypocrisy and nuclear terrorism. The dogs of war are loose again. Another U.S. military adventurism in the Middle East could have devastating consequences for the whole world. Peace loving people throughout the world need to raise their voices in unmasking the ugly faces of the warmongers.

Countdown To Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown With Iran by investigative reporter and Middle East expert Ken Timmerman documents how the American intelligence community's arrogance, incompetence, and willful blindness have repeatedly kept us from dealing effectively or successfully with the Iranian nuclear threat. Countdown To Crisis reveals that the Iranian mullahs could already have enough nuclear material for 20 to 25 bombs; secret locations where Iran had been sheltering Osma bin Laden and Al-Qaeda forces who are collaborating with the Iranians to plain attacks against American and our allies; Iran's involvement in the 9/11 plot (including documents the CIA tried to withhold from the 9/11 Commission); an insider's account of how top Iranian leaders negotiated directly with North Korea's "Supreme Leader" to secure nuclear weapons assistance, and so much more. Every allegation is founded in documentation, every revelation is backed by evidence. Countdown To Crisis needs the widest possible readership it can achieve in order to end the political mismanagement that has so characterized the Bush administration's handling (and chronic mishandling) of the Iranian nuclear threat, the Iranian participation in global terrorism, and the brutality of the Iranian mullahs.

Timmerman's "Countdown to Crisis" was certainly a sobering book. Perhaps getting rid of Saddam was not such a good idea. He could have acted as a buffer against the growing threat from Iran. Our intelligence agencies have goofed repeatedly and a citizen wonders just how good our information is today. How discouraging to read of President Clinton's lack of concern of the ever increasing threat to our Western civilization. His presidency rates down there with Jimmy Carter.

Mr. Timmerman provides a real service with his book, because he reinforces his views with hard facts, not conjecture. Its a real wake-up call for America and I would recommend his writing to every serious minded fellow Citizen.

This book is very informative and concerning. The author does a great job detailing and documenting all of his claims. It's a must read!

For all who are interested in the extremist Islamic plot to bring down the Great Satan (United States & Isreal). Detailed reporting by the author with authoratitive interviews revealing the background support and activities of terrorist groups active in all over the world. Their tools for Jihad are murder, it's that simple. They murder each other and have plans for murdering American Citizens. WMD is their fixated goal. Read this book and laugh in the face of American Media, you will have the knowledge that will expose them and you will know the truth the media does not want you to know.

I found this work very compelling and extremely well documented. The reviewer below that gave it a one start rating for having a "neo con" bias obviously read it predisposed negatively. Iran's been attacking the US for decades. It would be out of character if they weren't planning something more devastating than bombing Marine or Air Force housing. Just today the Europeans, on a fool's errand, finally broke off talks with Iran. Current events may render this book obsolete within a few months. Read it fast.