Iran

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has been the champion of the Shi'ite branch of Islam. Now their leadership harbors a deep hatred for the United States, whom they call "The Great Satan," and Israel, "The Little Satan."

Even though they have immense supplies of oil, they have claimed to need nuclear power as well. It is now admitted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, that their goal is the development of nuclear weapons. At the beginning of 2012 experts believe that it will take only a year or less for them to become a deadly threat to Israel, the Middle East, and United States.

Iran figures prominently in Bible prophecy because they are the direct descendants of the Persians, who are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 as key allies of Magog, a powerful nation in the North that many prophecy scholars have tentatively identified as Russia. Together with other nations, these allies will engage Israel in a future war against Israel. See The War of Gog and Magog.

Key Scriptures
Current Events
Links
Insight from 2012: The Year the World Didn't End
Insight From 2011 In Review: The Year In Prophecy
Insight from 2010 In Review - The Year In Prophecy
Insight from 2009 In Review - The Year In Prophecy
Insight from 2008 In Review - The Year In Prophecy
Excerpt from Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy





Key Scriptures

Click on one of these
references to see
the passage.
Thanks to the services of:

<I>Bible Gateway</I> And

<I>Blue Letter Bible</I>

Go To Bible GatewayGo To Blue Letter Bible
NIV & Other VersionsIncludes Commentary
Ezekiel 38 Further Study
Ezekiel 39 Further Study
Revelation 6:3-4 Further Study

Return to Top


Current Events

Prophetic Significance of Iran

See also:
War of Gog and Magog
Middle East Conflict
The New Cold War
Russia

Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.

Names translated from other languages may have different spelling, depending on the source.


See more recent articles: After November 1, 2013


As Iran nears nuclear capability, the West needs to prepare

Oct. 27, 2013 - David Albright, head of The Institution for Science and International Security (ISIS), warns that Iran could finalize production of nuclear weapons in four to six weeks after deciding to do so.
Albright’s forecasts are usually harsher than those of similar research institutions or those made by Western intelligence agencies. The Obama administration believes that it will take Iran a year to produce a nuclear warhead.
It is believed that the final production of warheads would be carried out at several sites that are unknown to the international community, and that it is unlikely that this final step would be discovered.

Meanwhile, discussions with Iran should resume in a few days. Saudi Arabia is critical of U.S. leniency toward Iran, and concerned that Americans will abandon Saudi interests in the final arrangements.

Source: Haaretz
Israel issues warning to Iran over nuclear bomb report - Fox
Israel capable of setting back Iran’s nuclear program, ex-air force chief indicates - Times of Israel
Israel to US: Pass more sanctions, Iran could have material for bomb within weeks - Jerusalem Post
Iran Announces 34 New Nuke Sites - The Washington Free Beacon
If Iran Can Get This Reactor Online, Israel May Not Be Able to Bomb It - About their plans for a Plutonium reactor - Yahoo

Prophetic Significance of Iran


New report says Iran can have nuclear bomb in a month

Oct. 24, 2013 - The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)in Washington D.C., a nuclear non-proliferation think tank, issued a report warning that Iran could be only about one month away from the ability to have a nuclear weapon. They say this is because of the installation of new centrifuges in the Fordo and Natanz plants, and advanced IR-2machines at Natanz.
Source: Times of Israel
Kissinger Predicts Nuclear War with Iran - Jewish Press
Video- Kissinger at Wall Street Journal conference - YouTube



Obama tells Tehran to come back with a better proposal

Oct. 22, 2013 -
Washington has quietly told Tehran through their regular backdoor lines that the “proposals” put to last week’s Geneva conference were too meager for further nuclear diplomacy. “Go back and start from scratch,” was the message.
Source: DEBKAfile
Israel’s UN envoy warns against easing Iran sanctions - Seventeen nations peacefully produce nuclear energy without the uranium enrichment demanded by Tehran, Prosor notes - Times of Israel

Netanyahu: Iran has systematically misled the int'l community, continue the pressure

Oct. 20, 2013 - There have been conflicting and unofficial reports from secret talks that just concluded in Geneva between representatives of Iran and six world leaders. Additional talks are scheduled to begin in about a month. According to some of the reports, the U.S. wants Iran to discontinue the production of weapons-grade uranium and remove its existing stockpile from the country. Iran reportedly would be willing to compromise by removing some its enriched uranium and converting the rest for nuclear power.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned the international community to keep exerting pressure on Iran.

"We must remember that the Iranian regime has systematically misled the international community. . . If the pressure on Iran increases, the likelihood that Iran will dismantle its nuclear arms program will also increase."

Source: Jerusalem Post

Report: Turkey blows cover of Israeli spy network in Iran

Oct. 17, 2013 - A Washington Post column by David Ignatius says that Turkey revealed the identity of up to ten Iranians who were spying for Israel.
Ankara's decision to expose the alleged Mossad informants came early last year as Turkish-Israeli relations continued to deteriorate following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.
The affair ended a 50-year working relationship between Israel's Mossad and Turkey.
Source: Jerusalem Post

US said weighing deal to let Iran continue enriching uranium

Oct. 15, 2013 - Six world powers, known as the P5+1, are meeting in Geneva to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program. The Iranians are demanding the right to continue enriching uranium, but Israel and the Gulf states do not want Iran to continue that process. President Obama has not made his position clear, but he has recognized their right to nuclear energy.
Leading US senators demand Iran end all uranium enrichment. In a letter to Obama Monday, six Democrats and four Republicans supported this week’s negotiations, while insisting Iran shouldn’t be allowed to continue enriching uranium inside Iran.
Source: Times of Israel
Iran offers concessions in Geneva talks, hints it will allow 'snap' visits to nuclear sites - Jerusalem Post
Israel: Terror sponsor Iran has no right to enrich uranium - Israel Hayom
Bush to Jewish leaders: I don’t trust Iran on Israel - Times of Israel

WSJ report: Iran to offer to halt 20% enrichment, close Qom

Oct. 9, 2013 - Iranian officials say that their country will offer to stop enriching uranium to the 20% level of purity and allow international inspections of their nuclear facilities. They may also offer to close the underground uranium-enrichment facility near Qom, but Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz called the reported proposals a "joke."
"Closing the Qom facility means Iran will be able to produce five instead of six nuclear bombs in the first year, and giving up enrichment at 20% is less meaningful now that Iran has 20,000 centrifuges," Steinitz said.
He said that Israel would agree to a realistic solution - that Iran could continue producing nuclear power, but would have to purchase the nuclear fuel for their reactor from other countries.
Source: Jerusalem Post
'Iran plays brilliant chess game, West will fold' - YNet News

Iran’s cyber chief killed in ‘internal dispute,’ Israel speculates

Oct. 3, 2013 - The head of Iran's Cyber War Headquarters, Mojtaba Ahmadi, was recently found dead northwest of Tehran. He had been shot in the heart at close range. A representative of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said he had died in a “horrific incident,” but he ruled out assassination.
The Iranian government has accused Israel of several recent assassinations, including that of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan and four other nuclear scientists, and the head of the country’s ballistic missiles program.
Source: Times of Israel
Update Oct. 9, 2013 - Internal plot, not Israel, eyed in latest hit on Iranian scientist - Fox

Iran: Netanyahu should not even think about attack

Oct. 2, 2013 - Khodadad Seifi, Iran's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, characterized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's message to the U.N. General Assembly as inflammatory "saber rattling."
Netanyahu, in his address said Israel would "stand alone," if it deems diplomacy has reached a dead end, to thwart Tehran from developing a nuclear arsenal.
Seifi said, “the Israeli prime minister had better not even think about attacking Iran."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Netanyahu: Ayatollah Khamenei ‘heads a cult’ - Times of Israel

Netanyahu takes case against Iran from White House to UN

Oct. 1, 2013 - In a meeting with President Obama, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his conviction that Iran needs to completely dismantle its nuclear program. The president and Iran's leader Hassan Rouhani had a 15-minute phone conversation just three days ago. It was the first time that the presidents of the two nations have spoken since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

President Obama said he told Netanyahu, “We have to test diplomacy.” He did promise that he will not take a U.S. military option off the table if Iran does not cooperate.

“Both the prime minister and I agree, since I came into office, that it is imperative that Iran not possess a nuclear weapon. We do not want to trigger a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world.”

Today Netanyahu will speak at the UN General Assembly. He is expected to condense but dramatize his argument.

Source: Jerusalem Post
Israel’s Netanyahu warns Obama not to be fooled by Iran’s overtures - Washington Post
Iran nuclear talks are key topic as Obama, Netanyahu meet - CNN

Analysis: Rouhani drives wedge between Netanyahu, Obama on Iran issue

Sept. 29, 2013 - For the past six months President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have enjoyed an improved relationship, but it may be put to the test now.
A diplomatic charm offensive by new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has suddenly opened up a gap between the White House and Netanyahu's government. How they respond could have far-reaching implications for their political legacies.
President Obama and Iran's Rouhani have just had a historic phone call - the highest-level contact between the two countries in three decades. Netanyahu will undoubtedly want Obama to set specific steps and deadlines so that Iran doesn't just "run out the clock" while it advances toward making a nuclear weapon.

It is assumed that Obama will press Netanyahu for time to test Rouhani's intentions, while trying to reassure Israel he will not ease sanctions prematurely.

Source: Jerusalem Post
Netanyahu flies to US in role as spoil-sport to Iranian Rouhani's 'charm offensive' - Jerusalem Post

‘Iran already has a nuclear bomb,’ Israeli paper claims

Sept. 27, 2013 - Shalom Yerushalmi, a writer for the national daily Maariv, claims that “government security sources up to date on development in Iran,” already possesses at least one nuclear weapon. He theorizes that, if this information is true, it would explain the shift in the behavior of the new Iranian president.
The Iranian leadership can afford to be friendlier, he writes, “because victory has been secured.”
Source: Times of Israel
Obama Speaks to Rouhani, 'Comprehensive' Solution Possible - NewsMax

Echo of the old in new Iran leader’s U.N. speech

Sept. 25, 2013 - In his first address to the United Nations, Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani claimed that Iran has no intention of producing nuclear weapons.
“We expect to hear a consistent voice from Washington,” he said, but also criticized a U.S. threat to use military force if there is no other way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
He declined President Obama's offer for a brief meeting, or handshake, because doing so would be “too complicated” for Rouhani at home.
Source: Washington Post
Such a Nice Madman - New York Daily News
Forget the Handshake. Here Are Iran President Rouhani’s Real Challenges - Time
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani appears to acknowledge Holocaust as Jewish leaders decline meeting - New York Daily News
Analysis of Rouhani’s UN speech. Plus, why did Iranian leader snub meeting with Obama? And Netanyahu warns U.S. not to fall into Iran’s “honey trap.” - Joel Rosenberg

Netanyahu to compare Iran with North Korea in UN speech

Sept. 24, 2013 - An Israeli official says that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will use his upcoming speech at the U.N. to warn the world not to be fooled by Iran’s new conciliatory attitude toward its nuclear weapons program. He is expected to say, “Iran must not be allowed to repeat North Korea’s ploy to get nuclear weapons.”
By 2007 North Korea had become a nuclear power after engaging in diplomatic negotiations with the West aimed at preventing it from developing such weapons.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Iran nuclear issue and Syria to dominate UN assembly - US President Barack Obama is expected to signal a new openness towards Iran in an address to the assembly. - BBC
Iran set for U.N. charm offensive - Iran's President Hasan Rouhani will address the United Nations for the first time Tuesday - USA Today
Rouhani promises nuclear ‘transparency’ in UN address, but insists on right to enrich uranium - Times of Israel

Iran's Rouhani dismisses nuclear weapons fears

Sept. 19, 2013 - Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani has said, "We have never sought or pursued a nuclear bomb and we are not going to do so." He was in agreement with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had just told his country's Revolutionary Guards that he was in favor of using diplomacy to improve the situation.
Source: BBC
EXCLUSIVE: Iran president blames Israel for 'instability,' calls for peaceIran parades 30 2,000 km range missiles - Yahoo

Netanyahu to meet Obama, urge more pressure on Iran

Sept. 17, 2013 - Later this month Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in the U.S. to speak at the United Nations General Assembly. He told his cabinet that he plans to meet first with President Obama to urge a real stop to Iran's nuclear program.
The prime minister presented four criteria for doing so: ”1. Halting all uranium enrichment; 2. Removing all enriched uranium; 3. Closing Qom; and 4. stopping the plutonium track.”
He is evidently raising this issue because of news that the US might be willing to lift or reduce some sanctions on Iran in return for diplomatic progress.
Source: Times of Israel
Iran confirms Rouhani and Obama letter exchange - Jerusalem Post

Obama-Putin deal didn’t stop at chemical Syria: US eases sanctions on nuclear Iran

Sept. 14, 2013 - In quiet discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Obama, easing of sanctions with Iran was also considered.
The Russian leader appears to have assured Obama that an agreed formula for defusing the Syrian chemical weapons issue without military force would provide the key to progress in nuclear talks with Iran.
Source: DEBKAfile
An Israeli Strike on Iran Just Got More Likely - New Republic

Russia to supply S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran

Sept. 11, 2013 - The Russian newspaper Kommersant reports that Russia's president Vladimir Putin has approved the sale of S-300 aircraft missiles to Iran.
The Russian-manufactured anti-aircraft batteries have been a source of concern to Israeli officials who fear that their enemies’ possession of them could have adverse strategic consequences.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Iran installs 1,000 advanced new uranium enrichment centrifuges

Aug. 29, 2013 - A United Nations nuclear report indicates that Iran has installed about 1,000 new advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. The West fears these centrifuges will yield nuclear bomb material.
On the other hand, Iran's most sensitive nuclear stockpile has grown little – remaining below its arch-enemy Israel's stated "red line" that could provoke military action – since the previous IAEA report in May.
Source: Telegraph - UK

Russia and Iran Warn Against Intervention in Syria

Aug. 28, 2013 - Russian President Vladimir Putin called British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday to try to convince him that the Syrian government did not use chemical weapons against its own citizens.
Alexander Lukashevich warned in a statement the same day that military intervention in Syria without a U.N. Security Council resolution would have “catastrophic consequences.”
Meanwhile, Iran's Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told U.N. officials, “The use of military means [against Syria] will have serious consequences not only for Syria but for the entire region,”
Source: TIME

Minister: Iran Nuclear Program Could be Destroyed in 'Hours'

Aug. 10, 2013 - Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz, told the Washington Post that international powers need to convince Iran that it really only has two options: They must end its nuclear program voluntarily, or it will be destroyed with brute force in just a few hours.
He was not overly concerned with the possibility that Iran could fire missiles on Israel in response to an international attack on its facilities. Such an attack would cause “very limited damage,” he said, explaining that Israel would be able to intercept most of the missiles.
Source:Israel National News

Former MI chief Yadlin cautions over Iran's plutonium program

Aug. 9, 2013 - According to former Israeli Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin, Western negotiators tend to ignore the reality that Iran's uranium enrichment is only one of three aspects to their nuclear strategy. He wrote,
"A second dimension is Iran’s progress toward a quick 'breakout capability' through the stockpiling of large quantities of low-enriched uranium that could be further enriched rapidly to provide weapons-grade fuel."
The third option for Iran would be the production of plutonium. This path would allow Iran to build nuclear devices without detection. The heavy-water reactor they are building in Arak could become operational next year, enabling them to produce plutonium-fueled weapons.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Report: Iran has built new missile launching site

Aug. 8, 2013 - A photo of a newly discovered missile launching site in Iran was released by IHS Jane’s Military and Security Assessments Intelligence Centre. Iranian officials say the site is for launching satellites, but it is more likely intended to test ballistic missiles.
Analysts at the Centre said the unfinished site has no storage for the liquid rocket fuel used in Iran’s domestic satellite program, suggesting it is built for ballistic missiles using solid fuel.
Source: Times of Israel

Goodbye, Ahmadinejad: Rouhani takes over as Iran's president

Aug. 4, 2013 - Hassan Rouhani assumed the office of President of Iran today. He won elections in June, portraying himself as more moderate than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He vowed to improve Iran's standing with the outside world by addressing sanctions related to their nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that the president of Iran may have changed. . .

"But the goal of the regime has not been replaced. Iran's intention is to develop a nuclear capacity and nuclear weapons in order to destroy the State of Israel."

Source: CNN
Iran’s New President Calls for Nuclear Talks Without Rejecting Direct U.S. Role - New York Times
Don't view Iran's president with rose-colored glasses - UPI
Rouhani’s son: “I hate your [Iranian] government, your lies, your corruption.” - Joel Rosenberg Blog
PM: Iran has set 7,000 new centrifuges spinning since presidential election - Jerusalem Post

John Bolton: Israel should have attacked Iran 'yesterday'

July 16, 2013 - John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute said, “Israel should have attacked Iran yesterday." He added,
“I can understand why Israel wants us to take action, but the longer Israel waits for something that is not going to happen, the greater the danger Israel is in.”
Source: Jerusalem Post

PM to push US for ‘more credible military option’ on Iran

July 13, 2013 - Israel's Prime Benjamin Netanyahu plans to try to convince the U.S. to revive the military option against Iran.
If this proves unsuccessful, Channel 2 reported, Netanyahu will have to decide whether to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by this winter at latest, because after that... Israel’s window for military intervention will close.
Israel's new ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, compared Netanyahu's situation similar to that of two former Israeli leaders, David Ben-Gurion - when he declared Israeli independence in 1948, and Prime Minister Levi Eshkol - when he preempted a concerted Arab attack on Israel by launching the 1967 war.
Source: Times of Israel

Iran dissidents claim new secret nuclear site uncovered

July 11, 2013 - The National Council of Resistance of Iran, a dissident group, has revealed information about what appears to be a newly completed underground nuclear site northeast of Tehran. In a statement to the press they said,
“The site consists of four tunnels and has been constructed by a group of engineering and construction companies associated with the engineering arms of the Ministry of Defense and the [Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps].”
Their information may not be considered hard evidence, but this is the same group that revealed information about both the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and the heavy water facility at Arak.
Source: Times of Israel

Photos suggest Saudis targeting Iran, Israel with ballistic missiles

July 11, 2013 - Military experts at IHS Jane's Intelligence Review say that new satellite photographs indicate that Saudi Arabia has deployed ballistic missiles that are pointed towards Israel and Iran.
The missiles are stored in an underground silo built into a rocky hillside. To the north of the facility are two circle-shaped launch pads, both with compass-style markings showing the precise direction that the launchers should fire in, according to the report
The missiles are older Chinese weapons from the 1980 that are not remotely-guided. They must be pointed in the direction of their target before firing.
Source: YNet News

New Iran president thanks 'messiah' for victory

Jun. 24, 2013 - Hassan Rohani, the new president of Iran said that his election "was due to the kindness of the last Islamic messiah [Mahdi].”
The Shiites believe that at the end of times, the 12th Imam, a 9th-century prophet, will reappear with Jesus Christ at his side, kill all the infidels and raise the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world.
Many believe that nuclear warfare could bring about the Mahdi's return
Source: WND \
Iran: Syrian crisis prelude to coming of Mahdi - 'One can smell … the end of times and the last Islamic messiah' Reza Kahlili - WND

Ya'alon: Force Iran to choose - nukes or survival

Jun. 19, 2013 - Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon warned that Iran will not halt its nuclear weapons development unless the international community imposes stronger sanctions.
Iran openly speaks of Israel’s destruction...Ya’alon added, calling for a “significant increase in pressure by Western countries to lead Iran to the dilemma of either having a bomb or surviving.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Russia Offers Iran New Replacement for S-300 - RiaNovosti

Netanyahu warns West: Don't be deluded into easing nuclear pressure on Iran

Jun. 17, 2013 - Israel's Prime Minister, warned that the election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran's new president will not make a great difference in their nuclear plans because Ayatollah Khamenei is the one who sets the policies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the West on Sunday not to let up pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions after the election of a new president widely seen as a moderate.
Source: Haaretz
Rohani says Iran is ready to show 'greater transparency' on nuclear program - Jerusalem Post

Early vote count in Iran gives reformer wide lead

Jun. 15, 2013 - Iran's "reform-minded" candidate for president, Hassan Rowhani, received about 48.2 per cent of the vote yesterday, and will face a run-off soon. Analysts say that if he does win it still will not be a deep shake-up. Iran's establishment.
A tight alliance of the ruling clerics and the ultra-powerful Revolutionary Guard — still holds all the effective power and sets the agenda on all major decisions such as Iran's nuclear program and its dealings with the West.
Source: CBC
is no “moderate.” He was endorsed by the only Iranian leader ever to publicly call for Israel to be destroyed by nuclear weapons. - Joel Rosenberg

50 million Iranians head to polls to replace Ahmadinejad

Jun. 14, 2013 - An apparently high turnout for Iran's presidential elections looks like reformist Hassan Rohani has the advantage.
It is unlikely the results will significantly change Tehran’s policies, since it is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who wields ultimate authority.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Steinitz: Iran is Getting Closer to Nuclear 'Red Line'

June 11, 2013 - Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Intelligence and International Relations told reporters that Iran is working around the clock to broaden its infrastructure to produce up to 30 nuclear weapons per year. Right now they are not trying to enrich their Uranium to final weapons grade. In that way they don't quite cross Israel's "red line." But they are installing more and better centrifuges to increase future speed of production. He said,
"They have close to 200 kilos -- 190 kilos (418 pounds) -- of 20 percent enriched uranium... Once they have 250 kilos (551 pounds), this is enough to make the final rush to 90 percent."
Source: Israel National News

Iran's Arak reactor looms in Israeli, Western view

June 2, 2013 - Iran is pressing ahead toward completion of a second nuclear reactor, which they say will be used to produce isotopes for medical and agricultural use. The facility is the Arak heavy-water research plant which is located about 120 miles southwest of Tehran.
Israel, which has bombed such construction sites around the Middle East before, may try to stop the plant being completed. . .before it becomes operational - to avoid generating radioactive fallout
Source: Jerusalem Post
US says "deeply troubled" over Iran's nuclear reactor plans - Jerusalem Post

Iran's Largest Pentecostal Church Closed, Pastor Detained

May 27, 2013 -
The Central Assembles of God Church (AOG), Iran's largest Persian-speaking Pentecostal church, was closed during a worship service on Monday, according to BosNewsLife. Its pastor, Robert Asserian, was detained on May 21 and moved to an unknown location.
Growing Christian churches that conduct worship services in Farsi are considered a threat to the influence of the Islamic authorities there.
Source: Christian Post

'UN report stokes concern over Iran nuke program'

May 23, 2013 - The latest UN nuclear agency report on Iran's nuclear activities indicates that Iran continues to violate resolutions of both the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The EU spokesman said Iran had continued to refuse to cooperate with the IAEA in its efforts to resolve outstanding issues, including those pointing to possible military dimensions to the Iranian nuclear program.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Too late to stop Iran's nuke program?

May 21, 2013 - According to an unnamed officer who has been assigned to Iran's Ministry of Defense, it may be later than we think in the race to stop Iran from deploying nuclear weapons.
One of the America’s foremost experts on nuclear weapons calls Iran’s secret “Quds” nuclear facility very scary and a sign the Islamic regime might be close to taking on the world.
Iran's "Quds" site is built into a mountainside - hardened against even nuclear attacks - and is approximately 14 miles long and 7.5 miles wide. It houses over 380 missile silos and has all that it needs to perfect nuclear bombs, including 24 kilograms of plutonium, which is sufficient for several warheads.
Source: Reza Kahlili - WND
Will Israel bomb Iran because of nuclear threat? - BBC Video
Defense Minister: Iran's New Mobile Air Defense System "Impenetrable" - FARS

'3 explosions heard in Tehran near missile facility'

May 7, 2013 - On the heels of two airstrikes by Israel against Syria to destroy Iranian missiles, three explosions were heard in Iran's capital Tehran. The explosions were in an area where long-range missile research is conducted and missiles are stored.

The explosions are not yet explained, but they are reminiscent of other recent explosions thought to be sabatoge by Israel and the United States. These include:

November 2011 - a military arms depot near Tehran
October 2010 - a Revolutionary Guards munitions store in Khoramabad, in western Iran
Source: Jerusalem Post

'US upgrades bunker buster to thwart Israel strike on Iran'

May 3, 2013 - According to the Wall Street Journal U.S. military experts have shown video demonstrations of a new bunker buster bomb to their Israeli counterparts. The improved Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weighs 30,000 pounds, and has ...
"...adjusted fuses to maximize its burrowing power, upgraded guidance systems to improve its precision and high-tech equipment intended to allow it to evade Iranian air defenses in order to reach and destroy the Fordow nuclear enrichment complex,"
Only the U.S. has the upgraded weapon. The implication is that Israel should not try to stop Iran's progress on their own.
Source: Jerusalem Post

Israel will be ‘wiped out’ if it attacks Hezbollah, Iran says

Apr. 30, 2013 - Recently Israeli Air Force planes have conducted several mock raids over southern Lebanon and shot down a drone, presumably launched by Hezbollah with the support of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. In response, a top Iranian general warned Israel that any attack against Lebanon and Hezbollah would lead to Israel's destruction.
In an address in the southwestern Iranian city of Shahrekord, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Sepehr claimed that Iran now extends all the way to the Mediterranean coast, presumably an allusion to Tehran’s influence in Lebanon and Syria via its proxy Hezbollah.
Source: Times of Israel

'Iran already past nuclear red line,’ expert says

Apr. 24, 2013 - According to Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israel's Military Intelligence, the coming months will be a crucial period for international pressure to be applied to Iran.
Speaking at a security conference in Tel Aviv, Yadlin said that “for all intents and purposes, Iran has crossed Israel’s red line… in the summer, Iran will be a month or two away from deciding about a bomb.”
At the same conference, MK Tzachi Hanegbi, former intelligence and justice minister warned, "“it’s now or never ...the option of never does not exist.”
Source: Times of Israel

Iran has tripled installations of high-tech machines at nuclear plants, diplomats say

Apr. 17, 2013 -
Technicians upgrading Iran's main uranium enrichment facility have tripled their installations of high-tech machines that could be used in a nuclear weapons program to more than 600 in the last three months, diplomats said Wednesday.
The new hi-tech machines can enrich uranium much faster than the more than 12,000 inefficient centrifuges already in use. This news indicates that diplomatic efforts are not causing Tehran to cut back on its nuclear program.
Source: Fox

Israel May Fast-Track Plans to Attack Iran

Apr. 13, 2013 - Recent information that North Korea probably has miniaturized their nuclear weapons enough to put them on a missile may prompt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran's nuclear facilities earlier than expected. Before this turn of events U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials have been saying that it might take one year for Iran to complete a nuclear device and another year to reduce its size to fit on a missile.
Experts say Israel would have to assume that any North Korean miniaturization technology would soon find its way into the hands of Iran’s mullahs. In fact, it is possible Iranian technology enabled North Korea’s push to miniaturize its warheads.
Source: NewsMax
Peres: 'No doubt Obama will attack Iran if nuclear talks fail' - Israel Hayom
Report: Iran successfully tests three new missiles - Jerusalem Post

Iran Earthquake Strikes Near Nuclear Plant

Apr. 10, 2013 -
At least 30 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck near Bushehr in southern Iran. The epicentre of the quake was Kaki, 60 miles south of Bushehr - home to the country's only nuclear power station.
Source: Sky News
Iran to build more nuclear sites in quake-prone area - Jerusalem Post

Iran lines up behind North Korea, warns the US of “great losses”

Apr. 7, 2013 - Iran's Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, blamed the U.S. for tensions on the Korean Peninsula. He said,
“The presence of the Americans in [South] Korea has been the root cause of tensions in this sensitive region in the past and present. The US and its allies will suffer great losses if a war breaks out in this region.”
Source: DEBKAfile

Iran nuclear: Final day for talks to break deadlock

Apr. 6, 2013 - In Almaty, Kazakhstan, international negotiators are in their second and final day of discussions about Iran's nuclear programs.
Iran is being asked to give up work on the most sensitive parts of its nuclear activities in return for the relaxation of international sanctions.
A Western diplomat said the Iranians had given no clear response.
Source: BBC Update Apr. 7, 2013 - EU: No Deal Reached at Nuclear Talks with Iran - NewsMax

See earlier Articles: before Apr. 1, 2013






















Your guide to
understanding the
times...




Also available:
Free
Study Guide.


Notice: Ads are not necessarily endorsed by Prophecy Central.



Check out Today's News



Return to Top



Gog and Magog Links

The Magog Invasion - Chuck Missler
Magog Revisited - Missler
Ezekiel 38 - Bill Konig
The Center For Security Policy
Iranium - The movie - 2011 - Order or watch online free

Excerpts from

Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy

Pages 141-142
- The Aggressors of the War of Gog and Magog - Ezekiel 38:1-4

According to Ezekiel, an alliance of enemies will attack Israel in the End Times. The leader will be Gog of the land of Magog, who is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He is assisted by Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, Beth T ogarmah, and other nations. Most of these names are listed in the genealogies of Genesis 10. Gog is not listed in Genesis 10, but he is evidently the head of the land of Magog, who is mentioned as a son of Japheth, one of Noah's sons. It is known that Japheth traveled north from Mt. Ararat after the flood. Hesoid, a Greek writer of the 7th century BC, and contemporary of Ezekiel, identified Magog with the Scythians and southern Russia. Flavius Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian said that Magogians were called "Scythians" by the Greeks. Philo, a 1st century Greek identified Magog with southern Russia.Commentators from the turn of this century and before have generally identified Gog and Magog with Russia even though, at the time, they could not explain why Russia would turn against God's people. They conjectured that perhaps the time would come when there would be animosity between Russia and Israel. Rosh ("head", "chief") sounds like Russia. Meshech sounds like Moscow or Mushkovi, the old name for Russia. Tubal sounds like Tobolsk.

- The Target: Israel - Ezekiel 38:2-12

This is the only time in history that this could be said of Israel, that they were brought back from many nations. It is true that they were brought back from Babylon and Persia in the Old Testament, but it is only since the Zionist movement, which began in the late 1800's, that Jewish people have returned from nations all over the world. They had been scattered abroad even in New Testament times. On the Day of Pentecost, for example, the various languages spoken by the Apostles, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, represented the many lands where they had settled. But they had not returned to stay. This really never happened until the amazing events that led to the rebirth of Israel in 1948. What thoughts would come into Russia's mind to make them want to attack Israel? A consideration of Russia's instability and the plans of some of their leaders for expansion throughout the Mediterranean area is given below. Israel has always been a key land bridge between Russia's allies and is presently an enemy of some of those allies. Any number of scenarios in the always-volatile Middle East politics could lead to a Russian attack in the future.

- Russia's Allies - Ezekiel 38:5-6

Persia is now known as Iran, and there is an amazingly close relationship now between Russia and Iran. Cush is Ethiopia, Put is Libya, Gomer and Beth Togarmah may well be Turkey and/or other Islamic nations like those once part of the Soviet Union.

It is interesting that Mizraim, the forefather of Egypt is apparently missing from this lineup. This, of course, fits the current world scene, with Egypt being the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel.

- Israel's Allies - Ezekiel 38:13

Israel's allies appear to be few and feeble. Some of Saudi Arabia was populated by Sheba and Dedan. The merchants of Tarshish could be England and English colonies. In that case, The United States could even be included since we were once an English colony. These allies ask why Russia and its allies are coming, but do not appear to deter them.

- The Outcome - Ezekiel 38:22

The quick end of this future war will be with God's judgment. It could be God's personal power, raining literal fire and brimstone, as in the days of Sodom, or it could be God using nation against nation, as he often did in the Old Testament, to precipitate a nuclear exchange.

And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone. - Ezekiel 38:22 (NIV)

The next chapter of Ezekiel continues to give details of this great conflict. Again, it is a scene of utter destruction.

"And I shall strike your bow from your left hand, and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 "You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the peoples who are with you; I shall give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5 "You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken," declares the Lord GOD. 6 "And I shall send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD." - Ezekiel 39:3-6 (NIV)

Return to Top | Prophecy Central Home

Last Updated: 10/27/13
Copyright © 1996-2013 by Ron Graff. All rights reserved.