Over the last week, the following headlines appeared in mainstream news sources:

Iran Reports Naval Buildup In Gulf [January 30] (original publishing website is now out of service)

US raises stakes on Iran by sending in ships and missiles [January 31]

‘Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11 [February 1]

Israeli Ships Cross Suez Canal [February 7]

Syria slips Hizballah Fateh-110 missiles able to destroy Israeli cities [February 7]

Iran anniversary ‘punch’ will stun West: Khamenei [February 8]

Today, Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had the following to say:

“The Iranian nation, with its unity and God’s grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned.”

Could there be anything more stunning than Iran announcing that they have manufactured a nuclear weapon and have it missile ready?

What other reason could there be for the Patriot missile defense system deployment a week ago?

If Iran has, in fact, built a nuclear weapon, how will Western powers respond?

In the event that they have successfully built the bomb, any attempt to disarm Iran may lead to a launching of the missile onto Israeli soil. Iran does not have a missile capable of reaching the United States, but they could certainly hit Israel and if I remember correctly, are capable of reaching Europe as well.

An alternate idea regarding an Iranian missile: what if it has been deployed by sea and is floating around somewhere in the Pacific ocean right now, headed for the United States?

I guess we’ll know more on February 11th.

Last minute anti-radiation nuke pills anyone?

UPDATE 15:20

If Iran does have a nuclear weapon, consider what the effect may be on the price of oil in coming days and weeks. If we see a price explosion resulting from panic, then we could easily experience a massive stock market collapse as we did in mid-to-late 2008. But this time, oil may stay steady, along with the price of gold/silver.