What if the US nuked Mecca? (kinda)

Not exactly the US, but what if a international cabal of conspirators framed the US by detonating a 100 kt nuke with a US signature during the Hajj? What would be the geopolitical ramifications, esp. in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan? Would non-Middle Eastern oil barons profit from this or would it harm their business?

World War III, I'd have to imagine.

Originally posted by Lestov16
Not exactly the US, but what if a international cabal of conspirators framed the US by detonating a 100 kt nuke with a US signature during the Hajj? What would be the geopolitical ramifications, esp. in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan? Would non-Middle Eastern oil barons profit from this or would it harm their business?

Originally posted by Omega Vision
US signature? That sounds like science fiction.

Yeah a US signature sounds like an atomic blast screaming USA with a bunch of stars and stripes.

Pretty impressive scientifically.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
US signature? That sounds like science fiction.

Originally posted by Bat Dude
World War III, I'd have to imagine.

I don't know what power would immediately start ww3

I imagine it would be more of a situation where all major powers felt it was not acceptable to use nuclear weapons in their small skirmishes (Tibet, Chechnya, South China Sea).

MAD still holds between America and any other nation, Russia is still the only nation with the nuclear infrastructure to challenge America and they are at least a generation behind, America is the only nation with even modest missile defenses and their second strike capacity is such that even a "sneak" nuke attack that destroyed 100% of its land based nuclear capacity would still result in the offending nation being wiped out entirely.

There would be absolute chaos, but I really am at a loss to imagine who steps up to do anything about it.

Would oil companies profit?

well like, oil prices would skyrocket, but OPEC would probably stop trading with the West...

if your plot is "oil companies somehow launch a 100 megaton nuclear weapon at millions of Muslims to profit from heightened oil prices", I'd point you to the issues with science fiction mentioned above... or even about having realistically motivated antagonists as opposed to cartoonish super villainy.

I know it's cartoonish, but is it plausible? Would they profit?

And about the "signature", I thought every nuclear blast dispersed radiation or something of that nature that would allow one to trace where the bomb was manufactured

satellites and radar may be able to determine where the missile was fired from, but there is no such thing as American radiation. Depending on the type of missile there may be some characteristics about the blast, but from a single 100 kt warhead, there isn't going to be much saying one nation did it over another, especially if everyone is denying it.

is it plausible? no. would they profit? like, who are "they" specifically? just generic oil barons? no, they probably wouldn't more-so than they already do.

An international oil cabal (led by Canadian and including Caspian Sea and Russian tycoons,etc.)

The loss of Middle Eastern oil wouldn't cause the demand for the cabal's oil to go up? Wouldn't their shares skyrocket in value?

Would the same geopolitical effect occur if a nuke detonated in Tehran instead of Mecca?

well, like, oil prices would go up, but you now have a group of international terrorists who used a nuclear weapon against millions of innocent civilians.

considering "blood for oil" is already the first assumption people make when world events happen, I can't imagine this group staying secret for long.

Originally posted by Oliver North
well, like, oil prices would go up, but you now have a group of international terrorists who used a nuclear weapon against millions of innocent civilians.

considering "blood for oil" is already the first assumption people make when world events happen, I can't imagine this group staying secret for long.

We will assume the oil company covered their tracks. Would they make a substantial profit on the new demand for their oil?

This is the greatest thread on KMC.

Hiroshima outrage all over again, although I have to imagine that it'll be orders of magnitude greater this time, as the target being obliterated is of tremendous religious significance to around 1/5th of the world's population.

Likely, most of the other major countries, China, Russia, Japan etc would nuke us back.

Russia are building nuke launching pads , soon the will be the most powerful Nuclear Country

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
Likely, most of the other major countries, China, Russia, Japan etc would nuke us back.

Russia are building nuke launching pads , soon the will be the most powerful Nuclear Country

Stop breathing

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
Likely, most of the other major countries, China, Russia, Japan etc would nuke us back.

Russia are building nuke launching pads , soon the will be the most powerful Nuclear Country

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Lmao Japan doesn't have nukes...they barely have nuclear power since Fukushima.

Don't be an enabler.