Dr. Roodhof shakes his head. “No, I disagree. The Russians backed off when their economy collapsed. It had to be the French.”

General Mike Costolo, Commandant of the Marine Corps, raises a thick palm. “Dr. Roodhof, from what I’ve read, these pure-fusion weapons contain very little radiation, is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s your point, General?” Dick Przystas asks.

Costolo turns to face the secretary of defense. “One of the reasons the DoD pushed for the development of these weapons in the first place was that we knew Russia and China were supplying Iran with nuclear weapons. If a nuclear war were to break out in the Persian Gulf, pure fusion would not only give its owner a tactical advantage, but the lack of radiation would allow the flow of oil to go on, unimpeded. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether it was the French or Russians who achieved the technology first; the only thing that matters is whether the Iranians possess the weapon. If so, then the threat alone changes the balance of power in the Middle East. Should Iran detonate one of these weapons in the Persian Gulf, then Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, and other moderate Arab regimes would be forced to turn away from Western support.”

Borgia nods in agreement. “The Saudis are still hedging about allowing us access to our prepositioned supplies. They’ve lost confidence in our ability to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.”

“Where are the carriers?” the president asks Jeffrey Gordon.

“In preparation for Asia’s upcoming nuclear detention exercise, we’ve ordered the Harry S. Truman and her fleet to the Red Sea. The Ronald Reagan battle group should arrive in the Gulf of Oman in three days. The William J. Clinton will remain on patrol in the Indian Ocean. We’re sending a message to Iran, plain and simple, that we have no intention of allowing the Strait of Hormuz to be closed.”

“For the record, Mr.President,” Chaney states, “the French ambassador is vehemently denying any responsibility for this explosion.”

“What did you expect?” Borgia responds. “Look beyond the denials. Iran still owes France billions of dollars, yet the French continue to support the Iranians, as do Russia and China. Let me also point out that Australia is one of the nations that has continued to give Iran subsidized interest rates, which they’ve used to build up their nuclear, chemical, and biological arsenal. Do you really think it’s just a coincidence that the weapon happened to be tested in the Nullarbor region?”

“Don’t be so quick to point the finger at the Aussies,” Sam Blumner interjects. “If you remember, it was the United States’s massive credits to Iraq in the late 1980s that led to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.”