Posted on 02/03/2005 1:24:19 PM PST by indcons
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has been testing parts for machines that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, despite a promise to temporarily refrain from all such activities, Western diplomats said on Thursday.
Several Western diplomat who follow the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told Reuters on condition of anonymity Iran was performing quality control checks of "non-essential items" for centrifuges, machines that purify uranium to make fuel for nuclear power plants or weapons.
"If they would act in good faith, there would be a complete standstill of every activity that relates to centrifuges," one diplomat said. This may be a breach of Iran's pledge to freeze all activities related to uranium enrichment, he added.
Tehran promised France, Britain and Germany in November it would refrain from all activities related to uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing for the duration of talks between the EU's "big three" and Iran, talks aimed at hammering out a permanent resolution to the standoff over Iran's atomic plans.
President Bush on Wednesday renewed his accusation that Iran was seeking to develop atomic weapons and called it the "world's primary state sponsor of terror."
Iran's Supreme Leader on Thursday hit back at Bush and said he would fail like his four predecessors to topple Tehran's clerical leadership.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, because of defending the rights of the oppressed and confronting oppressors, is being attacked by the global tyrants," state media quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.reuters.com ...
The time is coming for these butt nuts to get their asses kicked.
If you wait for Iran to act in good faith you will be serving ice cream in hell.
It's unnacceptable for Islam to have the nuclear bomb. Unlike the Russians and Chinese, Muslims don't understand the restraint inherent in "mutually assured destruction". Islamofacists seem happy to die in the process of slaughtering the "infidels" so they can be with their 72 virgins. And they don't seem to mind murdering their own people to get the job done.
Exactly....
I thought the big 3 in the EU toke care of this.So mush for the big 3.
So what about Pakistan?
Duh. This statement is evidence of either Criminal Naivete (a la Carter) or actual complicity in the furtherance of Iranian nuclear ambitions. 'If they would act in good faith' - WTF??
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