Regards, Ivan
Posted on 08/01/2004 1:09:46 AM PDT by MadIvan
Iran said yesterday that it had restarted the building of uranium enrichment centrifuges which the United States says are part of a bid to develop an atomic bomb.
American officials claim that Iran intends to enrich weapons-grade uranium, but Tehran insists it only wants to develop its ability to produce electricity. 'We have started building centrifuges,' said Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi in a press conference.
Iran's move goes back on a pledge last year to suspend all its uranium enrichment activities, secured by Britain, France and Germany. The European strategy was criticised in the US as being too soft on Iran. Now that Iran has backtracked, it will strengthen hawkish American officials who are seeking to confront Iran over its suspected weapons programmes. Relations between Iran and the US have been on a steady path to confrontation for months. The US wants to bring Iran before the United Nations Security Council in a move to possibly bring sanctions for violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran said it was pressing ahead with its centrifuge construction programme in response to a resolution last month from the International Atomic Energy Agency, monitoring Iran's nuclear installations, which deplored Tehran's failure to co-operate with its inspectors. Iran is also believed to have restarted work at a uranium conversion plant near the city of Isfahan. However, Kharrazi insisted that Iran had not yet enriched any uranium. 'We have accepted suspending uranium enrichment and we are continuing that suspension based on our definition,' he said.
He complained that Iran was being denied its right to develop nuclear power plants to cope with a burgeoning domestic demand for electricity. 'We just want to produce fuel for our plants and we are not after nuclear weapons,' he added.
That argument cuts little ice with many in Washington. Senior US officials claim the power plants are just a cover for a weapons programme intended to make Iran the first Islamic fundamentalist regime to have nuclear weapons. US intelligence estimates that Iran can achieve an atomic bomb in three to five years, although some experts say it could be sooner.
In London, the foreign office played down the issue, saying it was awaiting the IAEA's full findings this autumn.
Talks are still taking place in Paris between British, French and German officials on the way forward with Iran. While the US is pushing for Iran's nuclear dossier to be referred to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions if it is found to be in breach, European administrations are thought to favour encouraging Iran to co-operate.
Suggestions that, if re-elected in November, George Bush will take on Iran, have alarmed the Labour Party in Britain which is wary of being drawn into another Middle East confrontation.
So far the IAEA has found potentially weapons-related activities in Iran, but no proof that Tehran is developing atomic bombs. However, US officials have disclosed that last February IAEA inspectors found so-called P-2 centrifuge parts, which are more suited to making weapons than the P-1 parts that Iran has confirmed it possesses.
The rhetoric against Iran has been building up in Washington, not least after the commission appointed to examine the 11 September atrocity detailed links between al-Qaeda and Iran.
Last week the US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was visiting Iraq, warned Tehran against interfering in its neighbour's fledgling democracy after reports of weapons and money travelling across the Iranian border.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Kerry says he will handle it better and smarter than Bush and if we want to see the plan we have to elect him first, then he'll give us details.
Soembody help me here.
Is enriched Uranium needed to produce electricity or is a centrifuge of use only to peerson looking to make a big beeber.
And if anyone believes the Mad Mullahs, I've got a few acres of beachfront property in Arizona I'd like to sell them.
With lots of personal respect for you Ivan, let me tell you AS LONG AS the British government backs the Mullahs secretly and publicly, no one can change any thing in Iran.
How do you say "Carrying coal to Newcastle" in Arabic?
And why isn't anyone saying it?
Iran, I belive, is already dumping more natgas to the atmosphere than it would take to provide many times the electricity it currently consumes.
Iran, therefore, would be easily able to multiply the amount of electiricity it produces -- by a very large factor -- if it merely ceases bleeding off its excess natural gas.
Mind you, we're not talking about any "exploration" or "development" -- we're only talking about the amount of fuel they're throwing away as excess.
That is how energy-rich Iran is.
Now, add to the mix a reactor that would only be capable of providing a tiny fraction of their existing natural gas surplus, and what do you have?
What you have is a reactor that can only be rationally understood to exist for one purpose and one purpose only -- the production of nuclear weapons.
Anyone foolish enough to accept at face value the bald faced lie that "they only want it for electricity" is too foolish to engage in further discussion.
Riiiiight.
Kerry will just believe Iran. He'd just shrug his shoulders and say "Oh, OK," and move on to one of his silly social programs that'll rob the taxpayers blind.
Iranians do not speak ARABIC. THEY DO SPEAK PERSIAN!
In any case, I do belive they use an arabic alphabet, or slight variation therof.
And the reply begs the question -- how DO "they" say "carrrying coals to newcastle"?
I can't believe you read my entire post, glossed over the entire POINT of the post, and went mini-ballistic over that one piddling typo-like detail.
Any way, they cant speak Arabic and there are big differences between their Alphabets and Arabians'.
Dear mad mullahs: You're next !
The CANDU9 reactor can use unenriched uranium and can also use bomb grade plutonium. Using plutonium-mixed oxide (pu-MOX) fuel will generate electriciry while disposing of up to 70 percent of the bomb grade plutonium that is used in the process and so is a way of consuming the surplus bomb grade material generated by nuclear disengagement programs.
Oh good grief, where to begin?
Fact: many of them CAN speak arabic.
Fact: there are more SIMILARITIES between their alphabets then there are between either of their alphabets and our alphabet.
And now, the biggie [drumroll...]
Fact: you STIL evade the point raised in my post, namely, the FACT that Iran's natural gas -- the natural gas that they waste by bleeding off rather than using -- is available WELL in excess of the output the nuke plant could ever produce.
Thus, it is an obvious LIE when they claim that they want to have the nuke plant to produce electricity.
There is only ONE reason they want that nuke plant -- and I'm starting to wonder what reason YOU have for trying to disrupt this thread!
As a person who lived there for years, I am telling you that you are dead wrong on their alphabet and culture...
And let me tell you that I don't want them to get nuke bombs too!
I see on your "F14 Pilot" home page an advertising link for "Discount Phentermine".
WTF????
Are you getting sinked?
That's not what a simple Google query suggests.
And let me tell you that I don't want them to get nuke bombs too!
Riiiiight. You'd rather they spent their money on "Discount Phentermine" I guess, eh?
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