Iran aims for 50,000 atomic centrifuges in 5 years (Ruh-roh!)

Reuters ^ | Staff

[PreciousLiberty]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran needs to install 50,000 centrifuges within five years so it can make enough fuel for one nuclear power plant, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday.

Iran's uranium enrichment plans are the part of Tehran's nuclear program that most worries the West because the process can be used to make both fuel for nuclear power plants or, if desired, material for warheads.

Ahmadinejad told a news conference 50,000 centrifuges -- roughly the figure Iran has stated is its goal -- were enough to make fuel for one plant in a year.

"We have to install centrifuges with the same speed (as building nuclear power plants) so that in five years we would be able to produce fuel for one nuclear power plant," he said. He mentioned "four or five years" elsewhere in his remarks.

"We will take this path. We think there are no major obstacles on the way when everybody realizes that our path is peaceful," he said.

[PreciousLiberty]

50,000 centrifuges doesn't seem excessive. Really. Thank goodness Iran has no plans for a weapon.

How lucky do you feel?

Personally I hope our military has its targets sorted out, and that the President keeps his eye on the ball. ;-)

[Rb ver. 2.0]

"This is for scientific research to improve baby milk formulas and medicine".

[Vaquero]

once again it behooves us to thank Jimmy Carter for his help in deposing of the Shah.

[ichabod1]

And thank God Hillary!s diplomacy defused the situation.

[bassmaner]

Personally I hope our military has its targets sorted out, and that the President keeps his eye on the ball. ;-)

Fat chance, with Dingy and Stretch breathing down his neck.

[wastedyears]

Where are they getting the money from?

[newheart]

I’m puzzled. When we built nuclear power plants did we have to build 50,000 centrifuges per?

I’m guessing that is probably about one centrifuge per mosque, which is probably where they have them placed.

[Red Badger]

They must be small centrifuges.....

[CougarGA7]

Dont worry about it. The NIE said that they shut down their weapons program. After all, with the limited oil supply that Iran has, one can see why they are looking towards nuclear to meet their energy needs.

[Badeye]

Its not ‘excessive’ if you are trying to build nuclear weapons.

Whats irritating is when the Iranians construct a workable nuclear weapon, nobody involved with writing the NIE report will be held accountable.

[in hoc signo vinces]

We’re going to let this happen...the cards are on the table, and no one cares what the chip count is...

The iranians will build a bomb or two, they’ll be insane enough to think they can use them with success against us...because though smart enough to build a bomb, they’re just that stupid...so they’ll nuke the capitals of western civ...thinking that will bring down western governments to their 7th century plan...but in the end we’ll respond by killing every damn one of them...

the sad thing is...we’re not going to do anything until a lot of Americans/innocent die, because that’s what the Demo-idiot-crat congress is going to let happen due to their policy positions.

[bamahead]

I hope we have at least that many JDAM’s.

[fortunecookie]

"This is for scientific research to improve baby milk formulas and medicine".

You beat me to it! We would never want to interfere with feeding the children. Why, that would be grounds for them to attack us!

5 years - 2012. Maybe the Mayans were right...

[RicocheT]

If Iran really was using the enriched Uranium for nuclear power plants, wouldn’t it be far less expensive to buy the fuel from Russia, China or the US? The US and Russia have a surplus of Uranium from ex warheads.

The fact Iran is so hot to get 50000 centrifuges running, means they must want to make warheads.

[rhombus]

This whole thing is so stoooopid. So what if Iran actually did or did not stop making a bomb... the really hard part is making the fuel. Once they have the fuel, they can put a bomb together in what? Six months?. God forgive us, for wasting time with questions about whether or not Mormons are really Christians, who has “flip-flopped” the most, who is the purist conservative or who Jesus would vote for. I sure hope the survivors forgive us too.

[avacado]

"Ahmadinejad told a news conference 50,000 centrifuges -- roughly the figure Iran has stated is its goal -- were enough to make fuel for one plant in a year."

Excuse me you little jackass-nutjob, but you are supposed to be getting your fuel rods from Russia via the NPT agreement!

[ryan71]

Is the Bush administration using some kind of reverse psychology mumbo jumbo?

They claim the Iranians stopped their bomb development, now the whole friggin world is saying, “Oh yes they are trying to build a bomb”.

[Flintlock]

Liars.
It takes less than half that many—even if they are lousy and don’t work well.
The ONLY reason for that many is for bombs (plural). For a lot less $ they could buy fuel rods from the Commies for a reactor (after all, that’s what Indian Point is running on today.)

[2001convSVT]

I believe that the centrifuges are really for producing fuel for there nuclear reactors, yes I do. The A-bombs that Iran will mass produce will be made of Plutonium, from the spent nuclear fuel. U-238 is in abundance and is easily convertible to Pu-240 in a nuclear reactor. If you look at U-235 vs Pu-240 as a warhead, Pu-240 is more difficult to set off, but is much, much easier to make and separate than U-235. Most if not all of the US's and USSR’s warheads are Plutonium based. In 5 years Iran will be rolling in Plutonium and can start producing hundreds if not thousands of Plutonium A-bombs.

[nuconvert]

So why is the regime making this announcement now?