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| Iran |
| Weapons-Grade Uranium Reported at Iran Plant |
| 2003-08-26 |
| U.N. inspectors have found traces of highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium at an Iranian nuclear facility, a senior diplomat said Tuesday, citing a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The find heightened concerns that Tehran may be running a secret nuclear weapons program. Agency inspectors found ``particlesââ of highly enriched uranium that could be used in a weapons program at the facility at Natanz, said the diplomat, who covers the activities of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and spoke on condition of anonymity. Iranian officials did not contest the finding by the IAEA inspectors but said the equipment was already contaminated by traces of enriched uranium when purchased by Tehran. Thatâs the risk you take when you purchase used nuclear centrifuges and reprocessing equipment on E-Bay. The diplomat said the report, prepared for a meeting of the U.N. agencyâs board, underlined the need for further inspections of the Natanz facility and Iranâs nuclear programs in general to abolish concerns about the nature of its activities. ``It says that contamination is a possibility,ââ as Iran claims, he said. ``But there is work to be done to determine the plausibility of this.ââ Or to twist the facts to make it plausible. Suspicion about Iranâs nuclear program prompted Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based IAEA, to tour Iranâs nuclear facilities in February. The visit was intended to ensure that Iranâs nuclear program was limited to peaceful, civilian purposes and that the facilities were safe. lBaradeiâs tour included a visit to the incomplete nuclear plant in Natanz, about 320 miles south of Tehran. At the time, diplomats said he was taken aback by the advanced stage of a project using hundreds of centrifuges to enrich uranium. "How am I going to give you a clean bill of health if you show me shit like this? Didnât you get my memo?" Agency officials declined to comment on the report and what it contained. But IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said there were ``a number of outstanding issues, particularly with regard to Iranâs enrichment program, which requite urgent resolution.ââ Gwozdecky said the agencyâs inspectors had visited Iran five times since June. ``In particular, we have visited a number of new sites, have the results of previously taken environmental samples and taken many more new samples, and are in receipt of much new information from the Iranian authorities,ââ he said. Analyzing the new material would take ``weeks or months,ââ he added. "Or years, itâs hard to say." |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 Hey, guys, time is ticking. The Iranians have the materials and the means of getting to their goal of having some type of Islamic fission weapon within a year or so. A fission bomb fits the agenda. In the WOT Futures section of Rantburg, I posted the possibility of the US and/or Israel destroying the Iran nuke program because this will have to be addressed soon, and diplomacy is getting nowhere. Pakistan nukes seemed to be able to be managed (for now), but such a weapon in the hands of Iran is unthinkable. They are such theocratic nutcases that they will use it or give/sell it to some other nutjob that will. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-8-26 3:17:33 PM |
| #5 Pancake Corrie Redux - only delivered by air this time? I'm pretty sure you can't air-drop a Cat D6. At least not one you want to use later. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-8-26 2:32:08 PM |
| #4 Frank G - Oh shit - they will too! Well, they'll get a nasty surprise meeting up with real Islam, Shi'a style. Not the same as that guy they met at the last street demonstration, Hank "Ahmed" Williams... Steve D - I think enriched means that they added vitamins. Wonder Nukes, Builds Effective Mushroom Clouds 12 Ways... OP - Amen, bro. Pancake Corrie Redux - only delivered by air this time? |
| Posted by: .com 2003-8-26 1:22:39 PM |
| #3 How long before the "human shields" arrive to protect the reactor and assembly areas from attack? Ah, yes, Darwinism in action. Let the games begin! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-26 1:05:52 PM |
| #2 I think the cow has pretty much left the barn with respect to Non-proliferation of WMD. It would be better if the UN refocused its efforts regulating the quality of the weapons and components of weapons that are available on the open market. Whether I was a radical jihadist or a tinhorn dictator, I would have very little confidence that I was going to get the proverbial âbang for the buckâ that I required to extort the free world. It just shouldnât matter whether I choose to buy my anthrax from Libya or from the Unabomber. The product should be to a worldwide ISO standard. Weapons making facilities should be subject to annual inspections and be required to have an effective system of internal audits. Yemen doesnât have a whole lot of cash to be slinging around on merchandise that wonât perform up to snuff. A starting point might be in defining terms like âenriched uranium.â As Iran seems to be saying, âenrichedâ uranium can mean different things to different people. "Enriched" could just be a clever marketing technique by Niger or North Korea. If one of them trademarks the word that a dead givaway. |
| Posted by: Steve D 2003-8-26 12:59:37 PM |
| #1 How long before the "human shields" arrive to protect the reactor and assembly areas from attack? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-26 12:20:37 PM |