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| Iran Readies Uranium for Nuke Enrichment | |
| 2004-12-21 | |
| Iran will continue preparing raw "yellowcake" uranium for enrichment, a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons, until the end of February, despite a recent pledge to freeze all such activity, diplomats said. "The Iranians have decided to continue UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) production until the end of February," a diplomat told Reuters. Two other diplomats in Vienna, where the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based, confirmed the report. UF4 is the precursor to uranium hexafluoride (UF6), the gas that is fed into centrifuges which spin at supersonic speeds to purify it for use as fuel in civilian nuclear power plants or in atomic weapons. Iran recently pledged to freeze all activities linked to uranium enrichment as a confidence-building gesture. In September, Iran announced it would process 37 tonnes of yellowcake for enrichment, an amount that nuclear experts said could yield enough material for up to five weapons if it was later enriched to weapons-grade purity. When Iran made the suspension pledge to the EU big three last month, it agreed not to convert any uranium that was not already inside the conversion facility. However, Tehran changed its plan and decided that none of the 37 tonnes of uranium would be left in raw yellowcake form, the diplomats said. "This goes beyond the agreement to only convert what was absolutely necessary," one diplomat said. Earlier on Tuesday, Hossein Mousavian, Iran's chief delegate to the IAEA, told the official IRNA news agency that it was natural for Iran to continue with its nuclear program. "It is natural that the Islamic Republic continues all its nuclear activities. Iran has only suspended the fuel cycle voluntarily in the framework of its policy to build trust without any legal obligations," he said.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 IRAN + NK STILL NUCLEARIZING, and will do so no matter what internat agreements they make, for anti-US Global Socialism and OWG, and for Hillary in 2008 - what are the gambling odds on the Net for war and invasion again this year!? In true Left dialecticism, alternatism, and alteriorism, IRAN and SYRIA will likley be PC "QUICKIES" save for preplanned anti-USA "insurgency", whilst NORKOR-EAST ASIAN WAR will be ENDURING AND PROTRACTIVE - read, CHINA needs time to wipe out the several major-minor non-American/Amerikan Western dmeocracies in Asia! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2004-12-21 8:30:35 PM |
| #3 Translation: "We think the Europeons have more money in their pockets." |
| Posted by: Dishman 2004-12-21 7:11:09 PM |
| #2 Dear World: Yellowcake with white frosting a presume, using our favorate recipe. Yours truly, Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-12-21 1:18:28 PM |
| #1 Five, four, three, two... |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-12-21 9:56:31 AM |