1938 Alert. "Iran installs advanced centrifuges in main atom plant," from Reuters:
Iran has begun installing advanced centrifuges in its main uranium enrichment plant, accelerating activity that could give it the means to make atom bombs in future if it chooses, diplomats said on Thursday.
Iran says it is wants to produce nuclear fuel only for electricity so it can export more oil; but has been hit with three sets of United Nations sanctions for hiding the work until 2003, failing to prove to inspectors since then that it is wholly peaceful, and refusing to suspend the disputed program.
Iran launched 3,000 centrifuges, a basis for industrial scale enrichment, in the underground Natanz production hall last year, but they are a 1970s-vintage design prone to breakdown so Iran began testing an advanced version in Natanz's pilot wing.
After an installation pause of several months in the main enrichment plant, Iran has now introduced more than 300 more centrifuges; some of them improved versions and some the earlier model, Western diplomats with access to intelligence said.
"The ratio of (new to old) centrifuges in the new batch is not yet clear," One of them told Reuters, but he said Iran's intent appeared to be to produce "to the maximum" with the advanced machine by gradually phasing out its predecessor.
An "IR-2" Centrifuge Iran has been developing could enrich uranium 2-3 times faster than its start-up counterpart.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA told Reuters he was unaware of new progress in the Natanz enrichment bunker, which is ringed by anti-aircraft guns against a feared US bombing.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, which has inspectors at Natanz, declined comment.
A senior diplomat familiar with the IAEA's Iran mission did not dispute the disclosures but said it remained unclear if Iran could get the upgraded brand of centrifuge to work productively.
Mass production of bombs realy requirs Plutonium not enriched Urainum. It's the reactors you need to watch, thay will make the Plutonium.
Iran can stop working on a bomb and build up stocks of Plutonium. They can make a bomb quikly when the they do.
Japan has no bomb program but a large nuclear industry. Japan could build a bomb in less than 3 months if it wanted to.
Hiroshima used a Uranium-235 bomb. Nagasaki used a Plutonium-239 bomb. Both types exist - and Plutonium 239 is produced by bombarding Uranium 238 with Alpha particles.
Natural Uranium is U238, while enriched Uranium is U235. The enriched Uranium is the type Iran has been trying to produce.
What does Iran need a nuclear reactor for? Energy? Give me a break! They have enough oil for their needs for the next 450 years.
No. Iran wants a reactor so they will gain a few nuclear weapons. Then watch out. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, London, Rome, Paris, New York, and /or Washington DC will look like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Iran with any nuclear material is frightening. With a bomb is down right scary!
July 4th would be a fitting day to light up the sky over Iran - oh yeah!
time to make iran a glass factory
where the hell is the usa and its determination to stop muslims with nukes, especially mad ones like ahmad dinnerjacket, who states clearly as did hitler that he intends to erase israel from the map
well we know how he is gonna do it
dont make the jews be the scape goats or victims in this, usa and allies must do their own dirty work and not ask israel to do it for them
if usa loses this one, then all muslim states will aquire nukes mark my words
For the past few years I had only one unanswered question: why are not the bunker busters falling in Natanz, Busher and Tehran?
BOMB. THEM. NOW. FOR. CHRIST. SAKE!
Time to learn something from the Iranians...
As others have noted, the Iranians have a vast reservoir of fossil fuels and yet want to develop "nuclear power" to export additional oil to the west.
Time for the education, U.S. Politicians, put the oil company cash BACK in the freezer for just a minute...
1.) If Iran can figure out how to build nuclear power plants to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, then why can't we....
2.) If Iran can see the rationality of the argument in building nuclear plants to increase trade volume with foreign nations, then why can't we...
3.) If Iran can see that the west will continue to subjugate themselves for oil, and wants to build nuclear facilities to increase export volumes to further subjugate west, then why can't we build nuclear facilities to stop the cycle of subjugation based on oil...
Stop the dependency on fossil fuels now. Use proven technologies - see Japan and France (for Pete's sake) for examples of countries who have taken some steps.
Build nukes - electrify EVERYTHING.
If the politicos can not see the writing on the wall and the answers in the cards, then they just don't know sh-t...
From,
Shinola
This post reminds me of that song by the Beach Boys,
Bomb, bomb, bomb. Bomb, bomb Iran.
Bomb, bomb, bomb. bomb, bomb Iran.
Everybody sing!
Shinola, you make an excellent point. You said:
"1.) If Iran can figure out how to build nuclear power plants to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, then why can't we...."
We can. We surpass Iran and any other Middle Eastern country in technology, innovation and the freedom to create what we want. The real question is, why don't we? Who or what is preventing us from doing so? And what will they get out of it if America becomes subjugated to the likes of old I'm-a-diner-head's regime? Those are the questions I'd like answered.
To borrow the words of Pam "Atlas" Geller; "Time to STUF and start bombing (Iran)!"
Better yet: the USA had better detonate an Electro Magnetic pulse weapon over Iranian airspace (the sooner the better), which will be the most effective way to stop Iran from deploying any missile-related weapons of mass destruction as it would immediately destroy any and all electronic infrastructure the Iranians might have with which to launch these.
Also look here:
China reveals Iran's nuclear secrets to UN
From the article:
Bush was reportedly heard sleep talking in the Oval Office today:
"Iran - you're beggin' for it!"
...and then he falls back to sleep....zzzzzzzzz
I know, that B bombers are ready to go. Just waiting for the word.
The only question is "when"
Maria