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Iran’s nuclear top dog: We secretly bought replacements for nuclear equipment that nuke deal made us destroy

Jan 24, 2019 6:55 pm By Robert Spencer

As Muhammad said, “War is deceit.”

“Iran’s Nuclear Chief Salehi: We Had Secretly Purchased Replacements for Nuclear Equipment That the JCPOA Had Required Us to Destroy; Yellowcake Production Facilities are Operational; We Are Advancing in Nuclear Propulsion,” MEMRI, January 22, 2019:

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was interviewed on Channel 4 TV (Iran) on January 22, 2019. He said that the negotiations surrounding the JCPOA had required Iran to destroy the Arak reactor’s calandria by filling it with cement, but that Iran had secretly acquired replacement tubes ahead of time so that the reactor’s functionality would not be ultimately affected. He also said that pictures that had circulated that showed the Arak reactor’s pit filled with cement had been photoshopped. He explained that Iran has no intention to build a nuclear weapon, and that the Arak reactor is nonetheless incapable of producing weapons-grade plutonium. In addition, Salehi said that the yellowcake production facilities in Ardakan are operational and that Iran has been authorized to produce two additional IR-8 centrifuges. Salehi added that Iran has advanced rapidly in the field of nuclear propulsion.

Following are excerpts:

Interviewer: With regard to the heavy water reactor, we were told that its core was filled with cement. What is the story there?

[…]

Ali Akbar Salehi: In the Arak reactor, there is a pit. You can see the people standing around it. The calandria goes into this pit. That’s where the fuel goes. We said that we should replace the calandria that goes into that pit.

Interviewer: What’s “calandria” in Persian?

Ali Akbar Salehi: It’s like a repository, where the fuel goes. We removed the repository that is supposed to contain the fuel. Because of the reconfiguration, the form of the repository should change as well. We are now building another repository that will be placed in the reactor’s pit. Unfortunately, we have been saying for three years now that we had not poured cement into the pit of the Arak heavy water reactor. If we had, the Arak heavy water reactor would have been ruined.

Interviewer: But you did say that you had poured cement into the tubes…

Ali Akbar Salehi: Not into the tubes over there. We poured it into the calandria we pulled out [of the reactor]. Inside the calandria, there are tubes where the fuel goes. We had bought similar tubes, but I could not declare this at the time. Only one person in Iran knew this. We told no one but the top man of the regime [Khamenei]. When our team was in the midst of the negotiations, we knew that [the Westerners] would ultimately renege on their promises. The leader warned us that they were violators of agreements. We had to act wisely. Not only did we avoid destroying the bridges that we had built, but we also built new bridges that would enable us to go back faster if needed. There were a series of tubes, 3 or 4 meters long and 2 or 3 centimeters in diameter. You can imagine there tubes. They have a beginning and an end. We had bought the same quantity of similar tubes. When they told us to pour cement into the tubes, we did…

Interviewer: Who told you? The IAEA?

Ali Akbar Salehi: No, they said this during the negotiations, and we said: “Fine. We will pour [cement].” But we did not tell them that we had other tubes. Otherwise, they would have told us to pour cement into those tubes as well. Now we have the same tubes. They photoshopped cement being poured into the reactor’s pit, and ever since, they have been saying that cement was poured into the reactor’s pit. This is photoshopped. I am surprised that dear friends of ours… Even during a Friday sermon last week, it was said that we had poured cement into the reactor’s pit. Reporters were there and saw it. You can take your cameras and go see for yourselves. So why are people saying this? Besides, people are talking as if the Arak reactor had been up and running… the Arak reactor had not been built at the time. We were in the process.

[…]

They said that our reactor in Arak could produce 8 kilograms of plutonium annually. These 8 kilograms are enough for the making of a [nuclear] weapon.

Interviewer: But you’re saying that the [Arak reactor] had not yet become operational.

Ali Akbar Salehi: Right.

Interviewer: So how could they claim that it could produce 8 kilograms of plutonium?

Ali Akbar Salehi: No, if it reached… They said that if the reactor would be built and made operational, it would be able to produce 8 kilograms of plutonium. So they decided to do something to prevent this from happening. We said okay, but with one condition…

[…]

The design of the reactor was not ours. It was an old Russian model that we took and worked on. It was a model that was 50 or 60 years old. A good opportunity presented itself, so we said: “Okay.” As for those 8 kilograms of plutonium… First, we do not intend to build a nuclear weapon. Second, this [reactor’s] plutonium is not suitable for nuclear weapons.

[…]

Weapons-grade plutonium requires fewer of the other [isotopes]. When talking about plutonium, we mean Pu-239, Pu-240, and Pu-242. Pu-239 is the important [isotope for a nuclear weapon]. If Pu-240 and Pu-242 are present alongside Pu-239, the plutonium is not good [for nuclear weapons].

[…]

Even if this reactor were built and produced plutonium, it would simultaneously produce Pu-240 and Pu-242, and this would complicate matters. We would need to separate them out. Separating Pu-242 and Pu-240 from Pu-239… Plutonium is not like uranium. Today we can work with uranium. One has to work with plutonium behind hot cells, because it is poisonous.

[…]

We said: “Okay. We are ready to redesign this [reactor].” We saw that it was a good opportunity. We did this with the condition that they approve our new designs. I really felt that a golden opportunity had been created for us to redesign and renew the reactor according to new designs, and to decrease its [annual] plutonium production from 8 kilograms to one kilogram. And that’s what happened.

[…]

This is the reactor’s pit.

Interviewer: In Bushehr?

Ali Akbar Salehi: No, this is the Arak reactor.

Interviewer: The one we were talking about.

Ali Akbar Salehi: Yes.

Interviewer: The one they said they poured concrete into…

Ali Akbar Salehi: Right. The one they said has concrete in it.

[…]

God willing, in the coming week, on the 30th or 31st of January, I will be going to Ardakan. From there, we will transfer 30 tons of yellowcake to Isfahan. Thirty tons. Ardakan has become operational.

[…]

We can now turn our single IR-8 centrifuge into three. We are permitted to do so. But right now, we have only one. Our people advised us to wait for now. After all, we are working with our experts and have meetings once every few weeks. A few weeks ago we had a meeting, and we said that we can have three… That was a nuclear explosion… May we continue?

Interviewer: Sure, go ahead.

[…]

Ali Akbar Salehi: We have advanced significantly in the field of nuclear propulsion. However, we must wait until we are certain about it before we announce it.

[…]

For now, we have no intention to report about the nuclear propulsion [technology], but we are working on it. Suffice it to say that we are making rapid progress in this field, thank God….

 

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Filed Under: Featured, Iran, War is deceit Tagged With: Ali Akbar Salehi


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Comments

  1. christianblood says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    Israel is secretly helping Saudis develop nuclear weapons. This is beyond suicidal! It is like helping ISIS develop nukes! More of this below:

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180531-israel-is-selling-nuclear-information-to-saudi-arabia/

    • Terry Gain says

      Jan 24, 2019 at 7:29 pm

      Cb

      I think Israel can get by without your help.

      • christianblood says

        Jan 24, 2019 at 8:34 pm

        Terry Gain

        Like the US and the West, Israel loves Al-Qaeda, evacuates hundreds of Al-Qaeda jihadists from Syria. Watch Netanyahu bragging about this:

        • Terry Gain says

          Jan 24, 2019 at 9:23 pm

          Cb
          You are insane.

        • christianblood says

          Jan 25, 2019 at 6:38 am

          Terry Gain

          Insane for pointing out irrefutable facts! I got it!

        • gravenimage says

          Jan 25, 2019 at 5:09 pm

          Israel rescued members of a group that most just mistakenly consider a humanitarian group.

          Iran continues to scream that they want to “wipe Israel off the map”.

          Which of these enrages christianblood? This may or may not be insane, but it certainly is incredibly ugly.

    • gravenimage says

      Jan 24, 2019 at 7:33 pm

      The Middle East Monitor is a propaganda arm of the Muslim Brotherhood that supports Hamas and the “Palestinian” Jihad against Israel. It is known for its conspiracy theories against Israel. Staff members have been involved with funding Jihad. It is a Jihadist publication.

      christianblood mostly hates the Muslim Brotherhood–they are the wrong sect of Jihadist for his taste–but is clearly willing to make an exception here because he hates Israel and Jews much more.

      Note that christianblood has *no* problem with Iran openly admitting that they have lied and are continuing their nuclear program–which they have said that they are going to use to attack Israel.

      Instead, he cites a Jihad propaganda rag claiming that Israel is aiding the Saudis. All very telling.

      • carpediadem says

        Jan 24, 2019 at 9:55 pm

        Tweeted your first paragraph, GI, with credit. Well said.

        • gravenimage says

          Jan 25, 2019 at 12:08 am

          Thank you, carpediadem.

  2. gravenimage says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    Iran’s nuclear top dog: We secretly bought replacements for nuclear equipment that nuke deal made us destroy
    ………………..,

    In other words, the Iranians lied. Is anyone surprised?

  3. ntesdorf says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Will the Sunnis and Shia finally destroy each other at the hands of nuclear-armed Saudi Arabia and Iran.

    • christianblood says

      Jan 25, 2019 at 6:51 am

      ntesdorf

      Saudis with nukes is like ISIS with nukes and anyone thinking to help Saudis develop nukes may as well help ISIS develop nukes! Remember 19 Sunni Arab jihadists on 9/11,
      15 of which were Saudis who brought down the twin towers and the pentagon and murdered 3000 Americans on a single day, in a fit of jihad attack? Imagine if these same jihadists (ISIS is actually even worse than Al-Qaeda) are now armed with American & Israeli supplied nukes? There is actually a very high possibility this may happen within a few years! Unthinkable but it will very like happen!

      US may open path for Saudi Arabia to acquire nuclear weapons. More below:

      https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180221-us-may-open-path-for-saudi-arabia-to-acquire-nuclear-weapons/

      • gravenimage says

        Jan 25, 2019 at 5:24 pm

        Iran was also involved with 9/11. We don’t want *either* of these hideous Jihad Shari’ah states to have nukes.

        And I see that christianblood continues to post this propaganda against Israel–despite my having exposed its provenance, above.

        • martin says

          Jan 25, 2019 at 10:24 pm

          You mean muslamic draculiar

  4. Terry Gain says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    As I asked throughout Obama’s Presidency: Is Obama naive or evil? I think it is naive to believe that Obama is naive. He wanted Iran to have nuclear weapons.

    • Stop Public Enemy #1 CAIR is Hamas says

      Jan 24, 2019 at 9:16 pm

      Obama the now deposed emperor and John backstabbing Kerry treason,sedition and massagers of Allah aiding and abetting

  5. Terry Gain says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    This is not a surprise to those of us who knew from the outset that the Iran deal was insane. As Barack Obama said shortly after the deal was signed, it only prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons during the term of the deal. After the deal expired Iran was free to develop nuclear weapons. Sensible people believed Iran would cheat during the deal. Last year Israel proved that Iran did cheat. Now we have the Iranians admitting that they cheated.

    So how long will the American media keep up the pretense that Obama was not, at best, a gross incompetent?

  6. mortimer says

    Jan 24, 2019 at 11:15 pm

    A heavy-water reactor with a calandria and fuel tubes is one that will rapidly produce plutonium, faster than a light-water reactor. That is the point: no one requires plutonium but a rogue state that is building a bomb.

    Shi’ites are the hands-down winners in the INTERNATIONAL TAQIYYA CHAMPIONSHIPS.

  7. For Love is Lord of All says

    Jan 25, 2019 at 1:14 am

    For we breathe the air so free. Your blessed souls, your blessed souls, your blessed souls.
    (Please remember this every D Day and all the other days that we remember those fallen in the name and glory of freedom).
    Don’t forget to hug your children.

  8. FYI says

    Jan 25, 2019 at 10:42 am

    Oh Israel..?

    The choice is given:-

    “If the Lord is God,
    follow Him.
    But if baal be god
    follow him”
    I KINGS 18 V 21

    PATH A follow the Biblical God of Israel
    PATH B follow ” that which is NOT the True God,the Biblical God of Israel”{=baal}

    Jews and Christians,to the extent to which they understand Israel’s importance,prophecy and follow the OFFICIAL laws of God{the ten Exodus 20 and the 2 Chief laws(Deut 6:4-9,Lev 19:18,Matthew 22 v 40)} are on PATH A

    muslims,to the extent to which they do not understand Israel’s importance,do not understand Biblical Prophecy and do NOT conform to God’s OFFICIAL LAWS{see the koran and note the 2 chief laws are missing}are on PATH B …{though THEY THINK they are on PATH A}

    allah,the BEST OF DECEIVERS k3:54{A REALLY BIG HINT for those who can see..} is NOT the Judeo-Christian Biblical God.This is the Key.

    Judaism and Christianity subscribe to the Biblical God
    islam subscribes to the islamic koranic god allah “the BEST OF DECEIVERS”{how many hints does it take?!}

    So we have the Judeo-Christian Biblical God{JCB} and we have the islamic-koranic{ik} parody god allah{ a god who CURSES Jews and Christians k9:30,doesn’t understand the role of the Jews,completely missed the 2 chief commandments,thinks Moses Jesus and Abraham were muslims,doesn’t understand theology and who has a prophet who was a mass-murderer of Jews{Abu Dawud 4390}and….I love to say this,I’m sorry…a cross dressing,black slave owning,camel pee drinker with a fantasy winged horse that took him to Jerusalem to visit a mosque that apparently didn’t exist in muhmmed’s time k17:1}

    JCB vs ik
    {The God of Israel} vs {baal}
    {The God of the “people of the book” Jews and Christians} vs {allah the muslim god}

    It’s not rocket-science.. people!

    This is WISDOM:something most “religious scholars” and idiotic academics simply don’t understand.

    Do not worry if you are Jewish or in Israel:The Holy Land is your God-given ancestral homeland.Any attempt to destroy Israel is “crossing the Rubicon” for the Real Deal,
    the God of Israel{..Christians BTW believe ALL those prophecies too..}Besides,if God gave Israel back to the Jews He would hardly want its destruction:look who wants Israel destroyed!..the iranians,hizbollah,hamas etc,followers of allah the BEST OF DECEIVERS and they don’t get it!They don’t get the REALLY BIG CLUE.

    A god who boasts about being “the best of deceivers”?How can you trust such a god?
    How do you know he is not deceiving you..since after all..he is the “best of deceivers”?
    You don’t.

    The Actual God{the JCB version} you can trust as you can the fulfilment of Biblical prophecies concerning Israel.

    Whoever wants to destroy Israel is the enemy of the God of Israel.
    The enemy of the Actual God:you cannot defeat the God of Israel!

    {You might be interested in {from the OT}
    Daniel chpt 11-12,Joel bk 3{recommended:God has PROMISES for Israel},Zecharaiah 12-14,2 Esdras 6.Biblical prophecy is Real and True:don’t waste time trying to explain it to academics and professors of “religious” studies.Biblical prophecy is GOOD NEWS:it is God’s way of explaining that,despite trials and tribulations,He will keep all His promises.In fact He already did …in 1948{see Joel book 3}Stick to PATH A}

    Never forget David versus goliath:it is richly symbolic of God’s plan for Israel.At first the odds appear impossible:how can a small Jewish boy possibly defeat a giant warrior in combat?

    THEN
    {David + the God of Israel} versus {goliath the giant+baal(“the best of deceivers”)}

    NOW
    {Israel+ the God of Israel} versus{the enemies of Israel + allah(“the best of deceivers”}

    “oh allah the best of deceivers,you surely would not deceive us would you?of course not..let us iranians and enemies of Israel join forces and wipe the Israelis out with their God of Israel who is no match for our allah..kick them out of their homeland.What could possibleigh go wronxg?”

    Remember that allah is “the best of deceivers” and if you have WISDOM you’ll see that’s the god of PATH B….

    Remember too that the Jews in Israel have the most powerful weapon known to defend Israel{secular Jews and atheists won’t get this but religiously observant Jews will}..it’s called..
    The Real Deal:the God of Israel

  9. Keys says

    Jan 25, 2019 at 10:39 pm

    Lies throughout Islamic history. Deja vu all over again.

    As several JW posters have pointed out, Zia of Pakistan insisted to the USA, and President Reagan at the time, that Pakistan would never develop a nuclear bomb; they were interested only in nuclear energy.

    After Pakistan had the bomb American officials confronted Zia about his deceit. Zia”s response was that it is permissable to lie for Islam.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YkRKlsywPNc

    • gravenimage says

      Jan 26, 2019 at 12:43 am

      +1

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