Iran Nukes

[jacktruth]

Hmm. I wonder why Iran doesn't respect the authority of the UN?

. . . If you don't obey the resolutions of the UN, we're going to keep asking you to obey them until it irritates you into submission. . .we may even have to suspend you from the UN and take away your key to the executive washroom.
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Khatami: Iran Keeping Nuclear Program

Tuesday, September 21, 2004



VIENNA, Austria — Defying a key demand set by 35 nations, Iran announced Tuesday it has started converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons.

Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami (search), vowed his country will press ahead with its nuclear program — which he insisted is peaceful — even if it means a rupture with the U.N. watchdog agency and an end to inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.

"We've made our choice: Yes to peaceful nuclear technology, no to atomic weapons," President Mohammad Khatami said at a military parade in Tehran. "We will continue along our path even if it leads to an end to international supervision."

In Vienna, Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh said tests are "going on successfully" to make uranium hexafluoride gas (search), the material that, in the next stage, is fed into centrifuges for enrichment.

Of the more than 40 tons of raw uranium being mined for conversion, "Some ... has been used," he told reporters.

His comments, outside the general conference of the 137-nation International Atomic Energy Agency (search), were the latest sign that Iran was ignoring demands made on the weekend by the agency's board of governors to suspend all enrichment and related activities and banish international fears the technology could be used to make weapons.

Iran, which insists it needs enrichment to generate power, announced months ago that it had planned to "test" conversion techniques.

Even before Tuesday's announcement, the large scale of the project — involving more than 40 tons of raw uranium — had heightened concerns that Iran is preparing for full uranium conversion at its Isfahan facility that goes beyond laboratory testing.

Khatami said Iran won't seek nuclear weapons, regardless of IAEA supervision.

"I declare to the world that whether we are under supervision or not, we won't go for nuclear weapons at all," he said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iran's 1980-88 war with Iraq. The parade included an example of Iran's ballistic missile, the Shahab-3 (search), which has the capacity to carry nuclear warheads.

"We won't go for nuclear weapons not because we fear others, but because of our beliefs and principles, because we oppose nuclear weapons and consider them a threat to humanity," he said.

A resolution passed unanimously Saturday by the agency's governing board demanded for the first time that Iran freeze all work on uranium enrichment and expressed alarm at Iranian planned conversion of the raw uranium.

Suggesting that Iran may have to answer to the U.N. Security Council if it defied the demands, the resolution said the next board meeting in November would "decide whether or not further steps are appropriate" in ensuring Iran complies.

The resolution specifically expressed alarm at Iranian plans to convert the more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride.

In his comment Tuesday, Aghazadeh did not detail the stage the conversion had reached, nor the amounts involved.

But a diplomat familiar with Iran's conversion activities, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press, however, that Iran apparently began in late August and had stopped at a precursor of uranium hexafluoride — apparently waiting for a decision from the leadership to finish the process.

Iran's present suspension of enrichment falls short of international demands.

It says it is honoring a pledge not to put uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges, spin it and make enriched uranium. But the resolution calls for a stop as well to related activities, including a halt to making, assembling and testing centrifuges, and to producing the uranium hexafluoride.

Iran is not prohibited from enrichment under its obligations to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (search). It has for months faced international pressure to suspend such activities as a good-faith gesture, but the resolution went further by actually demanding a stop to enrichment and related activities.

While demanding Iran suspend all uranium enrichment activities, the resolution also recognized nations' right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy — leaving some wiggle room for the Islamic Republic.

Aghazadeh repeated Iran's view that — because its suspension is voluntary and not governed by agreements with the IAEA — his country was free to enrich no matter what the board demanded.

"We believe that what was decided by the board of governors is unjust," he said.

He suggested Iran's course of action remained open between full suspension as demanded by the board and full enrichment, saying Tehran "will decide on the basis of our national interests and not subject to pressures" what do.

Iran's secretly developed enrichment program — undetected for 18 years until it was unmasked almost two years ago — has been the focus of increased world concern because of suspicions Tehran may not be telling the truth when it says it is interested in the technology only to generate power.

On Monday, the first day of the general conference, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (search) urged Iran to heed the board's call for a full freeze of enrichment and linked activities — a message also enforced by U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and the European Union.

[dalmations202]

If Iran really wants Nukes, since I am getting so soft here lately, I really think that the US should send them a half dozen or so to them.

Delivery method to be determined at the bargaining table.

[knowitall]

Not suprised your interested in destroying an entire nation. Many Iranians would like to rebel against their leadership. You would like to assist in their struggle by killing them, too? Typical redneck hawk.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: knowitall
Not suprised your interested in destroying an entire nation. Many Iranians would like to rebel against their leadership. You would like to assist in their struggle by killing them, too? Typical redneck hawk.

No, just someone who has been there, and done that, instead of someone sitting at home B!@#$n about it. Until you have actually put your own life on the line to save someone else in a foreign country, you really don't need to speak or call me a redneck hawk because you don't know me.

I didn't say destroy the nation, I said delivery method to be determined at the bargaining table.

[Drbio]

dalm- you've been sucked into the bitch zone. Ignore the troll and she will leave.

[knowitall]

I have "been there, done that". Maybe you should step a little closer to heat. Live "in" it, not just passing through.

[dude1394]

Knowsalittle won't be happy until they drop one on israel. You know terrorist nation and all that the israelis are.

[knowitall]

Put down the crack pipe Dude. You're hallucinating. I was attempting to have dalmation put himself in the world of the opressed. Not just "Sir yes Sir, here to kill for you Sir" jarhead crap. But thanks for jumping in at the 2 minute warning. You couldn't understand the investment of the entire game.

[dude1394]

Hey I can't help it that you prefer palestinian terrorists and iranian terrorists to a democracy like israel.

[knowitall]

I think you're looking for some Aryan website. You'd probably be much happier.

[dude1394]

Hmmm...that would be YOU looking for an aryan website I think.

[knowitall]

Maybe you should define who you think I am, where I come from, what you think I believe, why I think what I think.

[Drbio]

Can we not take out the ignorant troll?

[dude1394]

I think you are about 12 years old, you come from someplace where terrorists are thought as freedom fighters, you somehow believe that you have some sort of moral compass that makes you better than most and you think this way because you are a pampered leftie.

[Epitome22]

You know next to nothing about the situation in Ireland, she's actually from an area where terrorist activity is well known. Perhaps she knows more about them and what the locals think about them than you do.

As for the moral compass, once again. It's not the left's fault that the right has no sense of humanity or empathy. That's ok, we fully resolved ourselves to being the moral conscience of a soulless right wing a long time ago.

[mavsman55]

Originally posted by: Epitome22
You know next to nothing about the situation in Ireland, she's actually from an area where terrorist activity is well known. Perhaps she knows more about them and what the locals think about them than you do.

As for the moral compass, once again. It's not the left's fault that the right has no sense of humanity or empathy. That's ok, we fully resolved ourselves to being the moral conscience of a soulless right wing a long time ago.

Right? No sense of humanity or empathy? What a crock of s***. Liberals are the ones who support slaughtering young babies before they have a chance to live. Republicans favor this war because in the long run it will bring peace (and food) to millions who have desperately needed it for so many years. All you dumbass liberals care about is gas prices and school supplies. Give me a break.

[dalmations202]

Originally posted by: knowitall
Put down the crack pipe Dude. You're hallucinating. I was attempting to have dalmation put himself in the world of the opressed. Not just "Sir yes Sir, here to kill for you Sir" jarhead crap. But thanks for jumping in at the 2 minute warning. You couldn't understand the investment of the entire game.

Erased
<edit>
My apologies Knowitall. I know not to write things that get personal, but I did, and now I have erased it. Once again, my apologies.