i await noted nuclear weapons specialist sam fisher's telling us why this is no big deal... http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/02/iran.nuclear.ap/index.html [rquoter]TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran has reached its long-sought goal of running 3,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium for its nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Sunday, in a report on state media. The U.N. Security Council had threatened a third round of sanctions against the country if it did not freeze the uranium enrichment program -- which Iran maintains is for peaceful energy purposes, but the U.S. says is to hide a weapons program. "The West thought the Iranian nation would give in after just a resolution, but now we have taken another step in the nuclear progress and launched more than 3,000 centrifuge machines, installing a new cascade every week," the state television Web site quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.[/rquoter]
I thought they already had nuclear power. Why wouldn't they be enriching Uranium? What does this have to do with nuclear weapons anyway?
really? i would have thought having armies on iran's western and eastern flanks would have been helpful, but perhaps i don't understand the the brilliant strategic mind at work chez fisher. what 'cha got up yer sleeve mc mcclellan?
These centrifuges operate on the manner of spinning uranium hexaflouride to sepearte the isotopes of uranium. Nuclear fuel requires a less 'pure' uranium-235. Continuing to enrich the gas leads to weapons grade material. It is much easier to design a nuclear plant than it is a nuclear bomb because of the uranium-235 concentrations. basso, if Iran were friendly with the Bush administration and vice versa would you care about Iran being nuclear?
In case you hadn't noticed, the armies on the eastern and western flank are somewhat busy - anyway are we going to get into a hilarious exchange where you plan the invasion and occupation of Iran, with an army that can't even scrounge up enough troops to do what its doing now? PLease do, dumbass, I am in the mood. This is a serious testament to your alternate reality - where the failed invasions of Iraq (and now Afghanistan) have somehow augmented American capital. THe only problem is that pretty much everybody in the world feels otherwise (Russia, China, Iran), and acts like it - which is pretty much the definiiton of a failed foreign policy.
That's a brilliant observation, thank you for this insight. I'll refer you back to my point. Uranium to be used in a power plant also requires enrichment, why wouldn't they be doing this?
