No big deal, it's just in Iran. We can safely forget this story because the priority is dealing with the imaginary stuff in Iraq. __________________________ More Iran Nuke Discoveries VIENNA, Austria, Sept. 25, 2003 The U.N. atomic watchdog agency found additional traces of weapons-grade uranium in Iran, adding to international concerns about the nature of Tehran's nuclear programs, diplomats said Thursday. The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the readings were registered by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency looking for evidence of a possible nuclear weapons program. The diplomats said minute quantities of the substance were found at the Kalay-e Electric Co. Earlier this year, U.N. inspectors found enriched uranium particles at Iran's uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz. Iran says its nuclear programs are to produce energy and that the traces of weapons-grade material were imported on equipment purchased from abroad. The United States and its allies argue the material is further evidence of an effort to develop nuclear weapons. The U.N. agency's board of governors earlier this month set an Oct. 31 deadline for Iran to disprove that it has a weapons program. The board could ask the Security Council to get involved — possibly applying sanctions — in the dispute if at its next meeting it finds that Iran is violating the global treaty banning the spread of nuclear weapons. Agency officials said they would not comment on ongoing inspections of Iran's nuclear program. "We are not commenting on the results of samples or ongoing inspections," said IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky. A team of inspectors from the agency is scheduled to leave for Tehran on Sunday, for "an intensive work program over the next five weeks involving more or less a continuous presence in Iran," Gwozdecky said. Iran on Monday announced that it would cut back its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in response to the agency's Oct. 31 deadline — which Tehran says was politically motivated. The decision, announced by Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's representative to the IAEA, suggested that that Tehran would cooperate only to the point it was bound to under agreements with the agency. In recent weeks, agency inspectors had been given access to sites not covered in the agreements, although the IAEA had complained of delays that in some cases appeared to have served to give authorities a chance to cover their tracks. In August, Iran allowed inspectors to visit Kalay-e after they were turned away two months before when they came to take environmental samples. Iran allegedly had tested centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium, at the site.
Hey, they're in the "Axis of Evil", too. I was assuming it was only a matter of time before we hit them all. Gotta save something for the second term.
Yeah, except these guys are classic bullies. They're not going to invade Iran if there is a remote chance that a bomb is available.
Clearly nobody here has their thinking caps on. Start by asking the important question: Where did they get the uranium? Then consider that we KNOW that Iraq had uranium...we KNOW that we can't find it now in Iraq...and now, stop the press, we KNOW that weapons grade uranium turns up in a country only one letter away from Iraq. I'd say that this is pretty conclusive PROOF that Saddam Hussein had WMD materials. Of course, some won't admit it, no matter how obvious the EVIDENCE is...
MacBeth - Are you serious? You are entirely discounting that at one time the US supported Saddam & Iraq and the Ruskies supported Iran. Call me an idiot or not using a "thinking cap" but I see a fairly easy pathway from the collapsing USSR into Tehran.
I don't trust these Mullahs one second. If the choice was to invade them now or for them to have a nuclear bomb next month, I'd say go in there.
I don't know. It just makes me really uneasy to see nuclear weapons in the hands of these lunatics. I don't know what would be the best way to deal with it. But I think they are at least as dangerous as Saddam was. In my view, they are one of the global bastions of intolerance and I think they are a big threat to peace in the world.
SJC - I 100% agree about the mullahs. However, IMHO I believe the US would be better served working with/thru the UN on this one. I don't feel that the US ever proved the case for the WMD's in Iraq, but this looks a whole lot easier to build a worldwide coalition. The end result of a unilateral pre-emptive move against Iran would be an incredibly bad PR move. The US must not (IMO) look like an occupier of 3 ME countries. That plays really poorly in the Arab world.
GATER, I totally agree with you that a unilateral move would not be the best option. I was just thinking out aloud how I feel about the guys running the country in Iran, and not seriously suggesting any action to be taken.
Here's the problem as I see it. We accused and invaded a nation who we thought was an eminent threat. Turned out the administration was wrong How do you justify any action now? That’s the problem with preemption.
Gater: No, I was not serious, just...er...pre-emptive? I would never say something like the thinking cap comment in seriousness; I thought you'd have known me better.
Exactly! Our credibility is shot. How is our intel going to convince other nations to join us in the future? It will be hard to present a case for action in the future and to be trusted by other nations.
SJC, I will have to agree with you on that one. But we may not need to act...Israel make take care of business just like they did when they flattened the Osriak nuclear plant in you-guessed-it-Iraq with an airstrike back in 1981. Their raid was so successful and accurate (while proving the F-16 was one of the finest fighter-bombers in the world) that it turned Saddam's dream of an Arab bomb into nothing more than another pipe dream. Osriak raid
Out of curiosity, isn't Iran compling to all the rules? The problem as I see it is, If Iran's neighbors all have nukes Officially India/Pakistan/Russia unofficiallly Israel and soon possible SArabia, wouldn't that make them want to get them to prevent being conquered. Imperialism is still a real thing and when your neighbors have the bombs and you don't, you're likely to believe you'll get slaughtered.
Iran will not be allowed to get the bomb. Either we will act or the Israelis will before that happens. And if we don't, it is a sure bet that the Israelis will. No Israeli PM could stand by and do nothing while their mortal enemies got nukes. Not acting would not be an option for them.
