Nuclear Iran

[Superlative]

Iran enrichment 'in early stages'

The head of the UN's nuclear agency has said Iran is only at the early stages of enriching uranium.

Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran had not reached the industrial scale of uranium enrichment it claimed recently.

Mr ElBaradei said Iran had only hundreds of centrifuges for enriching uranium, not the thousands that would be needed for industrial production.

Tehran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, but the West fears it wants to build atomic bombs.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said international concern over Iran's nuclear programme was based on its motives, rather than its current capability.

"Iran is still just at the beginning stages in setting up its Natanz enrichment facility. The talk of building a facility with 50,000 centrifuges is just at the beginning, and it is currently only in the hundreds," Mr ElBaradei said.

The UN Security Council has imposed a package of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to cease enriching uranium, which some Western countries fear could be part of a secret nuclear weapons programme.........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6549185.stm

IAEA says Iran at starting stage of nuke enrichment
By Souhail Karam

RIYADH (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Thursday that Iran was still at the starting stage of creating a uranium enrichment plant and that concerns stemmed more from its motivations than the scale of production.

"There are various definitions of industrial scale production. Iran is still at the starting stage of creating a uranium enrichment plant," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Riyadh.

"The fears do not only stem from Iran conducting industrial production but rather Iran's aims behind (enriching uranium) before it has nuclear reactors for electric power generation that need enriched uranium........"

http://news.scotsman.com/latest_international.cfm?id=563252007


Nuclear Iran threatens whole Middle East, not just Israel

BY HOWARD GASES

The United Nations Security Council last month unanimously passed Resolution 1747, which imposed stricter sanctions on the Iranian government for its continuation of uranium enrichment activities. Not surprisingly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad characterized the resolution as illegal and declared that Iran's nuclear program will not be halted.

While this development shows that the international community is taking the Iranian nuclear threat seriously, the unpredictability of the United Nations and the lack of actual change on the ground make it necessary to continue making a strong case against an Iranian bomb......

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070412/OPINION/704120379/1030

 

[Superlative]

Iran's big bluff


Iran's claims this week to have reached an industrial level of uranium enrichment have largely been met with scorn. ISN Security Watch investigates the current status of the Iranian nuclear program.

By Dominic Moran in Tel Aviv for ISN Security Watch (13/4/07)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced during a visit to the Natanz enrichment facility on Monday that the Islamic Republic was now capable of uranium enrichment on an "industrial scale," in direct contravention of UN resolutions.

However, serious doubts have arisen concerning the enrichment claim, and Iran's ability to pay for atomic facilities currently under construction, shedding a new light on the capacity and future potential of the Iranian nuclear program.

Referring to a recently extended UN sanctions package, Institute for National Security Studies disarmament expert Dr Emily Landau told ISN Security Watch: "What we need to take from this announcement is [that it is] just a further indication after the second round of sanctions that the whole issue of continuing the program as it is - enriching uranium - is still very much on the agenda. Iran has no intention of complying with the latest UN resolution.

Regarding the announcement itself, she said, "I don't think that it is really [indicative] of Iran being at that point of no return or a technical threshold where it can go it alone and start industrial-scale production."

Asked if the Iranian announcement signaled a major developmental step, International Institute for Strategic Studies non-proliferation expert Mark Fitzpatrick told ISN Security Watch: "No, It was a political announcement, devoid of any supporting evidence. Iran is not at the industrial-scale of enrichment, and will not be for some time."

Asked to explain the diplomatic implications of Monday's announcement, he said, "It showed that Iran has no intention of honoring the UN mandate that it suspend all enrichment-related activity."..................


http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=17488

 

[AveMaria58]

we've seen this movie before...