1. "Nuclear weapons are both complicated and very simple. Conventional explosives get energy from breaking chemical bonds between atoms. Nuclear bombs release the energy bound up inside individual atoms, a far bigger source of power. The difference in power is staggering. Fat Man, the bomb that the United States dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, used fourteen pounds of plutonium to produce a blast with the energy produced by 42 million pounds of conventional explosive. The bomb killed 70,000 people immediately and tens of thousands more over the next generation. Yet by modern standards, the Fat Man bomb is puny.
2. Fortunately for humanity’s survival, most types of atoms can’t be used in nuclear weapons. The exceptions are plutonium and a certain kind of uranium, called U-235, so-called fissile materials.
. In its natural state, uranium ore consists of two different isotopes, U-235 and U-238. They look the same, a heavy dull yellow metal. But they have different atomic structures. U-235 can be used to make a bomb. U-238 can’t.
3. In its natural state, uranium is made up of 97 percent U-238, the useless kind, with just 3 percent U-235 mixed in. When the United States began the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons, its scientists had to find a way to separate the valuable U-235 from U-238. They found the answer in centrifuges, enclosed chambers that spin very fast, and enabled them to pull the lighter U-235 out of the U-238.
In theory, the centrifuge procedure is relatively straightforward. But as the Iranians had found out, bridging the gap between theory and reality could be difficult. Even under the best of circumstances, it required a small army of well-trained engineers and physicists. The Iranians had an added challenge. Because of the threat of the Israeli air force, they were working in labs buried seventy feet underground."
From the novel "The Ghost War," by Alex Berenson, p. 68-70
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4. "During testimony on Capitol Hill last week, U.S. Central Command General Erika Kurilla warned Iran's nuclear program had progressed significantly and into the zone of a three week sprint to 10 nuclear bombs.
"The IAEA uses 90% enrichment as the benchmark for weapons-grade uranium, and it considers 25 kg of 90% enriched uranium enough to construct a simple nuclear weapon. The IAEA estimates current Iranian stockpiles to include over 400 kg of 60% enriched uranium – almost double of what it was just six months ago," Kurilla testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee. This is mere steps from reaching the 90% threshold for weaponization. Should the Regime decide to sprint to a nuclear weapon, it is estimated that current stockpiles and the available centrifuges across several enrichment plants are sufficient to produce its first 25 kg of weapons-grade material in roughly one week and enough for up to ten nuclear weapons in three weeks."
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5. Is, or isn't, a nuclear Iran a threat to the world?
2. Fortunately for humanity’s survival, most types of atoms can’t be used in nuclear weapons. The exceptions are plutonium and a certain kind of uranium, called U-235, so-called fissile materials.
. In its natural state, uranium ore consists of two different isotopes, U-235 and U-238. They look the same, a heavy dull yellow metal. But they have different atomic structures. U-235 can be used to make a bomb. U-238 can’t.
3. In its natural state, uranium is made up of 97 percent U-238, the useless kind, with just 3 percent U-235 mixed in. When the United States began the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons, its scientists had to find a way to separate the valuable U-235 from U-238. They found the answer in centrifuges, enclosed chambers that spin very fast, and enabled them to pull the lighter U-235 out of the U-238.
In theory, the centrifuge procedure is relatively straightforward. But as the Iranians had found out, bridging the gap between theory and reality could be difficult. Even under the best of circumstances, it required a small army of well-trained engineers and physicists. The Iranians had an added challenge. Because of the threat of the Israeli air force, they were working in labs buried seventy feet underground."
From the novel "The Ghost War," by Alex Berenson, p. 68-70
Skip's ESL BITS - English Language Learning - ESL Listening Stories, Songs, Audiobooks
4. "During testimony on Capitol Hill last week, U.S. Central Command General Erika Kurilla warned Iran's nuclear program had progressed significantly and into the zone of a three week sprint to 10 nuclear bombs.
"The IAEA uses 90% enrichment as the benchmark for weapons-grade uranium, and it considers 25 kg of 90% enriched uranium enough to construct a simple nuclear weapon. The IAEA estimates current Iranian stockpiles to include over 400 kg of 60% enriched uranium – almost double of what it was just six months ago," Kurilla testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee. This is mere steps from reaching the 90% threshold for weaponization. Should the Regime decide to sprint to a nuclear weapon, it is estimated that current stockpiles and the available centrifuges across several enrichment plants are sufficient to produce its first 25 kg of weapons-grade material in roughly one week and enough for up to ten nuclear weapons in three weeks."
UPDATE: A New Hint; ‘Not in the Mood to Negotiate’: Trump Heads to the Situation Room
Trump heads to the Situation Room, not in the mood to negotiate amid ongoing tensions with Iran.
townhall.com
5. Is, or isn't, a nuclear Iran a threat to the world?
