UN nuclear watchdog rebuts claims that Iran is trying to make A-bomb

[evermind]

UN nuclear watchdog rebuts claims that Iran is trying to make A-bomb

By Anne Penketh
Published: 14 August 2005

<snip>

Iran is about to receive a major boost from the results of a scientific analysis that will prove that the country's authorities were telling the truth when they said they were not developing a nuclear weapon. The discovery of traces of weapons-grade uranium in Iran by UN inspectors in August 2003 set off alarm bells in Western capitals where it was feared that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon under cover of a civil programme. The inspectors took the samples from Iran's uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, which had been concealed from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 18 years.

But Iran maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, and that the traces must have been contamination from the Pakistani-based black market network of scientist AQ Khan. He is the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb.

The analysis of components from Pakistan, obtained last May by the IAEA, is now almost complete and is set to conclude that the traces of weapons-grade uranium match those found in Iran. "The investigation is likely to show that they came from Pakistan," a Vienna-based diplomat told The Independent on Sunday.

The new information, which strengthens Iran's case after last week's contentious IAEA board meeting in Vienna, will be a central part of the next report to the board by Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA chief. "The biggest single issue of the past two years has now fallen in their [the Iranians'] favour," the diplomat said. The meeting of the 35-nation board, which ended last Thursday, urged Iran to suspend the uranium-related activity at its Isfahan plant, which many fear will be the first step towards building a nuclear weapon.

(... continues ...)

(From the (UK) Independent on Sunday, at http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article305741.ece )

[rodeodance]

1. ah--good, --a pre-emptive strike by the UN. Cheney--read this!!

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. They'll just turn around and say "Iran is making an A-bomb!"

Or as with Saddam and 9/11, repeatedly mention both in the same breath until people automatically associate them, facts be damned.

I also seem to remember the UN investigators claiming that they'd found no WMD, and that didn't make a difference either. The engine is rev'ing.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. the dick cannot be bothered with facts as they are, but he can

errantly spout "facts" as he sees them. Why did G_d put our oil under Iraq and Iran's sand??

[mom cat]

4. Those pesky scientists are messing things up for poor George again!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. They rebutted the same claims about Iraq

A lot of good it did.

[evermind]

6. True, but the climate is quite different now (n/t)

[Nihil]

14. Since when has Bush taken notice of "climate change"?

:-)

Sadly, it doesn't matter which definition of 'climate' you use,
BushCo just ignores it ...

[evermind]

20. It's not Bush whose views are relevant - two years ago

he had a lot more support, internationally, domestically, and within the GOP, than he does now. People (just people, not Bush) are more willing to listen to evidence, as 9/11 recedes and rationality begins to return.

Remember that headline yesterday about "shedding unreality"? - you wouldn't have heard such talk 3 years ago.

[jsamuel]

16. Good point, Just look at how quickly we recovered from 7/7

Bush's numbers didn't change at all...

Obviously it would have been different if it were on US soil, but that doesn't necessarily mean by much. It could have even LESSENED peoples faith in him.

[jsamuel]

7. We should Email this out!!!

[DemonFighterLives]

8. That will make no difference to dubby

When he says all options are on the table, he means it is a go. While he was pretending to wait for UN approval of actions against Iraq, he was already bombing the helm out of them.

[jsamuel]

9. It should make a difference if we let everyone know about it, unlike IRAQ

We are here now to take this to the people and not let the MSM ignore this like they did the weapon inspectors before IRAQ. DON'T GIVE UP!

[DemonFighterLives]

11. Many knew Iraq was a given

but I won't give up hope

[jsamuel]

15. That is true, but WE have the power to inform thousands and thousands more

than we did then. For example, I WASN'T EVEN HERE THEN!

[drduffy]

10. may only make a difference if

people spread the word. Write letters to the editor, send copies to friends. The more people that know the truth, the less likely it is to make no difference.

[moondust]

12. Bushco: "We Don't Care"

Never have, never will.

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. The Bush/Cheney Iran policy is NOT based on facts, but on greed. All real

evidence points to Iran not being able to build a nuclear bomb for many years. Meanwhile, GOP mouthpieces like Jerome Corsi are telling everyone that Iran has nukes NOW and must be invaded before the evil "mullahs" bomb us - he especially likes the idea of Ny City being bombed.

All this and more in the many links in the opening post and replies in this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4252778
Thread title: Three extremely important threads on Iran nukes & the Bush agenda

[annabanana]

17. too late to nominate

But this should be on the front page! Everything that's going out in the corpomedia is about how Iran is uncorking the nuclear genie..

"The investigation is likely to show that they came from Pakistan,"

The fact that a nuclear program doesn't always mean a weapons program has not even been mentioned. And just exactly WHERE did Pakistan get their fizzy stuff? Oh, wait....

[jsamuel]

18. EXACTLY, IT SHOULD BE FRONT PAGE!!! ON EVERYTHING!!!

[evermind]

21. Well, this is only advance notice of the report - the report, if

and when it comes out, will be the thing to spread around.. ;-)

[Theduckno2]

19. We can at least keep it Page 1 of the LBN!

Kicked!

[annabanana]

22. kick goddam it....

keep this where people can read it!

[annabanana]

23. kick fer cryin' out loud... . . . n/t

[struggle4progress]

24. kick

[annabanana]

25. another kick... this REALLY has to be digested..