Iran Has Enriched Uranium for First Time

[ECH1969]

Iran has enriched uranium for the first time using 164 centrifuges, a major development in its fuel cycle technology, news agencies quoted a former president as saying Tuesday.

The announcement by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani was the first disclosure that Iran had successfully enriched uranium since February, when it began research at its enrichment facility in the town of Natanz.

"Iran has put into operation the first unit of 164 centrifuges, has injected (uranium) gas and has reached industrial production," the Kuwait News Agency quoted Rafsanjani as saying.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had promised Monday to announce "good nuclear news" soon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060411/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

[Greeby]

1. Ho boy

:hide:

[berni_mccoy]

2. Here we go.... the bombs will start dropping soon.

:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

[Nimrod2005]

3. Can we say this happened on Bush watch? or is it Clinton's fault?

[Greeby]

4. You what? It's always Clintons' fault

:eyes:

[chelsea0011]

11. I don't know. I'm beginning to think it's Jimmy Carter's fault. I'm

waiting for the repukes to start the "we can all trace this back to the hostage crisis" stuff. Or then again, it is all really FDR's fault. Isn't it?

[frankly_fedup2]

21. I guess this is Iran's way of saying

Nah-nee-nah-nee-poo-pooooooo.

Problem is, Bush will say, "I triple-dog dare you" and we all know what that means. . . :hide:

Soon, there should be dancing in the Arab Steets . . . :woohoo: :rofl: :woohoo:

:applause: "We're coming America . . . You've been bombing the wrong country . . . Your leader is a jackass . . . :hi: Buh bye America:evilgrin:

[Ignacio Upton]

55. Technically Ike's fault

The CIA under Eisenhower supported the coup that installed the Shah.

[Bandit]

10. What is at fault?

Are you suggesting that Iran has not operated within the bounds of International Law. And that they do not deserve nuclear energy? Are you suggesting that or are you just peddling Administration propaganda, that Iran is only seeking to make bombs?

[Nimrod2005]

40. Damn, good point, thanks.

[fshrink]

46. I have equal trust in and fear

of the fanatics running the US and of the other brand. They are all the same. And I live by silos that the homoncule can trigger when he pleases.

[OKNancy]

5. Ah, but who knows if it is true or not

Hard to tell what is bluster and what is truth. ( kind of like GWBush )

[Ms. Clio]

6. That's just what I was thinking n/t

[MGKrebs]

9. Even if they're lying it's Clinton's fault!

He created a "culture of lying" that has spread around the world!

:evilgrin:

[Kailassa]

58. Too right he did.

Lies and cigars, I'd never enjoyed either until Clinton had his wicked way with poor innocent Monica.

Never heard of them in fact ... or blow jobs. See how well I've learnt to do it already?

Do you think the repugs will ever stop being jealous of Clinton for having a willie that works in the presence of a woman?

[arewenotdemo]

60. have to agree

All those white boys hate him because he was more intrigued by Monica and her thong than he was mouth-agape over Tiger Woods.

...and I love the way you nailed it..."in the presence of a woman"!!

[sabra]

7. CNN LBN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will "soon join the club

http://www.cnn.com

News Alert>> President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will "soon join the club of countries with nuclear technology."

[daleo]

17. He said nuclear technology, not nuclear weapons

The phrase is provocative, although that may be the choice of western translators too.

[PFunk]

8. Well that's it...

...even it the US bombs Iran. Eventually they will eventually have the bomb. It's only a matter of time. Get ready for MAD-middle east style.

[Skink]

13. The old Axis of evil just ain't what it used to be.

[endarkenment]

18. MAD resulted in general peace and stability.

It is amazing how rational and diplomatic nations become when each side has nuclear weapons.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. Don't worry...Bush will protect us.

Hell, I've lost the ability to say that with a straight face.



:evilgrin:

[UpInArms]

14. Halliburton Iran deals under fire

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3908753.stm

A US grand jury has demanded documents relating to contracts in Iran - subject to US sanctions - by a Halliburton subsidiary based in the Cayman Islands.

The firm, which used to be run by US Vice-President Dick Cheney, said it was certain the deals were legal.

<snip>

KBR ex-chairman Jack Stanley had his consultancy contract with Halliburton torn up last month as a result of the Nigeria affair, which is under review by the US stock market regulator.

The Iran investigation is now with the Justice Department, having started in the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control - responsible for enforcing sanctions - in 2001.

Small proportion

Halliburton's Iran dealings constitute only a tiny fraction of its overall finances - about 0.5% of its $16.3bn 2003 turnover, according to the most recent annual report.

...more...

[lovuian]

15. halliburton is a traitor if it deals with Iran and should be punished

with no government contracts... we can't trust them...

But yes people this is WWIII and unfortunately Iran and Bush are not going to stop...

The signs have all been there for such an upheaval...

Get ready Oil prices are going to the roof...

[daleo]

16. There is nothing really new here

"Enriching uranium to a low level produces fuel for nuclear reactors. To a higher level, it produces the material for a nuclear bomb.

Iran would require thousands of operating centrifuges to produce enough uranium for either purpose."

It would take decades for 164 centrifuges to produce even a kilogram of highly enriched uranium. This may demonstrate a capability to do this eventually. They may also be hyping this for their own internal political purposes.

It is also not against the NPT.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

19. why, it's almost as if the story was planted to justify war. oh....

[goodboy]

20. MSRNC: They made 110LBS of it, TWICE the amount known

[SidDithers]

23. They have 110 tons of Uranium gas...

in the form of Uranium Hexafluoride, which is a production step after yellowcake. UF6 is used as the feedstock in the enrichment process. Not quite sure what you're suggesting with 110 lbs.

Sid

Edited to add some more info.

[Turbineguy]

42. Question:

"Enriched Uranium". There's quite a wide interpretation of just what that means. Nuclear power plants use a "low" grade uranium, bombs require a much higher grade. The difference of a coal fired boiler vs a Nascar race car. And then there's a question of just how much fissionable material there is.

The Iranian President is playing a dangerous game. He has said all along that the use is for electrical power. His position is that as a sovereign nation Iran should be able to do that without foreign oversight or interference. But he should remember the old street wisdom: "Never fuck with the crazy guy".

We have a nut in the Whitehouse.

So is Ahmadinejad just running Bush into the ground and will make a fool of him (as if that's needed) by at the eleventh hour having UN Inspectors find that indeed it's not weapons grade or what's going on?

On edit:

And then there's all the profits to be made from oil prices going up in the mean time...

Interestingly enough, it is likely that the increase in oil prices (which were about $10 per barrel in 1999) is paying for all this expensive research the Iranians are doing.

[SidDithers]

47. My understanding...

and I admit that my University days are a few years behind me, but here's what I remember.

Natural Uranium is basically made up of 3 isotopes, U238, U235 and U234, with concentrations of ~99.7%, 0.3% and trace amounts respectively.

Enriched Uranium is any uranium which has been processed to raise the concentration of the U235 isotope. If you have a quantity of natural uranium, and you process it, you end up with some with a higher than natural concentration of U235 (enriched uranium) and some with a lower than natural concentration of U235 (depleted uranium).

For use as a nuclear fuel, natural uranium is enriched to the point where the concentration of U235 is about 3% (low enriched uranium). For use in weapons, the uranium is enriched to the point where the U235 is at about 85% (highly enriched uranium). To get to 85%, you need a huge, and I mean massive, quantity of uranium to start with, and then you keep reproccessing it, over and over, increasing the concentration of U235 with each iteration. Hiding that kind of reproccessing would be difficult.

Sid

[daleo]

48. That all tallies with my knowledge of it too.

I think the centrifuges are pretty delicate, and have to spin at a very high speed. Thus they are prone to breakdown. Thousands of centrifuges have to go pretty well continuously for long periods to get the material for one bomb. As you say, that's hard to hide.

[SidDithers]

49. Thanks for the confirmation...

:toast:

Sid

[HannibalBarca]

52. Yup....

..As far as I remember as well, you are correct, is all about U235.

[goodboy]

22. MSRNC: (updated 1205pm) Iran will soon join"nuke technology club"

THEY've got 110LBS of the shit...twice the amount previously known



Iran says will soon join nuke technology 'club'
Tehran successfully enriches uranium for the first time, ex-president says

Updated: 12:05 p.m. ET April 11, 2006
KUWAIT - Iran “will soon join the club of countries with nuclear technology,” Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday.

Separately, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Tehran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time.

The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran stop all uranium enrichment activity by April 28. Iran has rejected the demand, saying it has a right to develop the process.

The comments by the Iranian officials came as the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, was due to visit Tehran this week for talks on the nuclear standoff.

Officials with his International Atomic Energy Agency have said he is hoping to win at least partial concessions from Iran. IAEA inspectors are currently in Iran visiting two key facilities.

Rafsanjani’s comment, carried by the Kuwait News Agency. was the first disclosure that Iran had successfully enriched uranium since February, when it began research at its enrichment facility in the town of Natanz.

Rafsanjani did not disclose the amount of uranium that Iran had enriched through the facility’s 164 centrifuges, but he said it would put the country in a good position for ElBaradei’s visit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12267675/

[Tight_rope]

24. Good for them...I think every country in the world should have bombs!

Especially the uranium enriched kind. If everyone had them, there wouldn't be all this bullshit going on back and forth about who's got what and who's trying to make what. Everyone would have them like cars. Except countries would be wasn't their money trying to make better bombs that they will never use. The first country to go bankrupt looses.:headbang:

[onehandle]

25. Goodbye, Iran. nt

[Julius Civitatus]

26. F*CK!!!

This whole thing is a nightmare spiraling out of control. Somebody please wake me up!

:scared:

[donco6]

27. Iran: We'll join the nuclear club soon

Officials say they have 110 tons of uranium gas, feedstock for enrichment

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 1:25 p.m. ET April 11, 2006
KUWAIT - Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time, a major development in its quest to develop nuclear fuel, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Tuesday, in comments that ratchet up the standoff between Tehran and the West.

Current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad added that the country "will soon join the club of countries with nuclear technology."

According to Iran's nuclear chief, Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Iran has produced 110 tons of uranium gas, the feedstock for enrichment. The amount is nearly twice the 60 tons of uranium hexaflouride, or UF-6, gas that Iran said last year that it had produced.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12267675/

So, is Ahmadinejad working for Bush or what?

[Julius Civitatus]

28. F*CK!!!

Somebody wake me up! This is a nightmare, spiraling out of control.

:scared:

[MADem]

33. They covered the announcement on cable tee vee, LIVE

Stiffed Cheney out of his moment of glory/boofest at RFK stadium!

If we go in there, this is the guy they want to install:



Mark my words...the "shah in exile" --son of Muhammed Reza, who left in a hurry. His kid is determined to get back in there, and I'll bet he has some help in DC.

[spag68]

36. picture

I think his last name is pavlavi

[MADem]

38. No, it is Pahlavi--I lived there for years

I'm pretty familiar with the place, at least the way it was when his daddy ran the joint.

[katty]

29. feeding the beast of bushco...how convenient for the hawks

[daleo]

30. Club of countries with nuclear technology

Is not the same as "club of countries with nuclear weapons".

For example, Canada, Germany, Finland, and Japan are in the former but not the latter. There are plenty of others.

[SoftUnderbelly]

31. n/t

You can hardly blame them, from their point of view the only way they can avoid being attacked is to acquire nuclear weapons as fast as possible.

[spag68]

35. Iran

Don't you think that this is just a little too convenient? Iran doesn't have a bomb, and if they try to build one, there is a real possibility that they will blow themselves. By the way I feel much more certain that the koreans will blow themselves up sooner.

[Tempest]

37. Iran will not "blow themselves up"

Iran's nuclear program is being run by the Russians, and the Russians have decades of experience.

North Korea is using Pakistani technology and know-how and stand no chance of blowing themselves either.

[Kailassa]

59. Like America has blown itself up, you mean?

It amazes me that Americans keep thinking everyone else in the world is so much dumber than they are.

I'm afraid being American makes a person no more likely to be intelligent than being Mongolian does.

[whopis01]

32. kick n/t

[endarkenment]

34. Ahmadinejad is working for Iran.

Obviously they are not particularly scared of our imminent attack. One has to wonder why they are not being more obscure.

[Virginia Dare]

39. I agree...

I don't know what the hell is going on here, but it scares me to death. I think we have two forces, one as crazy as the other, playing a serious game of chicken with millions of lives. God (if there is one) help us all.

:scared:

[endarkenment]

43. yes well the thing of it is that technically

we have all the military marbles in this game. That is the part of the equation where Iran's behavior doesn't make sense. It is easy enough to toss it off as 'they are crazy', but quite frankly I don't think they are that crazy, so my guess is that the Iranians have the backing of one or both of Russia and China and that this backing comes with enough clout to put off our military option.

[Virginia Dare]

44. That certainly would make sense...n/t

[coalition_unwilling]

51. Cuban Missile Crisis II -- during the former, we had JFK and

Kruschev at the helm of their respective nations. Anyone feel the same degree of confidence with BFEE at the helm of the U.S.?

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

45. they have to bring attention- just like Chavez did with CIAssasination

Chimp's hired hit squad (paid for by the Ameican taxpayers) WILL likely nuke sites in IRAN--

?Maybe Iran possibly already has a nuke and want to send a loud message to Chimp and others who may actually know this?

you nuke us we'll nuke you type message?

[Singular73]

41. LOL of course they said that

Its very simple folks:

If they have ALREADY enriched Uranium, they can hide that anywhere in the country, and any strike by the US would be futile.

The strikes by the US would be design to curtail their ability to enrich Uranium, but once enriched, its out of the bag.

They are full of it.

[SidDithers]

50. There's enriched...

and then there's enriched. For fuel use, uranium has the U235 isotope concentration increased to ~3%. For weapons, uranium has the U235 isotope concentration increased to 85%. There's a big difference, and alot of reprocessing, between 3% and 85%.

Sid

[Junkdrawer]

53. Betcha lights will burn tonight at the White House - they need a Plan B...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x906375

[Az_lefty]

54. why couldn't these guys just stay quiet?

their just adding fuel to the fire. You cannot taunt a crazed tyrant like bush without forcing him to over react with a surgical nuclear strike. This is just utterly insane!

:hide:

[Nihil]

57. Same reason that Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice don't stay quiet.

They're all arseholes playing the silly little boy game of
"my dick is bigger than yours". (The funny thing is that
Rice might be in the lead!)

FWIW, a "surgical nuclear strike" is a mythical creature - it doesn't
exist outside the administration's propaganda and is certainly beyond
the capabilities of the current US armed forces (or anyone else's for
that matter). The nearest you will get to "surgical" is the equivalent
of an amputation using a fragmentation grenade ... it will probably
get one of the limbs in the target zone but f*ck knows which one or
how much "collateral" damage there will be.

[Moondog]

61. Two religious nuts

in a pissing contest. Not good.

[longship]

56. Iranian enrichment means absolutely nothing in and of itself.

There are too many questions not being answered here.

An enrichment program of a scale sufficient to be useful for weapons-grade product would be impossible to hide, and would even be transparent to casual observation. Does the Iranian enrichment effort approach the level which would be required for weapons? Or, is it more of a scale of that needed for fuel for conventional reactor use?

Enrichment is a very time consuming process. Given the scale of the Iranian enrichment program, what time frame can we conclude from the scale of their efforts? Please provide estimates for both conventional reactor enrichment, and for weapons-grade enrichment presumptions.

Is Iran developing other technologies which are directly related to nuclear weapons? What scale is this development? Is the scale consistent with any perceived scale of weapons-grade fuel enrichment?

Are there any other observed Iranian activities which would be absolutely required for delivery of nuclear weapons? I don't mean merely that they have missiles, for those can be used for conventional weapons, too. Specifically, is there any indication that they are configuring weapons delivery specifically for nuclear use?

These are the kind of questions the administration should be asking. Does anybody here believe that ChimpCo is even talking about such things?

[Eugene]

62. Reuters: US warns Iran on nuclear announcement (but cannot confirm)

Iran's announcement may be hype.

US warns Iran on nuclear announcement

Apr 11, 2006 — By Carol Giacomo and Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States warned on Tuesday that Iran's latest declared
nuclear advance could accelerate international pressures on Tehran but experts said
much depends on whether the claims prove true and whether Russia and China see the same
threat Washington does.

Iran's announcement that it had succeeded in enriching uranium to a level used in nuclear
power plants added fresh tensions to its confrontation with the West, which accuses Tehran
of developing nuclear weapons.

<snip>

The State Department said it was unable to confirm Iran's claim and some experts said even
if Iran's assertions are accurate, it would still be years before the Islamic state is able
to produce a nuclear weapon.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stressed that Iran's statements referred to an
ability to produce uranium "at a fairly low enrichment level," not the highly enriched grade
that is a "critical pathway" to developing nuclear weapons.

<snip>

Full article: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1832146

[Mr_Spock]

63. big deal

welcome another nation to the "nukular" family.