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Iran Expanding Its Nuke Program

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Posted on May 23, 2007
irannuke
AP Photo / Vahid Salemi

Iran’s nuclear work is a concern because of the possibility that it might make highly enriched uranium, which can be used for nuclear bombs.

A report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency reveals that Iran is moving forward with its nuclear program, in defiance of sanctions imposed in March by the United Nations.  The watchdog agency says Tehran is obstructing the IAEA’s investigative efforts to monitor suspicious nuclear activities, according to the BBC.


BBC:

In a confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by the BBC, the IAEA said Iran was operating eight cascades of 164 centrifuges, which are sets of machines used for enrichment at its underground site in Natanz.

It said it was in the process of installing five more.

A senior UN official said if Iran continued at the present rate it would have 3,000 centrifuges by the end of June.

The report said Iran had agreed to unannounced inspections and surveillance measures at Natanz.

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By Max Shields, May 24, 2007 at 12:37 pm #
(273 comments total)

Atheo and others interested in some “truth digging”, here’s a Democracy Now with Seymour Hersh, rush transcriptand Podcast.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/24/143208

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By Max Shields, May 24, 2007 at 12:26 pm #
(273 comments total)

#72295 by atheo on 5/24 at 7:21 am

While I agree with your post regarding US/ Iran/Nukes, it seems you are just as apt here to confuse over the top fundamentalism - if this guy’s even for real - with theism as you did with the Hedges’ piece.

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By Matt, May 24, 2007 at 12:21 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

You know what? It’s fine with me if Iran gets the bomb. They need it, with nuclear nutcase Israel in the neighborhood.

If Iran gets the bomb, the Zionist crazies will just have to drop their plans to foment more wars for Greater Israel (to be fought and paid for by the US, of course)—and that’s all to the good.

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By atheo, May 24, 2007 at 7:21 am #
(396 comments total)

@ #72232

1) It is the U.S. that is in violation of the NPT, not Iran.

2) Closing sea ports is an aggressive war act (the supreme crime).

3) It sounds as though you support theocracy and are a traitor to the U.S. constitution.

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By anonymous, May 24, 2007 at 7:04 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Freedom is never having to say you’re sorry because everybody had the same intelligence.

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By James Yell, May 24, 2007 at 5:49 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

In an ideal world no one would have atomic weapons, but Pandora’s box is open and the world knows it. When Iran looks at the last 50 years of history they see that not having nukes, they will be pushed around, ignored or bullied. The fact that they are religous nut cases doesn’t change the dynamic. They can chose to be an outcaste like North Korea, but protected by nukes, or they can wind up like Iraq.

Which would you chose?

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By doesnt really matter, May 24, 2007 at 2:13 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

If Iran had such a signed agreement. if they fault ? the agreement should they not be like that as a disciplined child and placed in TIME OUT?
i think so . let cut all ties. No more trade , now more grants , no more moneys.
let take care of our own country. Let bring our boys /men home from this war which i like to call the Presidents War of time.
let us take care of the floods, the fires the tornado’s. the hurricane locations.
let us feed our hungry. let us adopted out our own homeless children. let us find a cure for cancer and Hiv/ aids.
LET US BE THE STRONG THE PROUD THE BRAVE.
IN GOD WE TRUST.
LET US LOOK TO THE true father of our country
the lord Jesus Christ.
let us re-instill moral , values and principles and pride in our country in our communities and with our children starting at home.
let us not forget.
Iran is moving forward with its nuclear program.
let that always be on our minds as we devise a plan to over come on our own turf our own land.

let us stand strong and be brave and not give up on our children.
let our feeling not be transferred to other area of the world.
no not at all.
let us as a nation as a group of people seek to find a stride to over come and make our country strong.
Let our own children be protected.

close all open sea ports and trade .
let us stand up and fly our colors strong and proud .
the red for the blood shed of Jesus.
the blood shed for our freedom by our own country men.
the blue for the humble yet wise and kind with reason and reaction.
the white for the strength the pride and pure the innocence.
let us BE AMERICANS AND FIND OUR STRENGTH IN MANY AT THIS TIME.
A TIME UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

GOD BLESS OUR NATION.
GOD BLESS OUR PEOPLE.
GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS.
GOD BLESS OUR CHILDREN , MOTHERS & FATHERS.
GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

thanks you .

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By Max Shields, May 23, 2007 at 7:53 pm #
(273 comments total)

#72133 by atheo on 5/23 at 7:00 pm

Thanks for the link.

Rebutting the NYT’s reports on “run ups to war” has become essential. We cannot count on the media to provide the context. They are in fact, giving birth to the escalation to sanctions, which leads to war. Sanger’s story is taken at face value and newspapers and others up and down the media corridors repeat and repeat.

The IAEA is very thorough in their work - kind of like the reports that came back from the UN WMD inspectors in Iraq. As I recall, and it’s well documented, that the reports were regularly reporting two things: 1) Saddam increases his cooperation, 2) there is no evidence of WMDs. But this did not stop Bush and the media to push the buttons to war.

I expect Sanger and the NYT not to back off - Sanger and others will spin it and expect, as is usually the case, not to be questioned. That’s how the game is played on the home front - the narrative is sent off into the ether - unquestioned, left to be “truth”.

Gore refers to this as The Assault On Reason.

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By atheo, May 23, 2007 at 7:00 pm #
(396 comments total)

The BBC report seems to have been debunked:

IAEA Report Contradicts Major Media Narrative On Iran

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seanpaul-kelley/iaea-rep ort-contradicts-m_b_49136.html

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By Max Shields, May 23, 2007 at 6:49 pm #
(273 comments total)

#72118 by QuyTran on 5/23 at 6:18 pm

Here’s the ultimate irony, QuyTran, the US started Iran’s nuclear program decades ago. To date, there is no indication that Iran has broken with its NPT agreement. The issue is that the revolution back in the 1970s (removing the Shah, the US backed tyrant) threatened the US foothold in the Middle East. That’s when the US gave full support to Saddam Hussein, providing him with every type of WMD imginable to fight Iran. Those weapons were used to murder thousands of Kurds - the US was complicit with a many of the murders Saddam committed. (And as you know, we also supplied Bin Ladden.) Oh what a tangled web the US foreign policies of hegemony weaves.

Here’s a little history and a link to more:

The foundations for Iran’s nuclear program were laid in the 1960 under auspices of the U.S. within the framework of bilateral agreements between the two countries. In 1967 the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) was built and run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The TNRC was equipped with a US supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor. Iran signed and ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. With the establishment of Iran’s atomic agency and the NPT in place plans were drawn by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Iran’s monarch) to construct up to 23 nuclear power stations across the country together with USA by the year 2000.

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10023

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By QuyTran, May 23, 2007 at 6:18 pm #
(843 comments total)

If Iran bought U.S. nuclear technology and had its supports I think verything will be ok.

How stupid is it ?

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By Kellina, May 23, 2007 at 2:25 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Go MAX!

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By Max Shields, May 23, 2007 at 12:55 pm #
(273 comments total)

Oh yea, and while we’re at it WHY?

Because with the exception of the US (who ignores its treaty obligation) the others have not even signed on to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and HENCE, they are not under IAEA scrutiny.

How convenient. What a dubious world we live in - some rules for them and other rules for them - and where’s our wonderful media to lay it out and provide the context. NO WHERE!

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By Max Shields, May 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm #
(273 comments total)

And who, pray tell, is the watchdog watching over US nuclear programs? Or India’s? Or Pakistan’s, or Israel’s?

No answer. Well NO ONE!

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