Blackclaw

By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria - U.N. inspectors have found traces of highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium at an Iranian nuclear facility, a senior diplomat said Tuesday, citing a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The find heightened concerns that Tehran may be running a secret nuclear weapons program.

Agency inspectors found "particles" of highly enriched uranium that could be used in a weapons program at the facility at Natanz, said the diplomat, who covers the activities of the U.N. nuclear watchdog and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States has accused Iran of developing a clandestine nuclear weapons program, violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty barring the spread of atomic weapons.

Iran has denied the allegations, insisting its programs are devoted only to generating electricity.

Iranian officials did not contest the finding by the IAEA inspectors but said the equipment was already contaminated by traces of enriched uranium when purchased by Tehran.

The diplomat said the report, prepared for a meeting of the U.N. agency's board, underlined the need for further inspections of the Natanz facility and Iran's nuclear programs in general to abolish concerns about the nature of its activities.

"It says that contamination is a possibility," as Iran claims, he said. "But there is work to be done to determine the plausibility of this."

Suspicion about Iran's nuclear program prompted Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the Vienna-based IAEA, to tour Iran's nuclear facilities in February. The visit was intended to ensure that Iran's nuclear program was limited to peaceful, civilian purposes and that the facilities were safe.

ElBaradei's tour included a visit to the incomplete nuclear plant in Natanz, about 320 miles south of Tehran. At the time, diplomats said he was taken aback by the advanced stage of a project using hundreds of centrifuges to enrich uranium.

Agency officials declined to comment on the report and what it contained. But IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said there were "a number of outstanding issues, particularly with regard to Iran's enrichment program, which requite urgent resolution."

Gwozdecky said the agency's inspectors had visited Iran five times since June.

"In particular, we have visited a number of new sites, have the results of previously taken environmental samples and taken many more new samples, and are in receipt of much new information from the Iranian authorities," he said.

Analyzing the new material would take "weeks or months," he added.

In July, ElBaradei pressed Iran for "substantial progress without delay" in clarifying aspects of its nuclear program and in signing an agreement that would let U.N. inspectors conduct in-depth and comprehensive checks of Tehran's nuclear facilities.

At that time, he denied reports that agency inspectors found enriched uranium in samples taken recently in Iran, calling it "pure speculation at this stage."

Iran is building, with Russian assistance, its first nuclear reactor at Bushehr, on the shore of the Persian Gulf. It has a capacity of 1,000 megawatts and should be completed next year.
Iran's second nuclear reactor will have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts and the government is beginning feasibility studies for a 5,000 megawatt reactor, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported earlier this month

ChrisF202

Nope, the Frenchmen will gripe and moan if we do, self centered those b------- are

bigross86

We'll just pull another Osirak. The IAF will do what the whole world wants to do, and than the whole world will yell at the Israeli's. Life as usual...

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Blackclaw

I don't care who whines about it or even who does it. I just don't want Iran's flaky cleric nutballs to have nuclear weapons. We should have told the Russian that we view this as a direct threat and will respond to it as such. Give them a random amount of time to clear out and then have the reactor suddenly explode. We don't have to officially say anything about who did what.

bigross86

No, I think that someone should tell them they have exactly one month to clear out all their $h!t, and than bomb it in broad daylight.

Blackclaw

As appealing as that is, it would hurt their pride if it was publically known why the reactor blew up, and then they might do foolish things. Then again, there's a good chance they will do foolish things anyway. You have to look at the track record here.

ChrisF202

I just dont want them to use that nuke on the US (which they will if allowed to get one)

markaspen

Blackclaw wrote:Think about it. What has Iran done externally thats been so off the wall?
I'm not saying they've done good things, but its all been calculated: assisting the Mujahadeen, arming Hezbollah, all the other places they've stuck their beards. But it hasn't been loose cannon or mad dog stuff.

There's no doubt Israel or someone else could take out the reactor(s), but the Iranians have more recourse to avenge it than Iraq did in 1981. Osirak was a calculated move with little downside beyond the diplomatic, I don't hink thats the case with Iran.

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bigross86

Yeah, but maybe we could give the US bases to attack it from, or tanker support, or something. This is something we should be in on!

Blackclaw

My worry is that the theocratic rule of Iran may be nearing an end and while that is a good thing, its turmoil could have grave consequences. There is increasing pressure on the Iranian clerics to step down and let Iran become a true democracy. Folks who are in danger of losing control can be very dangerous, doubly so when they are religious fanatics.

The Iranian nuclear project should never have been allowed to go this far. This is a bad time to deal with it. We should have made ourselves perfectly clear with the Russians years ago and acted as needed.

bigross86

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. Too late now. Now we got to go in and secure it, and/or blow it to smithereens.

Ray

I just dont want them to use that nuke on the US (which they will if allowed to get one)[/quote]

Chris,

It is easier to make a nuke but it is awfully difficult to make a delivery system that will reach as far as the US and what is more through the sophisticated array of radars and other air defence apparatus that the US has.

Notiwthstanding, proliferation of nuclear tech is getting to be a trifle dangrous. What is more dangerous is that this tech should not fall into the hands of terrorists.

bigross86

Heard of a book once, Los Alamos something, that supposedly tells you how to builda nuke.

TopHatter

Building a nuclear weapon is ridiculously simple compared to what your average person thinks. It's expensive to be sure, you need to have trained people working for you, and oh yeah, some uranium or plutonium, but it's not the impossibilty that people think it is. The difficulty is making sure "interested parties" don't find out what you're doing.

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ChrisF202

My school library has books telling you how to make chemical and biological weapons