Iran to announce new nuclear projects Wednesday

Topics: Iran ,; World Watch

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends the 25th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran Feb. 8, 2012.

(Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's official news agency said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will unveil new nuclear projects on Wednesday.

IRNA did not specify in its Tuesday report what the projects would be. But an independent news website that regularly reports on nuclear developments said the ceremonies are likely to include the formal inauguration of the underground Fordo uranium enrichment site in central Iran, and starting operations on two lines of centrifuges there.

Irannuc.ir said that the president is also likely to announce the final stage of production of nuclear fuel rods to be used in a Tehran research reactor.

Russia's RIA news agency, quoting senior Iranian official Ali Bagheri, said Ahmadinejad would attend the event at a reactor which is running out of nuclear fuel originally provided by Argentina in the 1990s, Reuters reported.

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The U.S. and its allies have accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has denied.

Ahmadinejad said on Saturday Iran would soon announce new advances in its nuclear program.

"Fuel elements, for the first time created by Iranian scientists will... be loaded into the Tehran research reactor," said Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Reuters reported.

There was no immediate comment from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog.

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by gabenow February 16, 2012 6:26 PM EST: Jeremy Bernstein of the New Yorker wrote an interesting piece on how Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Worth reading, for those interested: http://******/RvCmG; Reply to this comment


by markag55 February 14, 2012 10:35 PM EST: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is grandstanding. Let him. That's his right. However, if anything he says is true, he is simply asking for trouble. And trouble is what he will receive. I feel so much for most Iranians--they're caught between a rock and a hard place.

While the Shah led a secular government in which all religions were recognized and respected, especially the many Jews who had stayed in Persia after the Babylonian exile some 2500 years ago, as well as the Zoroastrians, whose religion was the major religion of ancient Persia long before Islam, he squandered it with corruption and force, which fed into the festering neo-Islamic movement which began with his downfall in 1979.

Iran may be an Islamic state but, however, its national language is Farsi, not Arabic. Iranians are Persians, not Arabs. Instead of being in league with the Arab countries, Iran should say, "Yes, we're Muslim (as a religion), but we're definitely not Arab (linguistically or as a culture).

Iran, unlike most of the other Muslim countries in the Middle East, have their own special history. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, instead, is putting himself in the position of negating the ancient Persian empire in order to become a "leader" of the Arab world. He, nor any Iranian is Arab. He, and they, are Persians.

For centuries, they were proud to be Persian, even though they adopted Islam as their religion. I don't understand why they can't be both.; Reply to this comment


by venusvegasvada February 14, 2012 9:43 PM EST: Well, I thought they were going to announce the worlds first nuclear powered @ssclown, but they already have Aquavelvajan.

What else you got?; Reply to this comment

by stargazerCT February 14, 2012 5:34 PM EST

Hi, I'm President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I'd like to announce the creation of our intercontinental ballistic missile program. It is purely for medical and research purposes. Trust me, the world (specifically Isreal) has nothing to fear and we have nothing to hide as we have been open and honest at all times. Do not interfere with our right at a peaceful nuclear Iran. Any accusations by the west will result in swift and painful punishment as we will be forced to cut off the head of the snake and your citizens will run into the blood covered streets filled with anguish and horror...God willing.

Look at that picture to lead the story and you tell me if you can trust that guy?

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by johnnyrottenapple777 February 14, 2012 6:10 PM EST: That was priceless!


by erpicferl February 14, 2012 6:18 PM EST: how many wars has iran started since 1965? ZERO how many has the USA started? FOUR

1)Vietnam
2)Grenada
3)Afghanistan
4)Iraq

not to mention all the countries we are sending drones in to kill people (Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia)