Diplomats: Iran Nuke Work Proceeding

Iran Reportedly Processing Gas Ingredient Of Nuclear Warheads

(AP)  Iran's new generation of advanced centrifuges have begun processing small quantities of the gas that can be used to make the fissile core of nuclear warheads, diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The diplomats emphasized that the centrifuges were working with only minute amounts of the uranium gas used as the feed stock for Iran's uranium enrichment program. And one of them said Tehran had set up only 10 of the machines — far too few to produce enriched uranium in the quantities needed for an industrial scale energy or a weapons program.

Still, the information revealed previously unknown details of the state of the Islamic Republic's experiments with its domestically developed IR-2 centrifuges, which can churn out enriched uranium at more than double the rate of the machines that now form the backbone of its nuclear project.

The existence of the IR-2 was made known only last week by diplomats accredited to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency probing Iran's nuclear program for suspicions it may have been designed to make weapons.

But diplomats back then told the AP that the machines appeared to be running empty and could not quantify the number of the centrifuges had been set up at the experimental facility linked to Iran's growing enrichment underground enrichment plant at Natanz.

Fleshing out previous information, one of the diplomats said Wednesday that the centrifuges were set up Jan. 20 and began processing minute amounts of the uranium gas soon afterward as part of testing the machines. He and others accredited to the IAEA demanded anonymity because their information was confidential

Iran is under two sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which it started developing during nearly two decades of covert nuclear activity built on illicit purchases and revealed only five years ago.

That secrecy heightened suspicions about Iran's intent, but Iranian leaders argued the country has a right to run a peaceful enrichment program to generate electricity and dismissed the U.N. demands, saying they planned to expand the project rather than freeze it.

Until last week's revelations that Iran had developed its own advanced centrifuge, Iran had publicly focused on working with P1 centrifuges — outmoded machines that it acquired on the black market in the 1980s. More than 3,000 of the older centrifuges are operating in the large underground hall near Natanz, a city nearly 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) south of Tehran.

[on_alert247]

I think I understand how libs think! Its quite neurotic but here''s my take:

If a foreign leader is assassinated or there is an attempted assasination: its a CIA plot

If a bomb goes off in a foreign country: its a failed "neocon" foreign policy

If suicide bombers blow up kids in a market place in Lebanon or Iraq: its the fault of those bad ole Christians

If Islamic radicals riot: Christians and Hindus are the intolerant

If the leader of a country that leads mass protests shouting "Death to America" wants a nuke: its those bad ole Jews occupying the land of Palestinians

Well a took a stab at it. Lets see what sort of response the next news story brings out of their minds ... pun intended

[quetzal0666]

ricky,

After Iran Nukes Jerusalem and destroys your wall, you guys can rebuild it..

LOL....

[rowdytexan2]

He is prabably a GOOD man at heart. But perhaps he had/has surrounded himself with a bunch of ''''BAD advisors'''', e.g Rummy & Condi to name a few. Unfortunately, for him, there is an old saying: "A man is known by the company he keeps"
-----------------------------------------------------

Posted by dumbshun at 01:09 AM : Feb 14, 2008

No, he is the idiot son, cleaned up, dusted off and groomed to be the stoolie for the Neocon regime supported by his Daddy. He is too stupid to have a concience...the world is all about him.

And they are so good at covert ops that NOBODY revealed to the American public that Dubya had been a failure all his life and ruined everything he touched.
Nobody knew a thing about all this, but everybody knew every slap and tickle of Mr. Clinton''s affairs.

Many in Texas knew he was a failure, but his Daddy put a bunch of money in the NRA and they trashed Ann Richards because she proposed legislation to stop the sale of semi-automatic firearms and cop killer bullets and vetoed the concealed weapons legislation. They accused her of everything in the sun except of being a murderer herself. Karl Rove at his best.

The sad thing is that this is what they will do to a novice like Obama...They''re going to toast him!

[bluestardad]

BUSHIT! MORE TOTAL BUSHIT!

STRAIGHT FROM THE PRO-ISRAELI NEOCONS STAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST KLAN!

GIVE ME MO MONEY BUNCH OF CROOKS KILLERS AND CUTTHROATS! STEALING AMERICAS BLOOD AND TREASURE FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL GAIN!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP! THROW THESE PEOPLE OUT OF OUR COUNTRY AND SEND THEM ALL BACK TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND LET THEM FIGHT OVER THESE ROCKS AND SAND ON THEIR OWN!

[neoconrcrazy]

"diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday."


oh yeah, right... diplomats?

Which "diplomats" ?

Are "diplomats" experts in nuclear technology?

Are "diplomats" privy to internal iranian secrets?

This story, like so many before, STINKS of bush/cheny manipulation with the support of certain MSM bosses.....

Don''t believe a word.

[j-whitman]

dumbshun,,, It seems as we are in agreement..... I''ll say goodnight... Carry on

[j-whitman]

dumbshun,,,, How about ''Follow the money'' ?? -- As we speak, Bush is pusing for less accountablity of foreign US Contractors.

[j-whitman]

zootallures2,,,, Did you hear Bush today playing politics with the War on Teror trying to get his phone company protection passed ?? The so-called Protect America jargon

[j-whitman]

IMNHO,,,, I think it makes it all the more intresting, better tham prime time TV

Like the hearing on Steroids today, the Rocket is a Bush family friend & every republican blasted the hell out of the accuser & ignored all other testimony

[zootallures2]

And if the nuke the US.... Look on the bright side... maybe we''ll all have jobs again making little transitor radios...LOL!

[imnho]

"Fool me ounce shamme on you.Fool me twice shame on me."
The problem with GWB is that he has distroyed the trust he needs in case a situation arises where war is required. He is either,dishonest,incompetent,arro or some combination. This makes people unwilling to follow where he leads.

[j-whitman]

dumbshun,,, Did you recognize Bush as a dodger ???

[j-whitman]

CBS_Oliver,,, Who are they ??? From what I''ve seen I can make a good guess --- Republican Bush appointed diplomats.

[zootallures2]

99% of all stories, movies, music... - Pick a side and hate. No wonder you are always mad and killing each other.

[beehive21-2009]

Who cares,iran is the push of a button away from lots of virgins as they say.

[damnedrelign]

Based upon a number of serious acts of evil, trouble-making, its clear intent to impose/force Islamic Law on the entire world, AIDING AND ABETTING ISLAMIC TERRORISM, as well as other indications from Iran, the Westerm World must take all pre-emptive, DEFENSIVE actions - including thourough military action - to prevent Iran from continuing it''s development of nuclear capability. Such actions are needed NOW in the wake of Iran''s current warped, religious regime''s rising military strength.
OR,
will the West buy umbrellas AFTER the storm?
Make no mistake about Iran''s intent to soon procure nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction!
THE WARPED, RELIGIOUSLY-DOMINATED REGIME IN IRAN IS NOT WORKING IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORLD.
STOP IRAN AND THE SERIOUS THREAT IT POSES TO ALL MANKIND!

[nothappyatall]

Yeah yeah yeah, same as IRAQ''s weapons of mass destruction, another ploy by the bush regime to build support for yet another invasion of some other country.

[cbs_oliver]

The real problem here j is that readers shouldn''t have to have a nuclear physics/chemistry education to avoid being misled by the story.

By the way, I''d lay odds on 5 to 1 that the "diplomats" who demanded anonymity are US or UK representatives and the real reason they want anonymity is to conceal that fact.

[cbs_oliver]

CBS_Oliver,,, Tritium Gas, an isotope of of Hydrogen also a byproduct of nuclear power plants is used in warheads,,, It used to be highly classified, but now it''''s not.

Posted by j-whitman at 09:20 PM : Feb 13, 2008

Tritium is used in hydrogen fusion bombs.

That''s a whole nother level of sophistication.

Thay are not talking about tritium.

[j-whitman]

CBS_Oliver,,, Tritium Gas, an isotope of of Hydrogen also a byproduct of nuclear power plants is used in warheads,,, It used to be highly classified, but now it''s not.