U.N. Report May Prompt New Iran Sanctions

Iranians Protests That The Document Proves Their Nuclear Program Is Peaceful In Nature

(AP)  The U.N. nuclear watchdog says Iran is defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment and accusing the U.S. and its allies of fabricating information to back up claims that Tehran is making nuclear weapons.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there was a "very strong case" for moving forward with a third round of sanctions against Tehran, while Iran said the report's findings confirmed that its nuclear program is a peaceful one.

"There is very good reason after this report to proceed to the third Security Council resolution," Rice said Friday, adding that the report "demonstrates that whatever the Iranians may be doing to try to clean up some elements of the past, it is inadequate."

The 11-page report obtained by The Associated Press said Iran "has not suspended its enrichment-related activities," despite two sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions over fears the program might be used to make weapons-grade uranium instead of the nuclear fuel Iran says it is interested in.

Instead, said the report, Iran "started the development of new-generation centrifuges" - an expansion of enrichment - and continued working on heavy water nuclear facilities. When finished, Iran could cull them for plutonium, a possible fissile payload in nuclear warheads.

At the same time, the International Atomic Energy Agency report said that Tehran has cooperated in other areas of an IAEA probe, leading the agency to put to rest for now suspicions that several past experiments and activities were linked to a weapons program.

Specifically, the report suggested the agency was satisfied with answers provided by Iran on the origin of traces of enriched uranium in a military facility; on experiments with polonium, which can also be used in a weapons program; and on purchases on the nuclear black market.

It said that in those areas information given by Tehran is either "consistent with its findings (or) ... not inconsistent with its findings," suggesting it was content for now with explanations that these activities were not weapons-related.

Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazee said the report "clearly attests to the exclusively peaceful nature of the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran, both in the past and at present."

The report "also serves to strongly and unambiguously support my country's long-standing position that the allegations raised by few powers against the peaceful nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been entirely groundless," Khazee said in written response to the AP.

But the American U.N. ambassador said Friday that report should pave the way for passage next week of a new U.N. Security Council resolution tightening sanctions on Tehran.

"They're increasing their capabilities," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said. "Not only have the number of centrifuges increased, but they're working on a second-generation, if you like, a more capable centrifuge.

"Things are getting worse in terms of the enrichment part."

Britain and France introduced a council resolution on Thursday - with support from the United States, Russia, China and Germany - to expand and toughen travel bans and the freezing of assets for more Iranian officials linked to the nuclear effort.

A declassified U.S. intelligence report last December judged that the Iranians had put a nuclear weapons program on hold in 2003. But the U.S., Israel and others contend Iran's continued advances in the crucial centrifuge work will eventually give it a capability to quickly build a bomb.

Much of the information purportedly linking Iran to attempts to make nuclear arms came from the United States, with allies providing lesser amounts and the IAEA passing on selected material to Tehran, after approval by the nations that gave the agency the information.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who drew up the report, said his team had "made quite good progress in clarifying the outstanding issues that had to do with Iran's past nuclear activities, with the exception of one issue, and that is the alleged weaponization studies that supposedly Iran has conducted in the past."

Ahead of the confidential report's release to the 35-nation IAEA board and the U.N. Security Council, U.S. officials had repeatedly insisted that the IAEA probe would be incomplete unless Iran acknowledged trying to make nuclear arms in the past. That stance is shared by Canada, Japan, Australia and U.S. allies in Europe.

A senior IAEA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report was confidential, said that if the material provided by the U.S. and other agency members on the alleged activities was genuine, most of Iran's work was "most likely for nuclear weapons."

But he said the agency was not reaching any conclusion until the Iranians went beyond rejection of the purported evidence and concretely addressed the issues it raised.

When confronted with some of the documentation from the U.S. and other on its alleged weapons experiments, Tehran "stated that the allegations were baseless and that the information ... was fabricated," the report said.

Iran explained some of its activities linked by the Americans to a weapons program as work on "air bags and for the design of safety belts," according to the report.

The report will be the focus of discussions at an IAEA board report starting March 3. At that meeting, the U.S. and its allies are weighing whether to ask the board to approve a resolution declaring that the agency was unable to shed light on Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, according to diplomats.

[iceman_1960]

I remember reading a story about the late Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes.

He and one of his coaching staff were driving back from Michigan late one night during a blizzard. The car was nearly out of gas, and his assistant was pleading with him to stop at a gas station and get it filled up.

Hayes refused. He said he"d rather run out of gas in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard at night, than pay money to a Michigan gas station.

[grazinggoat]

It"s an incredible episode we"re watching here. Western Nations are preparing another nation for the Sacrifice to the Existence Devil."
- Posted by grazinggoat at 02:47 PM : Feb 23, 2008
------------------

What"s the Existence Devil ?
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 02:51 PM : Feb 23, 2008

-It''s a figurative expression, making a Nation to Perish or Survive and Thrive. In this case it''s the fact that if you lie, invade and steel others'' resources you''ll survive. If not you''ll perish by own elder age death. Imposing a war on a nother Nation is condemning it to death. In this case The Existence Devil is war.

[ajmarine1]

I once saw a bunch of Ohioans wearing blue jeans.

I even saw an elderly Ohioan woman with blue hair.

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 02:54 PM : Feb 23, 2008


Must have been Michigin fans; we has some of them running around the area.

It''s been fun, but gotta go.

Have a good weekend.

[iceman_1960]

I once saw a bunch of Ohioans wearing blue jeans.

I even saw an elderly Ohioan woman with blue hair.

[iceman_1960]

"It"s an incredible episode we"re watching here. Western Nations are preparing another nation for the Sacrifice to the Existence Devil."
- Posted by grazinggoat at 02:47 PM : Feb 23, 2008
------------------

What"s the Existence Devil ?

[ajmarine1]

and America would be prosperous, at peace, and respected around the world.

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 02:45 PM : Feb 23, 2008


Or so we are assuming.

We don''t paint barns blue around here, that is a Michigan color and there is no way anyone is going to paint anything blue around here.

As for the election, we will wait and see.

[grazinggoat]

CBS News: ''Much of the information purportedly linking Iran to attempts to make nuclear arms came from the United States, with allies providing lesser amounts and the IAEA passing on selected material to Tehran, after approval by the nations that gave the agency the information. ''

-It seemed to us this story is finished some time ago. It was said this episode of lying is finished. We only can see it''s not finished. Has anyone verified the origin of this information? Is it coming from the same liars that induced our country in Iraq? I think the liars have endless energy. They need to lie in order to justify their existence and survive.

-It''s an incredible episode we''re watching here. Western Nations are preparing another nation for the Sacrifice to the Existence Devil. In order to keep the military complex active. This military complex is the engine of the modern world. It gives us the relative materialistic well being we live in North America and the Western World...

-This last episode is the exchange transaction between the West who ''gave'' independence to Muslim Sunni Kosovo from the Slavic Serbia as per Saudi orders in exchange of weakening foe Iran, a Shiat entity but that is standing against Israel''s establishment in the Middle-East; among others in Northern Iraq''s Kurdistan.

[iceman_1960]

"Wow, I"ve been to Bellefontain, Ohio. Really beautiful country up there. The farms are beautifully kept. Painted a couple of the old red barns up there."
- Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 02:36 PM : Feb 23, 2008

I hope you painted them all blue.

If a few thousand Ohioans had voted the other way in 2004, John Kerry would be President today, and America would be prosperous, at peace, and respected around the world.

We"re counting on the Buckeye State to see reason tthis time.

[ajmarine1]

Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 02:36 PM : Feb 23, 2008

Small world huh?

You were along ways from Texas. I haven''t lived here all my life, but it a nice place to live.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by AJMarine1 at 01:47 PM : Feb 23, 2008

Wow, I''ve been to Bellefontain, Ohio. Really beautiful country up there. The farms are beautifully kept. Painted a couple of the old red barns up there.

[breceivemail]

I wish I could ffuucckk Condoleezza Rice remotely.

[breceivemail]

I wish I could ffuucckk Condoleezza Rice remotely.

[iceman_1960]

What"s Bush going to do about Iran anyway ?

He can"t even keep this country safe from killer bees. That should have been "Numero Uno" on his to-do list.

"Killer Bees Kill Family Dog

The Arizona Republic
Feb. 21, 2008

Brandon Depper could only watch in horror as bees swarmed his beloved dogs, a boxer, Tasmira, and a schnauzer, Uno.

"I saw it happening in the backyard. There was nothing I could do," he said as his two dogs were being attacked at his Gilbert home.

Tasmira died and Uno is now in critical condition"

[ajmarine1]

The point is, we can act on Global Warming without launching a terrible war

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 01:52 PM : Feb 23, 2008


Agreed, but I see alot of people getting rich off of this and I''m afraid it won''t change anything.

[ajmarine1]

Modest hills are sometimes called mountains."

As are mole-hills.

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 02:02 PM : Feb 23, 2008




This isn''t much of a summit as compared to other mountains around the world, it is however of interest to the "Highpointers" out there.Standing 1,549 feet above sea level, Ohio''s high point can be found in the rolling hills of Logan County.


Not much of a mountain, but it''s ours.

[iceman_1960]

"Modest hills are sometimes called mountains."

As are mole-hills.

[iceman_1960]

I stand corrected.

"Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau features rugged hills and forests." - Wikipedia

Modest hills are sometimes called mountains. The Bible does that a lot. e.g. "...come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem." [Isaiah]

[iceman_1960]

RE: "I live in Bellefontaine, Ohio. We have a mountain here called Mad River Mountain."

I"ve driven all over Ohio without seeing any mountains.

[iceman_1960]

"I think the sun and the earth itself has more to do with global warming than we do."
- Posted by AJMarine1 at 01:47 PM : Feb 23, 2008

I hear you, but that is not the international consensus. And all those nations may be right about that.

You could also argue that natural disasters have claimed more lives than nuclear weapons.

The point is, we can act on Global Warming without launching a terrible war with a country like Iran, a war that might claim 100,000 innocent lives if it gets bad enough.

[ajmarine1]

Global Warming should be our Number One priority.

Posted by Iceman_1960 at 01:39 PM : Feb 23, 2008

Ice,

I live in Bellefontaine, Ohio. We have a mountain here called Mad River Mountain. It is what was dug out of the Great Lakes and pushed here by a glacier thousands of years ago. If we had been living at that time and the glacier started melting, would we be talking about global warning, would we be saying the climate we have now is perfect and we don''t want to change it?

I think the sun and the earth itself has more to do with global warming than we do.