Iran 'misled UN on nuclear work'

[muriel_volestrangler]

The UN says Iran has admitted trying to make plutonium, a nuclear bomb ingredient, as recently as 1998 - five years later than originally reported.
...
Iranian presidential favourite Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has told the BBC Iran did not report all nuclear work.

"It's possible that at times, Iran has not reported its activities," Mr Rafsanjani told the BBC's Newsnight television programme.
...
He said US President George W Bush had recently accepted Iran could continue enriching limited amounts of uranium as part of its programme.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4097288.stm

[pie]

1. If they have been at it that long why don't they have nukes?

They have tons of money, Russia has an abundance of unemployed nuclear scientists, what's taking them so long?

[shance]

2. What about our nuclear work? Why is it about everybody elses?

This Administration is so dishonest and hypocritical.

They give our country such a horribly tainted and toxic name.

[Brundle_Fly]

3. Such a bad name....

worried about rouge states using nukes against us....

well as far as I know the U.S.A is the only country to use them against anyone in the history of the world having them.

[consuming]

4. we are dangerous

[ecoalex]

5. Why?

would you need to enrich Plutonium? unless you wish to make a high yield nuclear bomb?

[daleo]

6. Plutonium can be used in reactors, for electricity generation

For example, here is something about Japan's nuclear program:

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/japan/nuke/

"To enhance its energy security, the government advocates uranium and plutonium recovery through reprocessing of spent fuel. The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) operates a reprocessing plant with an annual capacity of 90 tons but a larger reprocessing plant, Rokkasho-Mura, with a capacity of 800 tons per year, planned for 2003, is under construction. Reprocessing is expensive and costs can quickly rise with new safety requirements and the development of new technologies. Estimated in 1993 to cost about $8 billion, a more recent estimate for Rokkasho-Mura places the total at $15 billion. Japan also is interested in recycling recovered plutonium. In 1999, Japan began, in two prefectures, a controversial mixed-oxide utilization plan, which involves burning a highly toxic mix of plutonium and uranium on a commercial scale."

But this comes a bit further on:

"Weapon-grade plutonium is nearly pure plutonium 239, whereas the plutonium in commercial fuel is much lower in plutonium 239 and higher in the isotopes that are undesirable for weapons use. This, however, is not a crucial difference, since all plutonium can be used in weapons. The US nuclear weapons arsenal does not utilize commercial (reactor grade) plutonium from spent fuel. Tests were completed, however, to confirm that reactor grade plutonium could be used in a nuclear explosive and is therefore a nonproliferation concern."

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. How about to protect yourself against rogue superpower nations?