Nuclear Iran now accepted: Ahmadinejad

[ECH1969]

Speaking a news conference, Ahmadinejad said the world had finally accepted that Iran has the complete cycle of fuel production — from mining uranium to enriching it to the level required for consumption in a nuclear power plant.

"Initially, they (the U.S. and its allies) were very angry. The reason was clear: They basically wanted to monopolize nuclear power in order to rule the world and impose their will on nations," Ahmadinejad told a news conference.

"Today, they have finally agreed to live with a nuclear Iran, with an Iran possessing the whole nuclear fuel cycle," he said.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1163502489099&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_Canada&call_pageid=968332188774&call_pagepath=News/Canada

[savemefromdumbya]

1. I guess Iran needs electricity? They feel nuclear is more efficient?

[eallen]

2. Iran has the second largest oil reserves, after Saudi Arabia.

[troublemaker]

5. But they import most of their gasoline... energy policy is complex

(They don't have gasoline refineries)

The "Iran has no legitimate need for nuclear power" idea is a tad simplistic. I'm not saying they do or don't, just that it's not a self-answering question

[eallen]

8. Refineries are low-tech, compared to nuclear plants. Iran imports gasoline...

Because they find it easier or cheaper or convenient to let some of the states nearby refine their oil. The fact that they are willing to have such a dependence on nearby states belies the notion that they desire nuclear energy for some sort of economic independence.

[krispos42]

11. The less they burn for power, the more they can sell to us

Works for me, until we get our butts in gear and become energy independent.

[GregD]

3. what I have heard reported

is that they want to sell oil, and focus on nuclear power for domestic energy generation.

[Tempest]

6. Isn't that what you would do?

Why use up domestically the only source of revenue you have?

Nuclear energy is cleaner and costs less than oil based electricity.

[truthInCO]

9. Cleaner?

Do they really care about cleaner fuels? Wow. They want the nuke, they wan't parity with Israel, they want to threaten away encroaching western freedoms, they want to hasten the chaos preceding the hidden Imam.

I can't believe anyone believes their nuclear program is not hostile. This has to be the biggest elephant in the room anymore and everyones burying their heads in the sand a la southpark.

[krispos42]

12. If it wasn't before, it is now

With US troops and aircraft on two borders and the Fleet on their shores, with the US President rattling the sabre and refusing to talk...

Yeah, I'd be worried too.

Unfortunately, they are a soveign nation with a disproportonate influence on the world, and we currently don't have the ability to do anything about it except what Bush WON'T do. Negotiate. Talk. Alleviate fears. Offer reassurances.

We're still pissed because they had the nerve to throw out the strongman we imposed on them in the '50s. How dare them!

[Nihil]

14. Maybe you need to read more?

> Cleaner?

Read up on it - it's true.

> I can't believe anyone believes their nuclear program is not hostile.

Again, read up on it ... it's *your* belief that is being played by
the US administration and their tame media.

The Iranian nuclear programme is driven by several motives:
1) The desire to sell their only significant "product" rather than burn it.
2) The desire to "keep up with the neighbours" w.r.t. modern technology.
3) The desire to stick two fingers up to George W Bush & his supporters.

Item #1 has got less to do with being ecologically sound than with
being economically solvent.

Item #2 comes from both the practical demands (they are growing in
electricity usage) and the pride/face-saving aspect of not being grouped
with the "primitives" but with the "moderns".

Item #3 is standard international immaturity: "Step-dad says we can't
have one so ask Mum instead". To be honest, there is absolutely no
reason to justify Bush's stance on this other than the equally feeble
immaturity of the US administration, filled with spoiled rich kids.

[Tempest]

15. Iran had nuclear ambitions for energy production since the 1960s

Did Israel have nukes in the 1960s?

Israel was still getting on their feet in the 1960s and wasn't a threat to anyone in the region.

Iran was an ally of the U.S. and the west at the time.

Oops. Sorry to blow a big hole in your so-called logic.



"I can't believe anyone believes their nuclear program is not hostile."

The IAEA believes their program is not hostile, and they know a hell of a lot more than you ever will.

[Lurking Dem]

16. IAEA

Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's statement (bolding mine):

Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The implementation of the NPT safeguards agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran has been on the agenda of the IAEA Board of Governors for more than three years, and lately also on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. On 31 July 2006, the Security Council adopted resolution 1696, in which it called upon Iran to take the steps required by the Board in its resolution of 4 February 2006. These steps included the necessity of the IAEA continuing its work to clarify all outstanding issues relating to Iran’s nuclear programme, and the re-establishment by Iran of full and sustained suspension of all its enrichment related and reprocessing activities. In my report of 31 August to the Board and to the Security Council, regarding Iran´s fulfillment of the requirements of that resolution, I stated that Iran had not suspended its enrichment related activities, nor was the IAEA able to make progress on resolving the outstanding issues, issues that require certain transparency measures on the part of Iran. The IAEA continues therefore to be unable to confirm the peaceful nature of Iran´s nuclear programme, which is a matter of serious concern.

In this context, I still hope that, ultimately, through dialogue between Iran and its European and other partners, conditions will be created to engage in a long overdue negotiation to achieve a comprehensive settlement that would, on the one hand, supplement IAEA verification efforts in addressing international concerns about the peaceful nature of Iran´s nuclear programme, while on the other hand addressing Iran´s security and other concerns.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I heard somewhere that the Shah 30 years was looking into

nuclear energy for Iran as he knew there was a finite reserve of oil.

[Tempest]

7. The Shah's nuclear ambitions were supported and supplied by the U.S.

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10023

The foundations for Iran's nuclear program were laid in the 1960 under auspices of the U.S. within the framework of bilateral agreements between the two countries. In 1967 the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) was built and run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The TNRC was equipped with a US supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor. Iran signed and ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. With the establishment of Iran's atomic agency and the NPT in place plans were drawn by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Iran's monarch) to construct up to 23 nuclear power stations across the country together with USA by the year 2000.

[gorbal]

10. I don't understand

If it is their right under the nuclear proliferation treaty to enrich low levels of uranium, then why is everyone like....ooooohhhhh, scary Iran has nukes Iran might be invaded.

[krispos42]

13. I believe the IAEA found a lot of stuff that wasn't in the reports

Extra facilities, extra research, etc. Stuff that points to a possible nuclear weapons program.

The Treaty does not give them the right to develop nukes, just make energy. But it's a fine line between civilian concentrations and weapons concentrations. Plus, there are some types of nuclear reactors that make plutonium as a by-product, which is also a fissionable nuclear material.

This is why they wanted to keep a close eye on what types of reactors Iran was making. Of course, thanks to Bush, detailed documents on how to make things like implosion firing circuits for fission weapons were on the public Internet for nine months.

I wonder how many months or years of research Bush just saved them?

[hogwyld]

17. I can't understand the hatred of Iran around here sometimes...

They are a sovereign country looking to export more oil instead of burning it domestically. Not only that, the nuclear power will alleviate a large portion of their air pollution problems as nuclear energy has no "smokestack" A lot of progressives have been brainwashed into believing the islamic boogyman is out to nuke the world.

[oblivious]

18. The power of propaganda.

[eagler]

19. We are foolish if we think

that they have no intention of producing nuclear weapons.

[gorbal]

20. In the meantime....

Did they ever find those twenty or so nuclear warheads that went missing from the Ukraine?