WP: No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program

[SLCPUNK]

No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program
Uranium Traced to Pakistani Equipment

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; Page A01

Traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and is not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists has determined.

"The biggest smoking gun that everyone was waving is now eliminated with these conclusions," said a senior official who discussed the still-confidential findings on the condition of anonymity.

Scientists from the United States, France, Japan, Britain and Russia met in secret during the past nine months to pore over data collected by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to U.S. and foreign officials. Recently, the group, whose existence had not been previously reported, definitively matched samples of the highly enriched uranium -- a key ingredient for a nuclear weapon -- with centrifuge equipment turned over by the government of Pakistan.

Iran has long contended that the uranium traces were the result of contaminated equipment bought years ago from Pakistan. But the Bush administration had pointed to the material as evidence that Iran was making bomb-grade ingredients.


Source: Washington Post

[Mama Kin]

"Oh my God, they're lying! It's a giant, totalitarian government that rules the planet via the airwaves, partitioning out information in such a way that we, the masses, are forced to base our conclusions on errenous....Sorry, wrong meeting." Bill Hicks

[Surfrider]

I guess I am confused then.  If they are simply seeking nuclear power for energy and not military use, then why not broker the deal with the Europeans which would actually provide support and help by the Europeans to develop the technology.  Interesting parallel with Iraq, if no weapons exist then why the hostility towards a compromise?  Certainly would beat getting attacked or having economic sanctions placed on them.

Who knows what the fuck is going on

[pilferk]

I guess I am confused then.? If they are simply seeking nuclear power for energy and not military use, then why not broker the deal with the Europeans which would actually provide support and help by the Europeans to develop the technology.? Interesting parallel with Iraq, if no weapons exist then why the hostility towards a compromise?? Certainly would beat getting attacked or having economic sanctions placed on them.

Who knows what the fuck is going on

It all goes hand in hand, actually.

The problem is..the cast offs from spent rods, or reactor waste, in a Nuclear plant can be used to create nuclear weapons grade material very easily.? That's what North Korea was/is doing.? BUT, nuclear power is incredibly cheap, and...well, these countries are incredibly poor.

So, they want nuclear power because of it's cost advantages, but the Western World doesn't really want them to have it, since...well...we don't want them having bombs to blow us up with should be piss them off (not to mention, given the history of these countries, we don't want meltdowns to occur, or the reactors to be military targets in a coup, or to be attacked by opposing factions to create a large scale nuclear incident).? So, rather than garnering "safe" equipment from the West, countries like Iran are forced to buy equipment either on the black market, or buy second hand equipment from nuclear countries that WILL deal with them, which pretty much means Pakistan for Iraq (since India and China are unlikely to have any compulsion to deal with them).? Which leads us to the above situation.

Which, of course, is not to say that Iran isn't lying through their teeth.? They could be.? But, once again, intel we have is being contradicted by other sources, casting doubt on the original intel.

And thus, you have the contaminated equipment going to Iran.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

They want nuclear weapons. THey don`t need nuclear power, they have the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world. The US in their eyes is the great satan and with that ideology why wouldn`t they want to blackmail and bomb us?

[Jessica]

France uses nuclear for its electricity ( which is one of the best i nthe world btw)..

Why can't Iran use nuclear to devellop ?

You cry out for poor undevelloped countries and when one wants to use " clean" energy to devellop, you accuse them of being terrorists..

You're freaking nuttters ya'll...I MEAN it.

Pakistan hash ad nuclear bombs in a LONG time, so had Israel, USA pushed the button on Hiroshima and yet, you condem a country when PROOFS tell you the traces come from bloody pakistan ?

Well, the brits don't like pakistanese and the indians don't either.

Looks for whys...........

[Dr. Blutarsky]

France uses nuclear for its electricity ( which is one of the best i nthe world btw)..

Why can't Iran use nuclear to devellop ?

You cry out for poor undevelloped countries and when one wants to use " clean" energy to devellop, you accuse them of being terrorists..

You're freaking nuttters ya'll...I MEAN it.

Pakistan hash ad nuclear bombs in a LONG time, so had Israel, USA pushed the button on Hiroshima and yet, you condem a country when PROOFS tell you the traces come from bloody pakistan ?

Well, the brits don't like pakistanese and the indians don't either.

Looks for whys...........

FRANCE, Germany and Britain do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons either. NUclear energy isn`t clean. It leaves spent uranium that is radioactive for 10,000 years.

[Jessica]

France uses nuclear for its electricity ( which is one of the best i nthe world btw)..

Why can't Iran use nuclear to devellop ?

You cry out for poor undevelloped countries and when one wants to use " clean" energy to devellop, you accuse them of being terrorists..

You're freaking nuttters ya'll...I MEAN it.

Pakistan hash ad nuclear bombs in a LONG time, so had Israel, USA pushed the button on Hiroshima and yet, you condem a country when PROOFS tell you the traces come from bloody pakistan ?

Well, the brits don't like pakistanese and the indians don't either.

Looks for whys...........

FRANCE, Germany and Britain do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons either. NUclear energy isn`t clean. It leaves spent uranium that is radioactive for 10,000 years.

Oh stop coming up my nose, you know it's one of the cleanest we have right now, much more clean than anything derived from oil.

And do not tell me about the other energies, i know them, but unless they are mass produced, unless people are helped financially to be equiped, it's just like talking hot hair.

[SLCPUNK]

They want nuclear weapons. THey don`t need nuclear power, they have the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world.

The world is hitting peak oil, if it has not already.

We all will have to find another source of energy fairly soon.

[Surfrider]

I guess I am confused then.? If they are simply seeking nuclear power for energy and not military use, then why not broker the deal with the Europeans which would actually provide support and help by the Europeans to develop the technology.? Interesting parallel with Iraq, if no weapons exist then why the hostility towards a compromise?? Certainly would beat getting attacked or having economic sanctions placed on them.

Who knows what the fuck is going on

It all goes hand in hand, actually.

The problem is..the cast offs from spent rods, or reactor waste, in a Nuclear plant can be used to create nuclear weapons grade material very easily.? That's what North Korea was/is doing.? BUT, nuclear power is incredibly cheap, and...well, these countries are incredibly poor.

So, they want nuclear power because of it's cost advantages, but the Western World doesn't really want them to have it, since...well...we don't want them having bombs to blow us up with should be piss them off (not to mention, given the history of these countries, we don't want meltdowns to occur, or the reactors to be military targets in a coup, or to be attacked by opposing factions to create a large scale nuclear incident).? So, rather than garnering "safe" equipment from the West, countries like Iran are forced to buy equipment either on the black market, or buy second hand equipment from nuclear countries that WILL deal with them, which pretty much means Pakistan for Iraq (since India and China are unlikely to have any compulsion to deal with them).? Which leads us to the above situation.

Which, of course, is not to say that Iran isn't lying through their teeth.? They could be.? But, once again, intel we have is being contradicted by other sources, casting doubt on the original intel.

And thus, you have the contaminated equipment going to Iran.

I realize what they are claiming.  However, I was under the impression that the European countries were offering to help them on their "energy" nuclear program so long as there were ways to make sure that they werent using the spent fuel for weapons or creating nuclear weapons.  If all they want is peaceful nuclear power, then why not get the help and allow the monitoring?  After all, then they wouldnt be forced to buy from Pakistan.  I think they are full of shit.

[Surfrider]

France uses nuclear for its electricity ( which is one of the best i nthe world btw)..

Why can't Iran use nuclear to devellop ?

You cry out for poor undevelloped countries and when one wants to use " clean" energy to devellop, you accuse them of being terrorists..

You're freaking nuttters ya'll...I MEAN it.

Pakistan hash ad nuclear bombs in a LONG time, so had Israel, USA pushed the button on Hiroshima and yet, you condem a country when PROOFS tell you the traces come from bloody pakistan ?

Well, the brits don't like pakistanese and the indians don't either.

Looks for whys...........

FRANCE, Germany and Britain do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons either. NUclear energy isn`t clean. It leaves spent uranium that is radioactive for 10,000 years.

Actually nuclear is far cleaner than most alternatives.  The problem in the US is that power companies arent allowed to reuse the fuel, thus the storing problem occurs.  However, the fuel can be reused over and over.  The only problem is once it continues to be reused it develops into weapon grade material.  But there is not air nor water pollution by nuclear power.

[Queen of Everything]

No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program
Uranium Traced to Pakistani Equipment

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; Page A01

Traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and is not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists has determined.

"The biggest smoking gun that everyone was waving is now eliminated with these conclusions," said a senior official who discussed the still-confidential findings on the condition of anonymity.

Scientists from the United States, France, Japan, Britain and Russia met in secret during the past nine months to pore over data collected by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to U.S. and foreign officials. Recently, the group, whose existence had not been previously reported, definitively matched samples of the highly enriched uranium -- a key ingredient for a nuclear weapon -- with centrifuge equipment turned over by the government of Pakistan.

Iran has long contended that the uranium traces were the result of contaminated equipment bought years ago from Pakistan. But the Bush administration had pointed to the material as evidence that Iran was making bomb-grade ingredients.


Source: Washington Post

I love How I can alwasy Trus in SLC to keep me up to date on the worlds news!!