Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

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Iran has begun fashioning fuel for a reactor -- but not for the power-production reactor being built by Russia.

Rather, they are fashioning fuel for the plutonium-production reactor they are building at Arak.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071124/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpolitics

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Bush started a war in Arak for similar reasons.

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Re: Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

oralloy wrote:

Iran has begun fashioning fuel for a reactor -- but not for the power-production reactor being built by Russia.

Rather, they are fashioning fuel for the plutonium-production reactor they are building at Arak.

So what? Iran denies they are building nuclear weapons. Even if they are lying there is nothing the US or Israel can do to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons in the long term. Better to recognise the real-politic and treat with them accordingly. John Bolton is over here promoting his book. He sounded like he wanted to attack Iran now just for the hell of it. Well he's no longer in power and never will be again.

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oralloy, just exactly what constitutes an "illegal nuclear weapons program"? Does Iran need the US to allow/permit? If so, what is the basis for such "illegality?"

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Re: Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

Steve 41oo wrote:

oralloy wrote:
Iran has begun fashioning fuel for a reactor -- but not for the power-production reactor being built by Russia.

Rather, they are fashioning fuel for the plutonium-production reactor they are building at Arak.
So what? Iran denies they are building nuclear weapons.

Maybe Iran is trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium so they can use it in sculptures.

Steve 41oo wrote:

Even if they are lying there is nothing the US or Israel can do to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons in the long term. Better to recognise the real-politic and treat with them accordingly.

That ties in with one of the solutions I favor, which involves giving Israel massive aid for their nuclear weapons program, so they have a more reliable deterrent.

Steve 41oo wrote:

John Bolton is over here promoting his book. He sounded like he wanted to attack Iran now just for the hell of it. Well he's no longer in power and never will be again.

Bush is still in power. He can bomb Iran if he feels like it.

And Hillary is just as likely (if not more likely) to bomb Iran as Bush is if she gets elected.

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dyslexia wrote:

oralloy, just exactly what constitutes an "illegal nuclear weapons program"? Does Iran need the US to allow/permit? If so, what is the basis for such "illegality?"

The Non-Proliferation Treaty makes it illegal for Iran to have a nuclear weapons program.

Had Iran chosen not to join the treaty (a choice that Israel, India, and Pakistan made), it would have been legal for Iran to produce nuclear weapons.

But when Iran chose to join the treaty, they made it illegal for themselves to have nuclear weapons.

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Maybe they are choosing to withdraw from that treaty. I'm sure they have every right to do so.

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Re: Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

Steve 41oo wrote:

oralloy wrote:
Iran has begun fashioning fuel for a reactor -- but not for the power-production reactor being built by Russia.

Rather, they are fashioning fuel for the plutonium-production reactor they are building at Arak.
So what? Iran denies they are building nuclear weapons. Even if they are lying there is nothing the US or Israel can do to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons in the long term. Better to recognise the real-politic and treat with them accordingly. John Bolton is over here promoting his book. He sounded like he wanted to attack Iran now just for the hell of it. Well he's no longer in power and never will be again.

What does "better to recognise the real-politic" mean? This sounds like some sort of appeasement? Where is Winston Churchill when we need him?

The point is, we don't know what will transpire. I tend to think Iran will not get the bomb. It would be too destabilizing for the Sunni Arab states, forgetting about Israel and their concerns.

Based on that corner of the world unable to quiet down for any length of time, I wonder if some countries have been actually enriching testosterone for the population. It's like they produce high-octane testosterone? Do some languages not have a word for "chill"?

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Re: Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

oralloy wrote:

Maybe Iran is trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium so they can use it in sculptures.

Sorry, I read both articles and found no mention of Iran trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium. The closest is this:

Quote:

But the Arak reactor, which began construction in central Iran in 2004, is a concern to the West because the spent fuel from a heavy-water facility can be used to produce plutonium, which in turn can be used for a nuclear weapon.

That's a long way from "trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium" don't you think?

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FreeDuck wrote:

Maybe they are choosing to withdraw from that treaty. I'm sure they have every right to do so.

They haven't withdrawn yet.

But since they've been running their nuclear weapons program for some 20 years while still a party to the treaty, the US is not going to suddenly accept their weapons program as legitimate if they now withdraw.

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oralloy wrote:

FreeDuck wrote:
Maybe they are choosing to withdraw from that treaty. I'm sure they have every right to do so.

They haven't withdrawn yet.

But since they've been running their nuclear weapons program for some 20 years while still a party to the treaty, the US is not going to suddenly accept their weapons program as legitimate if they now withdraw.

There's no proof that they have a nuclear weapons program, much less of having had one for 20 years.

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Re: Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

FreeDuck wrote:

oralloy wrote:

Maybe Iran is trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium so they can use it in sculptures.

Sorry, I read both articles and found no mention of Iran trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium. The closest is this:

Quote:
But the Arak reactor, which began construction in central Iran in 2004, is a concern to the West because the spent fuel from a heavy-water facility can be used to produce plutonium, which in turn can be used for a nuclear weapon.

That's a long way from "trying to produce weapons-grade plutonium" don't you think?

No. The only realistic use for this reactor is the production of weapons grade plutonium.

This is a lot different from the reactor that the Russians are helping them build.

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That's not what your articles say.

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FreeDuck wrote:

oralloy wrote:
FreeDuck wrote:
Maybe they are choosing to withdraw from that treaty. I'm sure they have every right to do so.

They haven't withdrawn yet.

But since they've been running their nuclear weapons program for some 20 years while still a party to the treaty, the US is not going to suddenly accept their weapons program as legitimate if they now withdraw.

There's no proof that they have a nuclear weapons program, much less of having had one for 20 years.

The secrecy of the program shows that it is related to nuclear weapons, and not nuclear power.

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How so?

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FreeDuck wrote:

That's not what your articles say.

It looks to me like the articles say Iran has begun producing fuel for their 40 MW heavy water reactor.

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So I take it that Israel has an illegal nuclear weapons program as well.

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FreeDuck wrote:

How so?

Nuclear weapons programs are shrouded in secrecy.

Nuclear power programs are open -- with no secrets.

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dyslexia wrote:

So I take it that Israel has an illegal nuclear weapons program as well.

No. Israel never signed the NPT, so their nuclear weapons program is perfectly legal.

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oralloy wrote:

FreeDuck wrote:
That's not what your articles say.

It looks to me like the articles say Iran has begun producing fuel for their 40 MW heavy water reactor.

Yes, it does. Is that the same as "the only realistic use for this reactor is the production of weapons grade plutonium"?

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Iran's illegal Nuclear Weapons Program

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