Middle East News
New centrifuges to be clarified soon, says Iran's nuclear head
Feb 4, 2007, 13:10 GMT
Tehran - Speculation over an increase in the number of centrifuges at iran's nuclear sites will be clarified soon, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Sunday.
Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh said foreign diplomats would be taken very soon to the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz in central Iran to see the 'transparency' of Iran's nuclear activities.
The statement followed a recent statement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that - on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution Iran on February 11 - Iran would proclaim new achievements in its nuclear work.
An announcement is widely expected on an increase in the number centrifuges from 328 to 3,000 - either by February 11 or by the end of the Iranian year on March 20.
The news network Khabar reported that the operation of the new centrifuges would be announced next week.
Iran's IAEA envoy Ali-Asqar Soltanieh said Sunday on Khabar that the International Atomic Energy Agency had already been informed of Iran's plans to install 3,000 centrifuges. IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei had already confirmed last month receipt of Iran's plans.
Soltanieh said Saturday that details on the new centrifuges would be clarified at the latest in the next ElBaradei report following thorough IAEA inspections at Natanz.
Aqazadeh, who is also vice-president, said he expected the ElBaradei report would once again prove that Iran had not violated its commitments to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
'Iran's nuclear case has been politicised and should be settled accordingly. The IAEA is either unwilling or incapable of settling the issue,' Aqazadeh was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying.
He once again rejected UN Security Council resolution 1737 as legally unjustifiable. Iran would not follow UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment by the deadline of February 21, even though Tehran might face sanctions for its defiance, he said.
Iran Saturday opened the gates of the its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan to diplomats from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and foreign reporters in what was seen as an effort to avoid UN sanctions.
But the move was criticised even by the local press as irrelevant, as the main controversy was not over uranium conversion at Isfahan but the enrichment process at the neighbouring Natanz plant, while sanctions would be imposed at the behest not of NAM member states but of the five UN veto powers plus Germany.
But Aqazadeh said that NAM represented a population over 1 billion and was therefore important for Iran.
Terming the move as 'software confrontation with false Western reports on Iran's nuclear programmes,' Soltanieh also said the NAM states which support Iran's right to pursue a civil nuclear programme played an important role for Tehran.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Iran is held hostage by old fart religious fanatics. They have a puppet president. The old farts want nukes. They have been very clear in their intent to bomb Israel . Those of you who hate Jews refuse to acknowledge that if the Jew were as bad as you propagandize, they would have nuked Iran already. There is a global war on the horizon. Like it or not, you 'will' chose sides. Your choices: Freedom and it's messy democracy, or Sharia law and it's inherent repression.
t
I agree with what you have stated Frank. Iran has every right to produce nuclear power for civilian use, Ayatollah Khamanaei has made publicaly that the use of weapons of mass destruction or obtaining them is forbiden in Islam.
Thanks Geopolitical for a little bit of sanity.
Trumpet,your just another petty little warmonger.I'm not anti-jewish either. my father was one of the first allied soldiers to 'liberate 'Belsen Concentration Camp (NO4 Commando)in 1945.
I am Iranian origin, from a province called Loristan, during the 1910's my ancestors fought the British occupation/Soviet occupation of Iran, the jews sided alongside the muslims and vice versa. There are still jews whom go to school normally and practice freely, Zionism is a secular ideology it knows no religion, not even their own people from orthodox judasim.
geopolitical.
My grandfather fought in the Great War (1914-1918) What is so disturbing was then ,when 97% of the casualities were military and only 3% were civilian.
The forcast for the next war, is 97% Civilian casualities and only 3% Military.
I really hate rabble rousers urging kill!kill!
Many of the posts here are, unfortunately, little more than border-line illiterates.
It will be hard to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons.The best choice
would be to have international monitoring.If they do then we have a valid
reason to impose sanctions.
Israel is not threatening to 'wipe out' any neighbouring country!
Israel has clearly possessed nuclear capabilities for decades and has never even threatened to use them, even when provoked in pre-emptive attacks on Israel! Israel does not have leaders who believe that a 'Maadi' is here and ushering in the end of the world which must come about through violent means with great destruction!
Finally, Israel is not led by somebody who has been caught out lying time and time again and who is lying again about nuclear energy being only for 'peaceful' purposes!
He is simply playing a game with the west as he buys time until he has what he wants.... nuclear capability.... then God help everyone!
Jawaid Chaudhr..Yes i'm in complete agreement It will be hard to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons.The best choice would be to have international UN. IAEA monitoring for both IRAN and ISRAEL.
If they don't then we have a valid reason to impose sanctions.
You can't simply impose sanctions on Iran and PRETEND that Israel hasn't a secret arsenal of 100-200 WMD's...........
Dimona.
Iran has full right to posess nuclear weapons, it would be hypocracy to say they dont when so many others do. A country should not suffer because of its president or what he says *cough* GWB *cough*. Israel has done plenty of mistakes as well like using cluster bombs on civilians recently in Lebanon. Is that a responsible nation that should not be subject to any inspections?
America requires extensive and intensive inspections, U.N. monitoring and a U.N. police force to occupy from Guam to Maine to Florida to ensure the safety and protection of the American people. Or if the U.N. wont provide the troops than maybe Mexico and Canada can provide a coalition of the willing.
No Matt, Israel is not threatening to 'wipe out' neighbouring countries, it just goes ahead and does it. Do you forget the illegal invasion of Lebanon?
Please tell me exactly what 'lies' Iran has told about it's nuclear program and how you 'know' that they are lies.
And for anyone who is interested (no you Matt, you clearly are not someone who can apprehend actual fact, Juan Cole has the proper translation of what Ahminidijad said) Ahminidijad said the Israel should pass from history like the Soviet Union. Wiping off the face of the map is a western idiomatic expression and is not even used in Farsi.
Tell us Matt, you were a big supporter of the Iraq invasion right? Gotta get them there Dubya M D's raht?
I agree with Jonathan. I do not believe we have the right to dictate who should have or who should not have anything, nuclear or otherwise. It seems to me that we should just let them and any other country to their own devices. As horrible as it sounds and I'm sure I'll catch flack for it we need to back away from the whole situation and whatever happens, happens. We can't even take care of the people in our own country and yet for some reason the powers that be think we know what's best for the rest of the world. The Middle East has been in conflict for as along as I have been around. Will it change because we think we know best. I'm thinking....no. It's to the point that if they want to turn each other's countries into parking lots, let them.
'do not believe we have the right to dictate who should have or who should not have anything, nuclear or otherwise. It seems to me that we should just let them and any other country to their own devices. As horrible as it sounds and I'm sure I'll catch flack for it we need to back away from the whole situation and whatever happens, happens. '
LOL...
Jonathan, I hear your argument,
But at the moment it is all about what the President of that country is saying,
He says that he wants to annihilate Israel. [Is this to clear his view of Europe - his next target?]
This guy is the President of a country, but he also sees himself as a religious figure.
Privately many in the Islamic world, might express his view of wishing to see Israel destroyed, but publicly he is the only one saying it.
If he develops a a nuke, and decides to attach it to one of his missiles, which he already has with Israel written on the sides (literally), will the West simply stand by and allow him to commit genocide in the name of his religion.
If Iran wipes out the Jews in Israel, what are we going to say to each other. This is history repeating itself. There are too many similarities with Hitler, that we cannot ignore it.
Political leaders largely come to power by what they say, so if this man says that he wishes to annihilate Israel, can we take it that this is what he means.
gary_7vn
You're very emotional, I take it that you are Islamic. Do you know that Ahmedimijad was given the opportunity to moderate his statement on annihilating Israel, and he refused to do this. I think that we are all pretty clear what he meant.
He actually believes, that his savior the Madi is returning to usher in a new era, through death an destruction, which he himself needs to create. The problem with this is that all the Muslims don't even believe it.
There is a lack of critical analyses going on in Islam today. Muslims seem to be able to criticize everyone else, but they can't criticize themselves.
I guess the biggest WMD is Iraq was the meat grinder, that Saddam and his son would put their fellow country men, women and children through. [Apparently, when the were put through head first, they would not scream as much] That's Islam = Peace today. Everyday another bomb in a market, Muslim killing Muslim. Please don't preach to us.
To Matt-UK
'Finally, Israel is not led by somebody who has been caught out lying time and time again and who is lying again about nuclear energy being only for 'peaceful' purposes'
What about USA President Bush? USA is led by somebody who has lied (and proven to be lied) about one thing or another over and over. What would you say about him? Why not lump him too with Iran?
YOU are a great hypocrate. Because you can not stand the progress made by an Asian country. Simple. Your smell colonial leftover and you rotten in your own anger.
Why are Indians so obsessed with colonisation.
It is because you speak English that your country is now rising.
Where would all those Call Centres be now, without English?
India has the bomb - but who's complaining - because Indian is rational - Iran, at the moment is not.
' Ayatollah Khamanaei has made publicaly that the use of weapons of mass destruction or obtaining them is forbiden in Islam. '
LOL! There is just so much wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin...
...Nabil Shaath says: 'President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq …' And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.' And by God I'm gonna do it.''
Abu Mazen was at the same meeting and recounts how President Bush told him: 'I have a moral and religious obligation. So I will get you a Palestinian state.'
This is from a President who is supposed to be 'the servant of the People' is expected to carry out 'The Will of the Nation'.
This insane madman now totally ignores both, but is now driven by the 'Voice of God' commanding him to act, (or is it a Demon) inside his head.
In his own words 'I AM THE DECIDER'
I think that Cheney got it right when he sneeringly said to Congress 'It's too late,there's nothing you can do to stop us'
Of course he was referring to Operation Tirannt which Bush says he's never heard of?... so I suggest you look it up on Google.
The crux of this problem is that Iran declared war on the west about 20 years ago but forgot to tell anyone, including their own people.
Bollocks Goose
The crux of this problem is that Bush has declared war on Iran about 20 days ago but forgot to tell anyone, including his own people.
I don't know if you read this letter in the Sunday Times.FEB 4th page18.
Diplomacy can still win Iran
As former US military leaders,we strongly caution against the use of miltary force agaist Iran.An attack on Iran would have disasterous consequences for security in the region ect.,ect.
signed.
LT General Robert G Gard jr
General Joseph P Hoar
Vice Admiral Jack Shanhan.
(Google for full text}
Poor Frank, typical of the blame Bush for everything derangement syndrome. The Iranian 'revolution' (devolution) was in 1978-79. Bush was elected president in 2000.
To hell with what happened twenty seven years ago.
I would concern yourself with what is happening NOW!!
'To hell with what happened twenty seven years ago.'
You are dealing with people who think in terms of centuries and will go back a lot further then 20 years to hold a grudge as an excuse to commit violence.
'I would concern yourself with what is happening NOW!!'
Quite concerned, but I am not going to see everything through a kaleidoscope of hate and rage for a single person and allow myself to fall victim to the stupid idea that everything and anyone who opposes Bush is 'good'. That mindset is pretty infantile, especially in light of what Iran has demonstrated itself capable of.
WORDS
The words of a man who plans revolt is confused
The words of a man who entertains doubt in his mind are ramified
The words of men of good fortune are few
Excited men use many words
Slanderers of good men are roundabout in their words
The words of a man who has lost his standpoint are twisted. (Ta Chuan)
Ill bet that signified a lot to you frank...
Nothing to anyone else though.
page: 1
FrankFeb 4th, 2007 - 14:45:38
Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, designed to prevent the global spread of nuclear weapons.
As a result, it is not subject to inspections and the threat of sanctions by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The extent of Israel's nuclear capability has been the subject of often wildly inaccurate intelligence estimates since the 1960s, when the country's nuclear reactor, at Dimona in the Negev desert, came online.
The shrouds of secrecy have lifted only once, in the mid-1980s, when a former worker at the plant, Mordechai Vanunu, gave a British newspaper descriptions and photographs of Israeli nuclear warheads.
Vanunu's evidence led to a sharp upwards revision of the number of nuclear warheads Israel was believed to possess - to at least 100 - and possibly as many as 200.
If Iran is willing to throw its doors open to UN IAEA Inspectors than so must ISRAEL, otherwise we just end up with utter and complete HYPOCRISY......
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