Establishing the Right Precedent in Supplying Fuel to Iran
George Perkovich and Pierre Goldschmidt, Proliferation Analysis
TRRThe purported agreement to refuel the Tehran research reactor by shipping Iranian-made low enriched uranium (LEU) to other states for further enrichment and fuel fabrication could be a good precedent for meeting Iran’s future and potentially larger nuclear fuel needs. This precedent could be seen as a first step to accept at a later stage that the UN Security Council would reverse its present decision and allow Iran to continue its ongoing practice of enriching uranium to less than five percent under what should be rigorous safeguards (including having a so-called "Additional Protocol" in force).
Full Article
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23954&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Iran Plans to Use New Centrifuge at Nuclear Plant
Hashem Kalantari, Reuters
Iran plans to use a new generation of faster centrifuges to enrich uranium at a newly-revealed nuclear site, its atomic energy chief said in remarks published Tuesday.
Full Article
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5951Z920091006?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
* Report Says Iran Has Data to Make Bomb
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/world/middleeast/05iran.html?_r=1&hp
Untangling Iran's Nuclear Web
Dmitri Trenin, The Moscow Times
Thursday's Geneva meeting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany regarding Iran’s nuclear program did not lead to a breakthrough or a decisive showdown. It did, however, demonstrate more unity among the major powers vis-a-vis Tehran, and we witnessed the first meeting of President Barack Obama’s administration between U.S. and Iranian diplomats.
Full Article
http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23940&prog=zgp,zru&proj=znpp
Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire - Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry. Nuclear Activities
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
+ Nuclear deals lucrative for North Korea
+ Nuclear deals lucrative for North Korea
Seoul (UPI) Oct 5, 2009 - North Korea has won about $2.3 billion worth of aid from South Korea and other negotiating partners in return for false promises to give up its nuclear weapons drive, a report by the South Korean government said Monday. Despite the prolonged nuclear standoff, the North has received an additional $3.4 billion worth of humanitarian aid over the past decade, the report by the Foreign Minis ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nuclear_deals_lucrative_for_North_Korea_999.html
Seoul (UPI) Oct 5, 2009 - North Korea has won about $2.3 billion worth of aid from South Korea and other negotiating partners in return for false promises to give up its nuclear weapons drive, a report by the South Korean government said Monday. Despite the prolonged nuclear standoff, the North has received an additional $3.4 billion worth of humanitarian aid over the past decade, the report by the Foreign Minis ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nuclear_deals_lucrative_for_North_Korea_999.html
Russia launches new Mideast arms push
Russia launches new Mideast arms push
Tripoli, Libya (UPI) Oct 5, 2009 - Russia's state arms exporter is launching a big drive at the Tripoli air show to sell combat jets, missiles and air-defense systems to Middle Eastern states, including the state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile that Iran and Syria desperately want to acquire. But the Russians are likely to find considerable competition at the 4th Arab-African Aviation Exhibition and Confer ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_launches_new_Mideast_arms_push_999.html
Tripoli, Libya (UPI) Oct 5, 2009 - Russia's state arms exporter is launching a big drive at the Tripoli air show to sell combat jets, missiles and air-defense systems to Middle Eastern states, including the state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile that Iran and Syria desperately want to acquire. But the Russians are likely to find considerable competition at the 4th Arab-African Aviation Exhibition and Confer ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_launches_new_Mideast_arms_push_999.html
UN to inspect Iran's new nuclear plant on Oct 25
UN to inspect Iran's new nuclear plant on Oct 25
Tehran (AFP) Oct 4, 2009 - Experts will inspect Iran's new uranium enrichment plant on October 25, UN atomic watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei said on Sunday, praising Tehran's shift "from conspiracy to cooperation" but warning that "concerns" remain over its nuclear aims. ElBaradei told a news conference in Tehran that Iran had given the assurance International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors would be given acce ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/UN_to_inspect_Irans_new_nuclear_plant_on_Oct_25_999.html
Tehran (AFP) Oct 4, 2009 - Experts will inspect Iran's new uranium enrichment plant on October 25, UN atomic watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei said on Sunday, praising Tehran's shift "from conspiracy to cooperation" but warning that "concerns" remain over its nuclear aims. ElBaradei told a news conference in Tehran that Iran had given the assurance International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors would be given acce ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/UN_to_inspect_Irans_new_nuclear_plant_on_Oct_25_999.html
New doubt on US's Iran plant claim
New doubt on US's Iran plant claim
Washington's charge that construction on Iran's second uranium-enrichment facility is part of a covert decision to violate its International Atomic Energy obligations is being questioned. Further analysis of satellite photos of the site suggests Iran is not in the wrong. - Gareth Porter (Oct 5,
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ06Ak02.html
Washington's charge that construction on Iran's second uranium-enrichment facility is part of a covert decision to violate its International Atomic Energy obligations is being questioned. Further analysis of satellite photos of the site suggests Iran is not in the wrong. - Gareth Porter (Oct 5,
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ06Ak02.html
Iran Tests Shahab-3 Missile Ahead of Nuclear Talks Bloomberg - September 28, 2009
Iran Tests Shahab-3 Missile Ahead of Nuclear Talks
Bloomberg - September 28, 2009
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=abF02OIbrRm4
Bloomberg - September 28, 2009
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=abF02OIbrRm4
Experts Weigh In on Obama's Explanation of Iran's Nuclear Facility The Washington Independent - September 28, 2009
Experts Weigh In on Obama's Explanation of Iran's Nuclear Facility
The Washington Independent - September 28, 2009
http://washingtonindependent.com/61063/experts-weigh-in-on-significance-of-irans-nuclear-facility
The Washington Independent - September 28, 2009
http://washingtonindependent.com/61063/experts-weigh-in-on-significance-of-irans-nuclear-facility
How Do We Know There Are Only 3000 Centrifuges At Qom?
How Do We Know There Are Only 3000 Centrifuges At Qom?
http://washingtonindependent.com/61285/how-do-we-know-there-are-only-3000-centrifuges-at-qom
http://washingtonindependent.com/61285/how-do-we-know-there-are-only-3000-centrifuges-at-qom
Inspections Won't Solve Iran's Nuke Mystery
Inspections Won't Solve Iran's Nuke Mystery
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/inspections-wont-solve-irans-nuke-mystery/
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/inspections-wont-solve-irans-nuke-mystery/
US Sea-Based Missiles Seen as "Core" Nukes, Maybe at ICBM Expense Global Security Newswire - October 1, 2009
US Sea-Based Missiles Seen as "Core" Nukes, Maybe at ICBM Expense
Global Security Newswire - October 1, 2009
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091001_4226.php
Global Security Newswire - October 1, 2009
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091001_4226.php
The U.S.-India nuclear deal--one year later BY J. SRI RAMAN
The U.S.-India nuclear deal--one year later
BY J. SRI RAMAN
October 8 marks the one-year anniversary of former President George W. Bush signing into law the so-called U.S.-India nuclear deal. The deal proved controversial from its inception because it ended a 34-year U.S. ban on nuclear trade with India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). And yet despite heavy criticism of the deal--especially from arms control and disarmament advocates--one year later, it appears solidly entrenched as long-term policy.
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the U.S.-India Business Council's Synergies Summit in June, "The first stage of Indo-U.S. relations was ushered in when President Bill Clinton opened a new chapter of engagement with India. Then President George [W.] Bush took it to the second level with the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement. The Obama administration is determined to take it to the third stage, which would allow the countries to move beyond concerns about the status of India's nuclear program to a framework of economic and technical cooperation."
At its heart, the U.S.-India deal is really about big business, which has boomed since the agreement entered into force. In fact, intensive lobbying by corporate sectors in both the United States and India helped overrule the concerns of the arms control community. For Ron Somers, the president of the U.S.-India Business Council, the calculus was simple: "[The U.S.-India nuclear deal] will present a major opportunity for U.S. and Indian companies," he promised in July 2007. He added that the deal would create...Read entire article
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/the-us-india-nuclear-deal-one-year-later
BY J. SRI RAMAN
October 8 marks the one-year anniversary of former President George W. Bush signing into law the so-called U.S.-India nuclear deal. The deal proved controversial from its inception because it ended a 34-year U.S. ban on nuclear trade with India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). And yet despite heavy criticism of the deal--especially from arms control and disarmament advocates--one year later, it appears solidly entrenched as long-term policy.
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the U.S.-India Business Council's Synergies Summit in June, "The first stage of Indo-U.S. relations was ushered in when President Bill Clinton opened a new chapter of engagement with India. Then President George [W.] Bush took it to the second level with the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement. The Obama administration is determined to take it to the third stage, which would allow the countries to move beyond concerns about the status of India's nuclear program to a framework of economic and technical cooperation."
At its heart, the U.S.-India deal is really about big business, which has boomed since the agreement entered into force. In fact, intensive lobbying by corporate sectors in both the United States and India helped overrule the concerns of the arms control community. For Ron Somers, the president of the U.S.-India Business Council, the calculus was simple: "[The U.S.-India nuclear deal] will present a major opportunity for U.S. and Indian companies," he promised in July 2007. He added that the deal would create...Read entire article
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/the-us-india-nuclear-deal-one-year-later
Sunday, October 4, 2009
ElBaradei says nuclear Israel number one threat to Mideast: report
ElBaradei says nuclear Israel number one threat to Mideast: report
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/04/content_12181647.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/04/content_12181647.htm
New Doubt Cast on U.S. Claim Qom Plant is Illicit by Gareth Porter
New Doubt Cast on U.S. Claim Qom Plant is Illicit
by Gareth Porter / October 3rd, 2009 (1)
WASHINGTON (IPS) — An Iranian assertion that construction on its second enrichment facility began only last year and further analysis of satellite photos of the site have cast fresh doubts on the Barack Obama administration’s charge that the construction of the plant near Qom involved a covert decision to violate Iran’s obligations to report immediately to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on any decision to build a new facility.
At a Sep. 25 briefing on the site, senior administration officials refused to provide any specific information to back up the claim that construction had begun before the March 2007 Iranian …
(Full article …)
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/10/new-doubt-cast-on-u-s-claim-qom-plant-is-illicit/
by Gareth Porter / October 3rd, 2009 (1)
WASHINGTON (IPS) — An Iranian assertion that construction on its second enrichment facility began only last year and further analysis of satellite photos of the site have cast fresh doubts on the Barack Obama administration’s charge that the construction of the plant near Qom involved a covert decision to violate Iran’s obligations to report immediately to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on any decision to build a new facility.
At a Sep. 25 briefing on the site, senior administration officials refused to provide any specific information to back up the claim that construction had begun before the March 2007 Iranian …
(Full article …)
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/10/new-doubt-cast-on-u-s-claim-qom-plant-is-illicit/
Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb By WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER
Report Says Iran Has Data to Make a Nuclear Bomb
By WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/world/middleeast/04nuke.html?hp
A U.N. analysis says Iran has “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” bomb, going well beyond the public position taken by Washington.
* U.N. Sets Date for Iran Inspection 6:38 AM ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/04/world/AP-ML-Iran.html?hp
By WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/world/middleeast/04nuke.html?hp
A U.N. analysis says Iran has “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” bomb, going well beyond the public position taken by Washington.
* U.N. Sets Date for Iran Inspection 6:38 AM ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/04/world/AP-ML-Iran.html?hp
U.S. Not Seeking Disclosure of Israeli Nuclear Arsenal
U.S. Not Seeking Disclosure of Israeli Nuclear Arsenal
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the White House in May. Obama's administration does not plan to pressure Israel to open its nuclear sites to international scrutiny, officials said (White House photo/Getty Images).
The Obama administration does not intend to press Israel to give international monitors access to its nuclear weapons, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 29).
Israel has never officially acknowledged possession of what is believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, which is roughly estimated at between 100 and 200 warheads.
Then-U.S. President Richard Nixon and former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier in 1969 reportedly agreed that Washington would not challenge Jerusalem on the issue. The deal -- of which there is no official accounting -- essentially means that "the United States passively [accepts] Israel's nuclear weapons status as long as Israel does not unveil publicly its capability or test a weapon," according to expert Avner Cohen.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_7204.php
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the White House in May. Obama's administration does not plan to pressure Israel to open its nuclear sites to international scrutiny, officials said (White House photo/Getty Images).
The Obama administration does not intend to press Israel to give international monitors access to its nuclear weapons, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 29).
Israel has never officially acknowledged possession of what is believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, which is roughly estimated at between 100 and 200 warheads.
Then-U.S. President Richard Nixon and former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier in 1969 reportedly agreed that Washington would not challenge Jerusalem on the issue. The deal -- of which there is no official accounting -- essentially means that "the United States passively [accepts] Israel's nuclear weapons status as long as Israel does not unveil publicly its capability or test a weapon," according to expert Avner Cohen.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_7204.php
Administration Defends Changes to European Missile Shield
Administration Defends Changes to European Missile Shield
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
By Martin Matishak
Global Security Newswire
A U.S. ground-based missile interceptor is lowered into a silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, in 2004. The arsenal of interceptors in Alaska and California would provide "full protection of the homeland" from an Iranian long-range missile threat by the end of next year, a senior Pentagon official said yesterday (U.S. Missile Defense Agency photo).
WASHINGTON -- Key officials from the U.S. Defense and State departments yesterday vigorously defended the Obama administration's decision to retool a proposed Europe-based missile defense shield (see GSN, Oct. 1).
"We are not scrapping missile defense in Europe. We are strengthening it," Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy told the House Armed Services Committee.
The White House announced two weeks ago that it would shelve a Bush administration plan to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic as a hedge against a developing missile threat from Iran (see GSN, Sept. 17). The plan proved controversial in the proposed host countries and was vehemently opposed by Russia as a threat to its strategic security.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_8280.php
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
By Martin Matishak
Global Security Newswire
A U.S. ground-based missile interceptor is lowered into a silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, in 2004. The arsenal of interceptors in Alaska and California would provide "full protection of the homeland" from an Iranian long-range missile threat by the end of next year, a senior Pentagon official said yesterday (U.S. Missile Defense Agency photo).
WASHINGTON -- Key officials from the U.S. Defense and State departments yesterday vigorously defended the Obama administration's decision to retool a proposed Europe-based missile defense shield (see GSN, Oct. 1).
"We are not scrapping missile defense in Europe. We are strengthening it," Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy told the House Armed Services Committee.
The White House announced two weeks ago that it would shelve a Bush administration plan to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic as a hedge against a developing missile threat from Iran (see GSN, Sept. 17). The plan proved controversial in the proposed host countries and was vehemently opposed by Russia as a threat to its strategic security.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_8280.php
Iran Offers to Ship Uranium for Enrichment by Other Nations
Iran Offers to Ship Uranium for Enrichment by Other Nations
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, left, and other Iranian officials speak to reporters yesterday at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Tehran yesterday indicated it was willing to send much of its uranium supply abroad for further enrichment (Mario Tama/Getty Images).
Iran yesterday signaled willingness to send much of its low-enriched uranium stockpile to France and Russia for further refinement, a move that could address concerns that the Middle Eastern state intends to use the material in a nuclear weapon, the Wall Street Journal reported (see GSN, Oct. 1).
"This limits Iran's ability to have the breakout ability needed to produce nuclear weapons," said one high-level U.S. official involved in yesterday's meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, of diplomats from Iran, the five permanent U.N. Security Council member nations and Germany. Iran is widely believed to possess enough low-enriched uranium to power a nuclear weapon if the country withdrew from international nonproliferation safeguards and continued to enrich the material.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_8995.php
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, left, and other Iranian officials speak to reporters yesterday at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Tehran yesterday indicated it was willing to send much of its uranium supply abroad for further enrichment (Mario Tama/Getty Images).
Iran yesterday signaled willingness to send much of its low-enriched uranium stockpile to France and Russia for further refinement, a move that could address concerns that the Middle Eastern state intends to use the material in a nuclear weapon, the Wall Street Journal reported (see GSN, Oct. 1).
"This limits Iran's ability to have the breakout ability needed to produce nuclear weapons," said one high-level U.S. official involved in yesterday's meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, of diplomats from Iran, the five permanent U.N. Security Council member nations and Germany. Iran is widely believed to possess enough low-enriched uranium to power a nuclear weapon if the country withdrew from international nonproliferation safeguards and continued to enrich the material.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20091002_8995.php
Friday, October 2, 2009
Obama Agrees to Keep Israel's Nukes Secret
Obama Agrees to Keep Israel's Nukes Secret
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/02/president-obama-has-reaffirmed-a-4-decade-old-secr/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/02/president-obama-has-reaffirmed-a-4-decade-old-secr/
Iran Agrees to Send Enriched Uranium to Russia
Iran Agrees to Send Enriched Uranium to Russia
By STEVEN ERLANGER and MARK LANDLER
Published: October 1, 2009
GENEVA — Iran agreed on Thursday in talks with the United States and other major powers to open its newly revealed uranium enrichment plant near Qum to international inspection in the next two weeks and to send most of its openly declared enriched uranium to Russia to be turned into fuel for a small reactor that produces medical isotopes, senior American and other Western officials said.
Iran’s agreement in principle to export most of its enriched uranium for processing — if it happens — would represent a major accomplishment for the West, reducing Iran’s ability to make a nuclear weapon quickly and buying more time for negotiations to bear fruit.
If Iran has secret stockpiles of enriched uranium, however, the accomplishment would be hollow, a senior American official conceded.
The officials described the long day of talks here with Iran, the first such discussions in which the United States has participated fully, as a modest success on a long and complicated road. Iran had at least finally engaged with the big powers on its nuclear program after more than a year, and had agreed to some tangible, confidence-building steps before another meeting with the same participants before the end of this month.
More…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/middleeast/02nuke.html?_r=2&emc=na
By STEVEN ERLANGER and MARK LANDLER
Published: October 1, 2009
GENEVA — Iran agreed on Thursday in talks with the United States and other major powers to open its newly revealed uranium enrichment plant near Qum to international inspection in the next two weeks and to send most of its openly declared enriched uranium to Russia to be turned into fuel for a small reactor that produces medical isotopes, senior American and other Western officials said.
Iran’s agreement in principle to export most of its enriched uranium for processing — if it happens — would represent a major accomplishment for the West, reducing Iran’s ability to make a nuclear weapon quickly and buying more time for negotiations to bear fruit.
If Iran has secret stockpiles of enriched uranium, however, the accomplishment would be hollow, a senior American official conceded.
The officials described the long day of talks here with Iran, the first such discussions in which the United States has participated fully, as a modest success on a long and complicated road. Iran had at least finally engaged with the big powers on its nuclear program after more than a year, and had agreed to some tangible, confidence-building steps before another meeting with the same participants before the end of this month.
More…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/middleeast/02nuke.html?_r=2&emc=na
October surprise in US-Iran relations
October surprise in US-Iran relations
The meeting on Thursday between Iran and the six countries dealing with its nuclear case resulted in agreement for a follow-up encounter, in itself an important development, given the heated atmosphere in the lead-up to the talks. As significant, the United States and Iran made an initial direct contact, raising hopes of a real breakthrough. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Oct 2, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ03Ak01.html
The meeting on Thursday between Iran and the six countries dealing with its nuclear case resulted in agreement for a follow-up encounter, in itself an important development, given the heated atmosphere in the lead-up to the talks. As significant, the United States and Iran made an initial direct contact, raising hopes of a real breakthrough. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Oct 2, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ03Ak01.html
Problems With Obama's Missile Defense - Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Problems With Obama's Missile Defense - Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/technical-flaws-the-obama-missile-defense-plan
Article Highlights
* The Obama administration should be commended for changing course on the Bush administration's plan to deploy missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.
* However, its alternative--using the existing ship-based Aegis defense system to protect Europe from a possible Iranian missile strike--also uses technology that's unproven.
* Additionally, like the Bush plan, the Obama missile defense strategy could potentially embolden hawks in both Russia and China.
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/technical-flaws-the-obama-missile-defense-plan
Article Highlights
* The Obama administration should be commended for changing course on the Bush administration's plan to deploy missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.
* However, its alternative--using the existing ship-based Aegis defense system to protect Europe from a possible Iranian missile strike--also uses technology that's unproven.
* Additionally, like the Bush plan, the Obama missile defense strategy could potentially embolden hawks in both Russia and China.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Fresh South Korea Nuclear Proposal "Ridiculous": North Jack Kim, Reuters
Fresh South Korea Nuclear Proposal "Ridiculous": North
Jack Kim, Reuters
North Korea Wednesday rejected a proposal by South Korea's president for a fresh deal to end its nuclear arms program in return for massive aid, which he has said was possibly Pyongyang's last chance at survival.
Full Article
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE58T1RS20090930
Jack Kim, Reuters
North Korea Wednesday rejected a proposal by South Korea's president for a fresh deal to end its nuclear arms program in return for massive aid, which he has said was possibly Pyongyang's last chance at survival.
Full Article
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE58T1RS20090930
Oil, Ideology Keep China from Joining Push against Iran
Oil, Ideology Keep China from Joining Push against Iran
John Pomfret, The Washington Post
In its effort to muster support for sterner action against Iran, the Obama administration will have to overcome China's reluctance to punish a country that is one of its top oil suppliers and a major beneficiary of its energy-related investments.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903697.html
John Pomfret, The Washington Post
In its effort to muster support for sterner action against Iran, the Obama administration will have to overcome China's reluctance to punish a country that is one of its top oil suppliers and a major beneficiary of its energy-related investments.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903697.html
Global Nuclear Power Industry Outlook To 2010
Global Nuclear Power Industry Outlook To 2010
Dublin, Ireland (SPX) Sep 23, 2009 - "Global Nuclear Power Industry Outlook to 2010" is a new report published by Global Markets Direct in association with ICD Research that analyzes how nuclear power generation companies spend, procurement strategies and practices and business are being affected by the recession. In an uncertain economic climate this report gives you access to the category-level spending outlooks, buyer ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Global_Nuclear_Power_Industry_Outlook_To_2010_999.html
Dublin, Ireland (SPX) Sep 23, 2009 - "Global Nuclear Power Industry Outlook to 2010" is a new report published by Global Markets Direct in association with ICD Research that analyzes how nuclear power generation companies spend, procurement strategies and practices and business are being affected by the recession. In an uncertain economic climate this report gives you access to the category-level spending outlooks, buyer ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Global_Nuclear_Power_Industry_Outlook_To_2010_999.html
Canada, Kazakhstan to cooperate on nuclear energy
Canada, Kazakhstan to cooperate on nuclear energy
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Canada's Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Sauat Mynbaev jointly announced Thursday the conclusion of negotiations for a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement. Their respective governments, however, must still finalize the legal text prior to signing and implementing the pact. "This agreement will open up the civil nuclear market to Canadian companies, who ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Canada_Kazakhstan_to_cooperate_on_nuclear_energy_999.html
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Canada's Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Sauat Mynbaev jointly announced Thursday the conclusion of negotiations for a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement. Their respective governments, however, must still finalize the legal text prior to signing and implementing the pact. "This agreement will open up the civil nuclear market to Canadian companies, who ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Canada_Kazakhstan_to_cooperate_on_nuclear_energy_999.html
China approves building of coastal nuclear plant
China approves building of coastal nuclear plant
Beijing (AFP) Sept 28, 2009 - China has approved the construction of a new nuclear plant in its eastern coastal region, in the latest step in Beijing's plan to include more clean energy in the country's consumption mix. The State Council, or cabinet, issued a licence last week for the building of the first phase of the Haiyang nuclear power station in Shandong province, the State-owned Assets Supervision and ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/China_approves_building_of_coastal_nuclear_plant_999.html
Beijing (AFP) Sept 28, 2009 - China has approved the construction of a new nuclear plant in its eastern coastal region, in the latest step in Beijing's plan to include more clean energy in the country's consumption mix. The State Council, or cabinet, issued a licence last week for the building of the first phase of the Haiyang nuclear power station in Shandong province, the State-owned Assets Supervision and ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/China_approves_building_of_coastal_nuclear_plant_999.html
Lithuania says nuclear deal due in 2010
Lithuania says nuclear deal due in 2010
Vilnius (AFP) Sept 30, 2009 - Lithuania said Wednesday it aimed in the first six months of 2010 to sign a key investment deal in a four-nation nuclear power project to replace a Soviet-era plant set to shut down within months. "The plan is to sign a contract with the strategic investor in the first half of 2010," Energy Minister Arvydas Sekmokas told reporters, referring to the as-yet unchosen player that will steer the ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Lithuania_says_nuclear_deal_due_in_2010_999.html
Vilnius (AFP) Sept 30, 2009 - Lithuania said Wednesday it aimed in the first six months of 2010 to sign a key investment deal in a four-nation nuclear power project to replace a Soviet-era plant set to shut down within months. "The plan is to sign a contract with the strategic investor in the first half of 2010," Energy Minister Arvydas Sekmokas told reporters, referring to the as-yet unchosen player that will steer the ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Lithuania_says_nuclear_deal_due_in_2010_999.html
Germany eyes nuclear revival
Germany eyes nuclear revival
Berlin (UPI) Sep 28, 2009 - Nuclear energy is set to be revived in Germany as Chancellor Angela Merkel can form her coalition of choice after this Sunday's elections. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union and the pro-business Free Democratic Party were in coalition negotiations Monday; a government will be formed within the next four weeks, the chancellor said. With the CDU and the FDP both ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Germany_eyes_nuclear_revival_999.html
Berlin (UPI) Sep 28, 2009 - Nuclear energy is set to be revived in Germany as Chancellor Angela Merkel can form her coalition of choice after this Sunday's elections. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union and the pro-business Free Democratic Party were in coalition negotiations Monday; a government will be formed within the next four weeks, the chancellor said. With the CDU and the FDP both ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Germany_eyes_nuclear_revival_999.html
India plans massive nuclear energy boost
India plans massive nuclear energy boost
New Delhi (UPI) Sep 30, 2009 - India aims to boost its nuclear energy capacity by 12,000 percent by 2050. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in making the announcement Tuesday at a New Delhi conference on peaceful uses of nuclear power, predicted that India could produce 470 gigawatts of nuclear power. That would make India the largest nuclear energy producer in the world, surpassing the United States, which now ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/India_plans_massive_nuclear_energy_boost_999.html
New Delhi (UPI) Sep 30, 2009 - India aims to boost its nuclear energy capacity by 12,000 percent by 2050. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in making the announcement Tuesday at a New Delhi conference on peaceful uses of nuclear power, predicted that India could produce 470 gigawatts of nuclear power. That would make India the largest nuclear energy producer in the world, surpassing the United States, which now ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/India_plans_massive_nuclear_energy_boost_999.html
Iran to propose third-party uranium enrichment: Ahmadinejad
Iran to propose third-party uranium enrichment: Ahmadinejad
Tehran (AFP) Sept 30, 2009 - Iran will propose that it is prepared to buy from a third party uranium enriched to the grade it requires for its Tehran reactor rather than carry out the enrichment itself, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday. His remarks, ahead of Thursday talks in Geneva with six major world powers about Iran's nuclear programme, represent the first time Tehran has agreed to discuss specifics ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_to_propose_third-party_uranium_enrichment_Ahmadinejad_999.html
Tehran (AFP) Sept 30, 2009 - Iran will propose that it is prepared to buy from a third party uranium enriched to the grade it requires for its Tehran reactor rather than carry out the enrichment itself, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday. His remarks, ahead of Thursday talks in Geneva with six major world powers about Iran's nuclear programme, represent the first time Tehran has agreed to discuss specifics ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_to_propose_third-party_uranium_enrichment_Ahmadinejad_999.html
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
# India targets major increase in nuclear energy capacity by 2050
# India targets major increase in nuclear energy capacity by 2050
India's development plan for nuclear energy is aimed at raising the country's atomic capacity by 12,000% by 2050, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. The target is nearly five times the capacity of the U.S., the largest nuclear producer in the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Such an expansion will provide "huge opportunities for the global nuclear industry," Singh said during a conference in Delhi. The Times (London)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6854501.ece
India's development plan for nuclear energy is aimed at raising the country's atomic capacity by 12,000% by 2050, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. The target is nearly five times the capacity of the U.S., the largest nuclear producer in the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Such an expansion will provide "huge opportunities for the global nuclear industry," Singh said during a conference in Delhi. The Times (London)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6854501.ece
Republicans call for more nuclear energy in Senate climate bill
Republicans call for more nuclear energy in Senate climate bill
A climate-change bill set to be unveiled today by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and John Kerry, D-Mass., seeks a greater cut in carbon emissions than does the House-approved legislation. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he would not back the bill because it does not help the nuclear energy sector. Republicans want to encourage the construction of nuclear plants by including more government assistance in the measure, contending that the resource is key to expanding "clean energy." Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE58S5X320090929
A climate-change bill set to be unveiled today by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and John Kerry, D-Mass., seeks a greater cut in carbon emissions than does the House-approved legislation. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he would not back the bill because it does not help the nuclear energy sector. Republicans want to encourage the construction of nuclear plants by including more government assistance in the measure, contending that the resource is key to expanding "clean energy." Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE58S5X320090929
Sources: U.S.-UAE nuclear agreement to take effect next month
Sources: U.S.-UAE nuclear agreement to take effect next month
A nuclear-cooperation pact between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates is reportedly expected to be implemented next month. Energy firms General Electric and Toshiba unit Westinghouse Electric might benefit from the deal, which President Obama cleared in May. The UAE was among major oil exporters as of 2007, but it plans to construct several nuclear reactors to meet a projected extra demand for 40,000 megawatts of electricity. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2917079920090929
A nuclear-cooperation pact between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates is reportedly expected to be implemented next month. Energy firms General Electric and Toshiba unit Westinghouse Electric might benefit from the deal, which President Obama cleared in May. The UAE was among major oil exporters as of 2007, but it plans to construct several nuclear reactors to meet a projected extra demand for 40,000 megawatts of electricity. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN2917079920090929
Is the Media Exaggerating the Iranian Nuke Threat? by Juan Cole
Is the Media Exaggerating the Iranian Nuke Threat? by Juan Cole
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/09/29/cole/
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/09/29/cole/
A MANUFACTURED CRISIS, Part 2 It's sanctions or bust
A MANUFACTURED CRISIS, Part 2
It's sanctions or bust
Something about the claims by the United States and its allies that Iran's nuclear program is intended to create nuclear weapons just doesn't smell right; there's obviously more than meets the eye. Whatever it is, the Barack Obama administration - of all the options on the table - wants at a minimum to impose stringent sanctions on Iran. - Jack A Smith (Sep 30, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ01Ak03.html
This is the second article in a three-part report.
PART 1: The facts of the matter
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KI30Ak01.html
It's sanctions or bust
Something about the claims by the United States and its allies that Iran's nuclear program is intended to create nuclear weapons just doesn't smell right; there's obviously more than meets the eye. Whatever it is, the Barack Obama administration - of all the options on the table - wants at a minimum to impose stringent sanctions on Iran. - Jack A Smith (Sep 30, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KJ01Ak03.html
This is the second article in a three-part report.
PART 1: The facts of the matter
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KI30Ak01.html
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Venezuela Exploring Uranium Deposits with Russia Fabiola Sanchez, Associated Press
Venezuela Exploring Uranium Deposits with Russia
Fabiola Sanchez, Associated Press
Venezuela's science and technology minister said his country is working with Russia to detect deposits of uranium but withdrew an earlier denial that the country was also working with Iran.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMt4kLz-pHgt5p-bk-ZORH-w68AAD9AVGR800
* Why We Should Be Concerned About Venezuela's Nuclear Ambitions
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23878&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Fabiola Sanchez, Associated Press
Venezuela's science and technology minister said his country is working with Russia to detect deposits of uranium but withdrew an earlier denial that the country was also working with Iran.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMt4kLz-pHgt5p-bk-ZORH-w68AAD9AVGR800
* Why We Should Be Concerned About Venezuela's Nuclear Ambitions
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23878&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Brazil VP Says Country Should Build Nuclear Arms Marco Sibaja, Associated Press
Brazil VP Says Country Should Build Nuclear Arms
Marco Sibaja, Associated Press
Brazil's vice president says in an interview published Friday that his country should develop nuclear weapons. Other officials stressed that his comments were not government policy.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gisOuvIjL6Ewq0QTTmNLA9oBt25wD9AUDRO00
Marco Sibaja, Associated Press
Brazil's vice president says in an interview published Friday that his country should develop nuclear weapons. Other officials stressed that his comments were not government policy.
Full Article
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gisOuvIjL6Ewq0QTTmNLA9oBt25wD9AUDRO00
Singh Attacks Nuclear Treaty James Lamont, Financial Times
Singh Attacks Nuclear Treaty
James Lamont, Financial Times
India's prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday criticised the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as not being up to the "formidable" task of protecting the world from nuclear terrorism just days after Barack Obama appealed to world leaders to support the Treaty.
Full Article
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb5b3a26-acf5-11de-91dc-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
James Lamont, Financial Times
India's prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday criticised the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as not being up to the "formidable" task of protecting the world from nuclear terrorism just days after Barack Obama appealed to world leaders to support the Treaty.
Full Article
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb5b3a26-acf5-11de-91dc-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Security Council Adopts Nuclear Weapons Resolution Glenn Kessler and Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post
Security Council Adopts Nuclear Weapons Resolution
Glenn Kessler and Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a U.S-drafted resolution Thursday morning that affirms many of the steps President Obama plans to pursue as part of his vision for an eventual "world without nuclear weapons."
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092401721.html
* Two First Steps on Nuclear Weapons
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/opinion/25gorbachev.html?_r=1&bl
* UN Nuclear Talks
http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23896&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Glenn Kessler and Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a U.S-drafted resolution Thursday morning that affirms many of the steps President Obama plans to pursue as part of his vision for an eventual "world without nuclear weapons."
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092401721.html
* Two First Steps on Nuclear Weapons
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/opinion/25gorbachev.html?_r=1&bl
* UN Nuclear Talks
http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23896&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
What Else Is Iran Hiding? Nima Gerami and James M. Acton, Foreign Policy
What Else Is Iran Hiding?
Nima Gerami and James M. Acton, Foreign Policy
Finding himself caught in a sudden media storm while in New York last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to defend his government's construction of a second centrifuge facility, buried inside a mountain near the city of Qom.
Full Article
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23899&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
* Iran Violated International Obligations on Qom Facility
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23884&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Nima Gerami and James M. Acton, Foreign Policy
Finding himself caught in a sudden media storm while in New York last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to defend his government's construction of a second centrifuge facility, buried inside a mountain near the city of Qom.
Full Article
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23899&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
* Iran Violated International Obligations on Qom Facility
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23884&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Iran Pressured Over New Plant Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post
Iran Pressured Over New Plant
Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post
AhmadinejadEditor's Note: The location of Iran's clandestine centrifuge facility, as provided by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), has not been confirmed by Iran, the United States, or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
At talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva with Iran, the United States and five other major powers will demand immediate and unfettered access to the newly exposed nuclear facility in Iran, including access to people and documents involved in its construction, and they will insist that Tehran abide by international rules to reveal such projects before construction begins, Obama administration officials said Saturday.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092602022.html
* ISIS Imagery Brief: Possible Qom Enrichment Facility Sites (PDF)
http://www.isisnucleariran.org/assets/pdf/Qom_Imagery_Brief_25Sept2009.pdf
* Politico Q&A: Nuclear Iran
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23903&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
* Washington Post Q&A: Iran's Nuclear Program
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23883&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post
AhmadinejadEditor's Note: The location of Iran's clandestine centrifuge facility, as provided by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), has not been confirmed by Iran, the United States, or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
At talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva with Iran, the United States and five other major powers will demand immediate and unfettered access to the newly exposed nuclear facility in Iran, including access to people and documents involved in its construction, and they will insist that Tehran abide by international rules to reveal such projects before construction begins, Obama administration officials said Saturday.
Full Article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092602022.html
* ISIS Imagery Brief: Possible Qom Enrichment Facility Sites (PDF)
http://www.isisnucleariran.org/assets/pdf/Qom_Imagery_Brief_25Sept2009.pdf
* Politico Q&A: Nuclear Iran
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23903&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
* Washington Post Q&A: Iran's Nuclear Program
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=23883&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
The shared sins of Soviet and U.S. nuclear testing BY HUGH GUSTERSON
The shared sins of Soviet and U.S. nuclear testing
BY HUGH GUSTERSON
A new documentary helps illustrate the sad truth that neither the totalitarian Soviet Union nor the democratic United States protected those most affected by their testing programs.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/columnists/hugh-gusterson/the-shared-sins-of-soviet-and-us-nuclear-testing
BY HUGH GUSTERSON
A new documentary helps illustrate the sad truth that neither the totalitarian Soviet Union nor the democratic United States protected those most affected by their testing programs.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/columnists/hugh-gusterson/the-shared-sins-of-soviet-and-us-nuclear-testing
The world must abolish nuclear weapons BY MARAT TAZHIN
The world must abolish nuclear weapons
BY MARAT TAZHIN
Looking back at a 60-year legacy of Soviet nuclear testing in his country, the secretary of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee writes that the world must rededicate itself to abolishing nuclear weapons.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/the-world-must-abolish-nuclear-weapons
BY MARAT TAZHIN
Looking back at a 60-year legacy of Soviet nuclear testing in his country, the secretary of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee writes that the world must rededicate itself to abolishing nuclear weapons.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/the-world-must-abolish-nuclear-weapons
The lasting toll of Semipalatinsk's nuclear testing BY TOGZHAN KASSENOVA
The lasting toll of Semipalatinsk's nuclear testing
BY TOGZHAN KASSENOVA
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear weapon at the Semipalatinsk Test Site on the Kazakh steppe. Today, six decades later, the health impacts are still being felt.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/the-lasting-toll-of-semipalatinsks-nuclear-testing
BY TOGZHAN KASSENOVA
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first nuclear weapon at the Semipalatinsk Test Site on the Kazakh steppe. Today, six decades later, the health impacts are still being felt.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/the-lasting-toll-of-semipalatinsks-nuclear-testing
India Poised for Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
India Poised for Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
from VOA News: Top Stories
'If we can manage our program well, our three-stage strategy could yield potentially 4,70,000 megawatts of power, by the year 2050,' says Indian PM
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-29-voa23.cfm?rss=topstories
from VOA News: Top Stories
'If we can manage our program well, our three-stage strategy could yield potentially 4,70,000 megawatts of power, by the year 2050,' says Indian PM
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-29-voa23.cfm?rss=topstories
* Nuclear project secures license from China's State Council
* Nuclear project secures license from China's State Council
China's State Council has approved the construction of the Haiyang nuclear power facility in Shandong province, the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said. The first phase of the project involves building two reactors that will use the AP1000 third-generation technology from U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric, the agency said. The reactors are expected to each have a capacity of 1.25 gigawatts. Google/Agence France-Presse
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gRXGzDGl2pewp1ABmw0-OXWkFljg
China's State Council has approved the construction of the Haiyang nuclear power facility in Shandong province, the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said. The first phase of the project involves building two reactors that will use the AP1000 third-generation technology from U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric, the agency said. The reactors are expected to each have a capacity of 1.25 gigawatts. Google/Agence France-Presse
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gRXGzDGl2pewp1ABmw0-OXWkFljg
Mr. Delusional Web Exclusive by Nikolas K. Gvosdev Obama thinks Russia is going to help him denuclearize Iran. Don’t bet on it.
Mr. Delusional Web Exclusive
by Nikolas K. Gvosdev
Obama thinks Russia is going to help him denuclearize Iran. Don’t bet on it.
http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=22222
by Nikolas K. Gvosdev
Obama thinks Russia is going to help him denuclearize Iran. Don’t bet on it.
http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=22222
Iran Insists on Its ‘Rights’ to Nuclear Program
*
Iran Insists on Its ‘Rights’ to Nuclear Program
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/middleeast/30tehran.html?hpw
Iran Insists on Its ‘Rights’ to Nuclear Program
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/world/middleeast/30tehran.html?hpw
What About Israel's Nukes? - Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The Independent
What About Israel's Nukes?
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-dont-israels-nuclear-weapons-count-1794275.html
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-dont-israels-nuclear-weapons-count-1794275.html
Problems With Obama's Missile Defense - Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Problems With Obama's Missile Defense - Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/technical-flaws-the-obama-missile-defense-plan
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/technical-flaws-the-obama-missile-defense-plan
Juan Cole - The Most Dangerous Nuclear Facility
Juan Cole - The Most Dangerous Nuclear Facility
It is Israel's ongoing nuclear weapon production that drives the nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Saddam wanted a bomb because Israel had one. The Iranians were then worried both about an Iraqi and an Israeli bomb. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others are annoyed at their geostrategic helplessness in the face of Israeli nukes.
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=98267
It is Israel's ongoing nuclear weapon production that drives the nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Saddam wanted a bomb because Israel had one. The Iranians were then worried both about an Iraqi and an Israeli bomb. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others are annoyed at their geostrategic helplessness in the face of Israeli nukes.
http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=98267
A Nuclear Debate: Is Iran Designing Warheads?
A Nuclear Debate: Is Iran Designing Warheads?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/29nuke.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/world/middleeast/29nuke.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Monday, September 28, 2009
Don't Israel's Nuclear Weapons Count? by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, 9/28/2009
Don't Israel's Nuclear Weapons Count? by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, 9/28/2009
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-dont-israels-nuclear-weapons-count-1794275.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-dont-israels-nuclear-weapons-count-1794275.html
Iran test-fires two long-range missiles
Iran test-fires two long-range missiles
Tehran (AFP) Sept 28, 2009 - Iran on Monday test-fired its two long-range missiles which it says could hit targets in arch-foe Israel, as the Revolutionary Guards staged war games for the second straight day. The exercises coincide with heightened tension with the West after the UN nuclear watchdog revealed on Friday that Tehran was building a second uranium enrichment plant. Western countries suspect Iran of seeking ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_test-fires_two_long-range_missiles_999.html
Tehran (AFP) Sept 28, 2009 - Iran on Monday test-fired its two long-range missiles which it says could hit targets in arch-foe Israel, as the Revolutionary Guards staged war games for the second straight day. The exercises coincide with heightened tension with the West after the UN nuclear watchdog revealed on Friday that Tehran was building a second uranium enrichment plant. Western countries suspect Iran of seeking ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_test-fires_two_long-range_missiles_999.html
Keeping Iran honest
Keeping Iran honest: Iran's secret nuclear plant will spark a new round of IAEA inspections and lead to a period of even greater transparency - Scott Ritter, guardian.co.uk: When Obama announced that 'Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow', he is technically and legally wrong.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/25/iran-secret-nuclear-plant-inspections
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/25/iran-secret-nuclear-plant-inspections
September 'Surprise' The countdown to war begins, says Justin Raimondo
September 'Surprise'
The countdown to war begins, says Justin Raimondo
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/09/27/september-surprise-2/
The countdown to war begins, says Justin Raimondo
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/09/27/september-surprise-2/
MI6: Saudis Will Let Israel Bomb Iran Nuclear Site
MI6: Saudis Will Let Israel Bomb Iran Nuclear Site
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/mi6-saudis-will-let-israel-bomb-iran-nuclear-site/
Clinton: Iran Can't Claim Nuclear Site Is Peaceful
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/clinton-nothing-iran-can-do-to-convince-us-nuclear-program-is-peaceful/
Iran Vows to Stick With Low-Level Nuclear Enrichment
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090927/wl_afp/irannuclearpolitics
Iran Test-Fires Short-Range Missiles
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/iran-test-fires-short-range-missiles-9/
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/mi6-saudis-will-let-israel-bomb-iran-nuclear-site/
Clinton: Iran Can't Claim Nuclear Site Is Peaceful
http://news.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/clinton-nothing-iran-can-do-to-convince-us-nuclear-program-is-peaceful/
Iran Vows to Stick With Low-Level Nuclear Enrichment
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090927/wl_afp/irannuclearpolitics
Iran Test-Fires Short-Range Missiles
http://wire.antiwar.com/2009/09/27/iran-test-fires-short-range-missiles-9/
Time For Iran To 'Come Clean'
Time For Iran To 'Come Clean'
Last Friday at the start of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, President Obama -- flanked by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and with the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- revealed the existence of a secret Iranian uranium enrichment facility near the seminary city of Qom, 60 miles south of Tehran. Obama reportedly decided to disclose the undeclared enrichment plant after Iran discovered that Western intelligence agencies had breached the secrecy surrounding the project. Last Monday, soon after Iran learned of the Western espionage, the regime delivered a "vague, terse" letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog that a facility is under construction -- "one that had never been mentioned during years" of IAEA inspections at another nuclear facility in Natanz. While the Iranians argued that construction of the site is "completely legal," Obama offered harsh criticism of Iran's covert operation. "Iran's decision to build yet another nuclear facility without notifying the IAEA represents a direct challenge to the basic compact at the center of the non-proliferation regime," he said, adding, "It is time for Iran to act immediately to restore the confidence of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations."
IRAN 'IN A VERY BAD SPOT': While Iran's nuclear chief said the IAEA would be invited to visit the newly disclosed site, he did not specify a timeframe. Indeed, the Obama administration's first diplomatic encounter with Iran will take place this Thursday in Geneva, along with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China. Yesterday, Iran test-fired three short range missiles that "appeared to be a show of military power." Nonetheless, President Obama offered tough rhetoric ahead of the talks. "Iran is on notice that when we meet with them on Oct. 1 they are going to have to come clean and they are going to have to make a choice" between giving up nuclear aspirations or increased isolation, the President said. Refusal to give ground will lead to "a path that is going to lead to confrontation," Obama said, adding, "When we find that diplomacy does not work, we will be in a much stronger position to, for example, apply sanctions that have bite." European diplomats sounded the alarm as well. Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed Obama's stern warnings yesterday, saying that the secret facility puts the Iranian government "in a very bad spot," raising the prospect of "severe additional sanctions." While Gates said any military option would only "buy time," other senior officials said the Obama administration plans to te ll the Iranian delegation in Geneva that it must open the new site to international inspectors "within weeks." "If Iran repeats its line on Thursday that the nuclear file is closed and that there is nothing to discuss, then we will move straight to sanctions" an unnamed senior European diplomat on Sunday. "But I don't think the Iranians will be that stupid."
WILL MOSCOW GET TOUGH?: Another unnamed European diplomat noted that "the Russians feel Iran isn't taking their expressions of concern seriously and that is clearly irritating Moscow a lot." The diplomat cautioned that "it is still unclear how far Russia, or indeed China would go down the sanctions road." But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "hardened Russia's stance on Iran's nuclear program on Friday after the US, Britain and France revealed that Tehran" has been constructing the secret facility. Medvedev -- who Obama briefed on Thursday about the uranium enrichment site -- said, "I don't consider sanctions the best way to achieve results on Iran...but all the same, if all possibilities to influence the situation are exhausted, then we can use international sanctions." "President Obama is slowly putting Iran in a box," said Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Despite denials of any quid pro quo, a more cooperative Russian tone has followed Obama's cancellation of "the useless and expensive so-called missile shield program." While China responded to the revelations of Iran's second enrichment facility "more neutrally," many Western diplomats "have long believed that if Ru ssia throws its weight behind sanctions China will follow, wishing to avoid isolation in the UN Security Council."
THE RIGHT WING'S PREDICTABLE REACTION: Conservative senators reacted to the news of Iran's secret facility in predictable fashion, echoing much of the rhetoric coming out the the Bush administration over the last eight years: "regime change." "What we're trying to do here eventually is to get a regime change with a group of people in there that are more representative of the Iranian people," Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) said yesterday. "At a certain point, talking is counterproductive rather than productive because time is not on our side," he said, adding later that "the carrot approach does not work with these people." Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) pushed regime change yesterday too. "We have to have strong sanctions, economic sanctions that can force either a regime change or the Ayatollahs to change their policy," he said. But it's clear now that the Bush administration's refusal to engage Iran (at least only until the waning days of Bush's tenure) and its "regime change" rhetoric served only to embolden Iran's hardliners within the country. And instead of accepting -- or even responding to -- Iran's offer of engagement in 2003, President Bush lumped the Islamic Republic into the now infamous "axis of evil." Eight years of the Bush administration's disengagement with Iran has only led to its nuclear program growing in size and scope. "The U.S. right wing accused Obama of a failure of nerve," Cole noted, "But in fact his move was shrewd and gutsy, since he predisposed Russia to increased cooperation." Jon Ward of The Washington Times writes, "Not only did the president look strong, he looked cunning."
Last Friday at the start of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, President Obama -- flanked by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and with the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- revealed the existence of a secret Iranian uranium enrichment facility near the seminary city of Qom, 60 miles south of Tehran. Obama reportedly decided to disclose the undeclared enrichment plant after Iran discovered that Western intelligence agencies had breached the secrecy surrounding the project. Last Monday, soon after Iran learned of the Western espionage, the regime delivered a "vague, terse" letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog that a facility is under construction -- "one that had never been mentioned during years" of IAEA inspections at another nuclear facility in Natanz. While the Iranians argued that construction of the site is "completely legal," Obama offered harsh criticism of Iran's covert operation. "Iran's decision to build yet another nuclear facility without notifying the IAEA represents a direct challenge to the basic compact at the center of the non-proliferation regime," he said, adding, "It is time for Iran to act immediately to restore the confidence of the international community by fulfilling its international obligations."
IRAN 'IN A VERY BAD SPOT': While Iran's nuclear chief said the IAEA would be invited to visit the newly disclosed site, he did not specify a timeframe. Indeed, the Obama administration's first diplomatic encounter with Iran will take place this Thursday in Geneva, along with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China. Yesterday, Iran test-fired three short range missiles that "appeared to be a show of military power." Nonetheless, President Obama offered tough rhetoric ahead of the talks. "Iran is on notice that when we meet with them on Oct. 1 they are going to have to come clean and they are going to have to make a choice" between giving up nuclear aspirations or increased isolation, the President said. Refusal to give ground will lead to "a path that is going to lead to confrontation," Obama said, adding, "When we find that diplomacy does not work, we will be in a much stronger position to, for example, apply sanctions that have bite." European diplomats sounded the alarm as well. Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed Obama's stern warnings yesterday, saying that the secret facility puts the Iranian government "in a very bad spot," raising the prospect of "severe additional sanctions." While Gates said any military option would only "buy time," other senior officials said the Obama administration plans to te ll the Iranian delegation in Geneva that it must open the new site to international inspectors "within weeks." "If Iran repeats its line on Thursday that the nuclear file is closed and that there is nothing to discuss, then we will move straight to sanctions" an unnamed senior European diplomat on Sunday. "But I don't think the Iranians will be that stupid."
WILL MOSCOW GET TOUGH?: Another unnamed European diplomat noted that "the Russians feel Iran isn't taking their expressions of concern seriously and that is clearly irritating Moscow a lot." The diplomat cautioned that "it is still unclear how far Russia, or indeed China would go down the sanctions road." But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "hardened Russia's stance on Iran's nuclear program on Friday after the US, Britain and France revealed that Tehran" has been constructing the secret facility. Medvedev -- who Obama briefed on Thursday about the uranium enrichment site -- said, "I don't consider sanctions the best way to achieve results on Iran...but all the same, if all possibilities to influence the situation are exhausted, then we can use international sanctions." "President Obama is slowly putting Iran in a box," said Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Despite denials of any quid pro quo, a more cooperative Russian tone has followed Obama's cancellation of "the useless and expensive so-called missile shield program." While China responded to the revelations of Iran's second enrichment facility "more neutrally," many Western diplomats "have long believed that if Ru ssia throws its weight behind sanctions China will follow, wishing to avoid isolation in the UN Security Council."
THE RIGHT WING'S PREDICTABLE REACTION: Conservative senators reacted to the news of Iran's secret facility in predictable fashion, echoing much of the rhetoric coming out the the Bush administration over the last eight years: "regime change." "What we're trying to do here eventually is to get a regime change with a group of people in there that are more representative of the Iranian people," Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) said yesterday. "At a certain point, talking is counterproductive rather than productive because time is not on our side," he said, adding later that "the carrot approach does not work with these people." Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) pushed regime change yesterday too. "We have to have strong sanctions, economic sanctions that can force either a regime change or the Ayatollahs to change their policy," he said. But it's clear now that the Bush administration's refusal to engage Iran (at least only until the waning days of Bush's tenure) and its "regime change" rhetoric served only to embolden Iran's hardliners within the country. And instead of accepting -- or even responding to -- Iran's offer of engagement in 2003, President Bush lumped the Islamic Republic into the now infamous "axis of evil." Eight years of the Bush administration's disengagement with Iran has only led to its nuclear program growing in size and scope. "The U.S. right wing accused Obama of a failure of nerve," Cole noted, "But in fact his move was shrewd and gutsy, since he predisposed Russia to increased cooperation." Jon Ward of The Washington Times writes, "Not only did the president look strong, he looked cunning."
Safety issues may prompt China to slow pace of nuclear expansion
Safety issues may prompt China to slow pace of nuclear expansion
China may delay its construction of nuclear power facilities to focus on safety measures at the plants, said Zhang Guobao, chief of the National Energy Administration. The country originally wanted to reach 40 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2020, which would require building about two reactors annually. "We'd rather move slower and achieve less than incur potential safety concerns in terms of nuclear energy," Zhang said during an energy conference. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSPEK22780320090927
China may delay its construction of nuclear power facilities to focus on safety measures at the plants, said Zhang Guobao, chief of the National Energy Administration. The country originally wanted to reach 40 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2020, which would require building about two reactors annually. "We'd rather move slower and achieve less than incur potential safety concerns in terms of nuclear energy," Zhang said during an energy conference. Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSPEK22780320090927
Nuclear Weapons Science: How to Build a Bomb Fox News - September 23, 2009
Nuclear Weapons Science: How to Build a Bomb
Fox News - September 23, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,554281,00.html
Fox News - September 23, 2009
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,554281,00.html
India, Mongolia sign uranium agreement
India, Mongolia sign uranium agreement
New Delhi (UPI) Sep 15, 2009 - India signed a civil nuclear energy agreement with uranium-rich Mongolia on Monday. The memorandum of understanding for "peaceful use of radioactive minerals and nuclear energy" was signed during Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia's state visit to India. According to a statement issued by the Mongolian presidency, Indian officials expressed a "willingness to cooperate in ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/India_Mongolia_sign_uranium_agreement_999.html
New Delhi (UPI) Sep 15, 2009 - India signed a civil nuclear energy agreement with uranium-rich Mongolia on Monday. The memorandum of understanding for "peaceful use of radioactive minerals and nuclear energy" was signed during Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia's state visit to India. According to a statement issued by the Mongolian presidency, Indian officials expressed a "willingness to cooperate in ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/India_Mongolia_sign_uranium_agreement_999.html
Algeria claims 29,000 tonnes in uranium reserves
Algeria claims 29,000 tonnes in uranium reserves
Algiers (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Nearly 29,000 tonnes of proven and exploitable uranium reserves lie beneath the ground in Algeria, its energy and mines minister Chakib Khelil said Thursday. "Such quantities would enable the operation of just two nuclear power plants, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, for a period of 60 years," said Khelil at a domestic energy conference, the APS news agency reported. ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Algeria_claims_29000_tonnes_in_uranium_reserves_999.html
Algiers (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Nearly 29,000 tonnes of proven and exploitable uranium reserves lie beneath the ground in Algeria, its energy and mines minister Chakib Khelil said Thursday. "Such quantities would enable the operation of just two nuclear power plants, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, for a period of 60 years," said Khelil at a domestic energy conference, the APS news agency reported. ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Algeria_claims_29000_tonnes_in_uranium_reserves_999.html
Canada, Kazakhstan to cooperate on nuclear energy
Canada, Kazakhstan to cooperate on nuclear energy
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Canada's Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Sauat Mynbaev jointly announced Thursday the conclusion of negotiations for a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement. Their respective governments, however, must still finalize the legal text prior to signing and implementing the pact. "This agreement will open up the civil nuclear market to Canadian companies, who ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Canada_Kazakhstan_to_cooperate_on_nuclear_energy_999.html
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 - Canada's Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Kazakhstan's Energy Minister Sauat Mynbaev jointly announced Thursday the conclusion of negotiations for a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement. Their respective governments, however, must still finalize the legal text prior to signing and implementing the pact. "This agreement will open up the civil nuclear market to Canadian companies, who ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Canada_Kazakhstan_to_cooperate_on_nuclear_energy_999.html
+ Ux Consulting Issues Global Nuclear Power Forecasts
+ Ux Consulting Issues Global Nuclear Power Forecasts
Roswell GA (SPX) Sep 25, 2009 - The Ux Consulting Company has announced the release of its latest Nuclear Power Outlook (NPO), which forecasts worldwide nuclear reactor growth through 2030. In addition, UxC is pleased to introduce its latest nuclear fuel requirements forecasts through 2030 created with its new, proprietary UxC Requirements Model (URM). Since 2007, UxC has presented its unique nuclear power forecasts in ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Ux_Consulting_Issues_Global_Nuclear_Power_Forecasts_999.html
Roswell GA (SPX) Sep 25, 2009 - The Ux Consulting Company has announced the release of its latest Nuclear Power Outlook (NPO), which forecasts worldwide nuclear reactor growth through 2030. In addition, UxC is pleased to introduce its latest nuclear fuel requirements forecasts through 2030 created with its new, proprietary UxC Requirements Model (URM). Since 2007, UxC has presented its unique nuclear power forecasts in ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Ux_Consulting_Issues_Global_Nuclear_Power_Forecasts_999.html
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Leads With World's Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Leads With World's Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor
Wilmington NC (SPX) Sep 28, 2009 - GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has announced it has achieved a key milestone in deploying the world's most advanced nuclear reactor design. GEH has completed its submittal of the design certification document for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). With the submittal, GEH has provided detailed information for the NRC to ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/GE_Hitachi_Nuclear_Energy_Leads_With_World_Most_Advanced_Nuclear_Reactor_999.html
Wilmington NC (SPX) Sep 28, 2009 - GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has announced it has achieved a key milestone in deploying the world's most advanced nuclear reactor design. GEH has completed its submittal of the design certification document for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). With the submittal, GEH has provided detailed information for the NRC to ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/GE_Hitachi_Nuclear_Energy_Leads_With_World_Most_Advanced_Nuclear_Reactor_999.html
US seeks 'unified' call on NKorea nuclear talks: envoy
US seeks 'unified' call on NKorea nuclear talks: envoy
Hanoi (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - The United States wants its partners in the six-nation forum on North Korea's nuclear disarmament to send Pyongyang a "unified" message to return to the talks, a senior US envoy said Sunday. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who is visiting Hanoi as part of a five-nation Asian tour, said he hoped Washington's allies would continue working together on getting North Korea back to ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_seeks_unified_call_on_NKorea_nuclear_talks_envoy_999.html
Hanoi (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - The United States wants its partners in the six-nation forum on North Korea's nuclear disarmament to send Pyongyang a "unified" message to return to the talks, a senior US envoy said Sunday. US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who is visiting Hanoi as part of a five-nation Asian tour, said he hoped Washington's allies would continue working together on getting North Korea back to ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_seeks_unified_call_on_NKorea_nuclear_talks_envoy_999.html
Leaders Take New Missile Defense Plan To US Congress
Leaders Take New Missile Defense Plan To US Congress
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 28, 2009 - President Barack Obama's decision to restructure a previous missile defense plan designed to protect Europe from a possible ballistic missile attack from Iran provides a more effective, flexible system that will take less time to implement, senior Pentagon officials said on Capitol Hill. "We are confident that our new approach represents a dramatic improvement over the program of old," ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Leaders_Take_New_Missile_Defense_Plan_To_US_Congress_999.html
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 28, 2009 - President Barack Obama's decision to restructure a previous missile defense plan designed to protect Europe from a possible ballistic missile attack from Iran provides a more effective, flexible system that will take less time to implement, senior Pentagon officials said on Capitol Hill. "We are confident that our new approach represents a dramatic improvement over the program of old," ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Leaders_Take_New_Missile_Defense_Plan_To_US_Congress_999.html
Russia: Iran's enigmatic ally and key crisis player
Russia: Iran's enigmatic ally and key crisis player
Moscow (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - Russia, which has the deepest relations with Iran of any big power, is to play a critical role in the Iranian nuclear crisis in the next months as the clock ticks on efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Moscow is a key supplier of military hardware to Tehran, a reliable trade partner in difficult times and is building Iran's first nuclear power plant -- subtle levers to pressure Tehran ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_Irans_enigmatic_ally_and_key_crisis_player_999.html
Moscow (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - Russia, which has the deepest relations with Iran of any big power, is to play a critical role in the Iranian nuclear crisis in the next months as the clock ticks on efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Moscow is a key supplier of military hardware to Tehran, a reliable trade partner in difficult times and is building Iran's first nuclear power plant -- subtle levers to pressure Tehran ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_Irans_enigmatic_ally_and_key_crisis_player_999.html
Iran vows to stick with low-level nuclear enrichment
Iran vows to stick with low-level nuclear enrichment
Tehran (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - Iran will keep its uranium enrichment level at up to five percent -- much lower than bomb-grade -- its nuclear chief said on Sunday after news of Tehran's new atomic facility sparked a global outcry. "We don't want to change the arrangement of five-percent enrichment merely to produce 150 to 300 kilos of 20-percent (enriched) fuel," ILNA news agency quoted Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_vows_to_stick_with_low-level_nuclear_enrichment_999.html
Tehran (AFP) Sept 27, 2009 - Iran will keep its uranium enrichment level at up to five percent -- much lower than bomb-grade -- its nuclear chief said on Sunday after news of Tehran's new atomic facility sparked a global outcry. "We don't want to change the arrangement of five-percent enrichment merely to produce 150 to 300 kilos of 20-percent (enriched) fuel," ILNA news agency quoted Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_vows_to_stick_with_low-level_nuclear_enrichment_999.html
West demands access to Iran's secret nuclear plant
West demands access to Iran's secret nuclear plant
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (AFP) Sept 25, 2009 - World leaders on Friday demanded access for UN inspectors to a secret Iranian nuclear plant, threatening tough new sanctions should Tehran refuse to come clean. In a dramatic announcement, US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tehran admitted to the UN nuclear watchdog that it had built a second uranium enrichment facility. ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/West_demands_access_to_Irans_secret_nuclear_plant_999.html
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (AFP) Sept 25, 2009 - World leaders on Friday demanded access for UN inspectors to a secret Iranian nuclear plant, threatening tough new sanctions should Tehran refuse to come clean. In a dramatic announcement, US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tehran admitted to the UN nuclear watchdog that it had built a second uranium enrichment facility. ... more
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/West_demands_access_to_Irans_secret_nuclear_plant_999.html
Another Nuclear Plant: The calculations of Iran's nearness to building a bomb
Another Nuclear Plant: The calculations of Iran's nearness to building a bomb -- and the urgency of stopping it -- just changed – Editorial, Washington Post: The United States must make clear to those governments that it will not settle for inaction against a regime that is brazenly defying international treaties and U.N. Security Council resolutions. At the same time, the administration should reassess the intelligence community's conclusion about whether and how quickly Iran is seeking a weapon.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092503389_pf.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092503389_pf.html
Analysis: Obama strikes a tough tone on Iran:
Analysis: Obama strikes a tough tone on Iran:
But the diplomacy needed to get Iran to halt its nuclear program will require more than tone - C.M. Sennott - GlobalPost: "At the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh, President Barack Obama locked arms with the leaders of France and the United Kingdom to warn Iran that it must immediately halt its nuclear program. … In the city of bridges, Obama essentially threatened Iran that it has just burned one too many with the international community. But in choosing to do so on the public stage of Pittsburgh’s G20 summit with all the world’s media watching and looking for any story more interesting than a long-winded communique on the economy, Obama was essentially doing what he does best. That is, public diplomacy. And, as always, his tone is pretty close to perfect. He sounded firm, convincing and respectfully multilateral, and that tone goes a long way to swooning the world. It gets people around the globe to believe that the real America is rational and a natural leader in a dangerous world. This is a decidedly different image from the unilateral and seemingly belligerent America put forward by President George W. Bush. But former diplomats and Middle East analysts believe Obama will need more than perfect pitch in the public diplomacy of Iran, which interlocks directly with the profound policy challenges on Afghanistan, Iraq and the wider goal of global nuclear proliferation. This is chess on many levels, not pop music."
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/worldview/090925/obama-strikes-tough-tone-iran
But the diplomacy needed to get Iran to halt its nuclear program will require more than tone - C.M. Sennott - GlobalPost: "At the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh, President Barack Obama locked arms with the leaders of France and the United Kingdom to warn Iran that it must immediately halt its nuclear program. … In the city of bridges, Obama essentially threatened Iran that it has just burned one too many with the international community. But in choosing to do so on the public stage of Pittsburgh’s G20 summit with all the world’s media watching and looking for any story more interesting than a long-winded communique on the economy, Obama was essentially doing what he does best. That is, public diplomacy. And, as always, his tone is pretty close to perfect. He sounded firm, convincing and respectfully multilateral, and that tone goes a long way to swooning the world. It gets people around the globe to believe that the real America is rational and a natural leader in a dangerous world. This is a decidedly different image from the unilateral and seemingly belligerent America put forward by President George W. Bush. But former diplomats and Middle East analysts believe Obama will need more than perfect pitch in the public diplomacy of Iran, which interlocks directly with the profound policy challenges on Afghanistan, Iraq and the wider goal of global nuclear proliferation. This is chess on many levels, not pop music."
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/worldview/090925/obama-strikes-tough-tone-iran
Obama's Announcement About Iran's Secret Enrichment Facility - Brookings Institution:
Obama's Announcement About Iran's Secret Enrichment Facility - Brookings Institution:
"The Obama Administration should gain some boost for its public diplomacy efforts to persuade skeptical governments and the international community more broadly of the dangerous nature of Iran’s nuclear program. But here too, there is probably less than meets the eye; at this late date in the debate, the Iranian regime has relatively few defenders, and anyone who still needing convincing that Iran’s massive, frantic nuclear investments involved something more worrisome than civilian power generation probably will find a way to disregard this latest evidence. … [T]he difficulty with assembling international support for robust economic measures against Iran has never involved doubt over Iran’s intentions or differences over the desirability of preventing Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold. Rather, the long track record of Russia and China on this issue has made it clear that neither capital will fully jettison its strategically and economically valuable relationship with Tehran in order to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions."
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0925_iran_nuclear_maloney.aspx
"The Obama Administration should gain some boost for its public diplomacy efforts to persuade skeptical governments and the international community more broadly of the dangerous nature of Iran’s nuclear program. But here too, there is probably less than meets the eye; at this late date in the debate, the Iranian regime has relatively few defenders, and anyone who still needing convincing that Iran’s massive, frantic nuclear investments involved something more worrisome than civilian power generation probably will find a way to disregard this latest evidence. … [T]he difficulty with assembling international support for robust economic measures against Iran has never involved doubt over Iran’s intentions or differences over the desirability of preventing Iran from crossing the nuclear threshold. Rather, the long track record of Russia and China on this issue has made it clear that neither capital will fully jettison its strategically and economically valuable relationship with Tehran in order to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions."
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0925_iran_nuclear_maloney.aspx
Friday, September 25, 2009
Brazil's VP Announces Desire For Nuclear Weapons
Brazil's VP Announces Desire For Nuclear Weapons
Brazil VP Says Country Should Build Nuclear Arms -- Yahoo News/AP
BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil's vice president says in an interview published Friday that his country should develop nuclear weapons. Other officials stressed that his comments were not government policy.
Jose Alencar, who also served as defense minister from 2004 to 2006, said in an interview with journalists from several Brazilian news media that his country does not have a program to develop nuclear weapons, but should: "We have to advance on that."
Read more ....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_nuclear_weapons
Brazil VP Says Country Should Build Nuclear Arms -- Yahoo News/AP
BRASILIA, Brazil – Brazil's vice president says in an interview published Friday that his country should develop nuclear weapons. Other officials stressed that his comments were not government policy.
Jose Alencar, who also served as defense minister from 2004 to 2006, said in an interview with journalists from several Brazilian news media that his country does not have a program to develop nuclear weapons, but should: "We have to advance on that."
Read more ....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_nuclear_weapons
Iran Informs IAEA of Clandestine Enrichment Site
Iran Informs IAEA of Clandestine Enrichment Site
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, delivers a statement today on a newly disclosed Iranian enrichment facility. He is accompanied by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, center, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy (Jim Watson/Getty Images).
Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency this week that it is constructing an underground uranium enrichment "pilot plant" at a site roughly 100 miles southwest of Tehran, the U.N. organization confirmed today (see GSN, Sept. 24).
The existence of the Qum enrichment site -- also confirmed to Iranian state media by an "informed source" -- is certain to heighten international suspicions that Iran's uranium enrichment program is intended to generate nuclear-weapon material.
In a Monday letter to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Iran billed the facility as a research site that would only produce low-enriched uranium on an experimental basis, IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said, according to Reuters.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20090925_7624.php
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, delivers a statement today on a newly disclosed Iranian enrichment facility. He is accompanied by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, center, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy (Jim Watson/Getty Images).
Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency this week that it is constructing an underground uranium enrichment "pilot plant" at a site roughly 100 miles southwest of Tehran, the U.N. organization confirmed today (see GSN, Sept. 24).
The existence of the Qum enrichment site -- also confirmed to Iranian state media by an "informed source" -- is certain to heighten international suspicions that Iran's uranium enrichment program is intended to generate nuclear-weapon material.
In a Monday letter to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Iran billed the facility as a research site that would only produce low-enriched uranium on an experimental basis, IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said, according to Reuters.
See Full Article...
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20090925_7624.php
What is Iran up to?
What is Iran up to?
Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:42pm
The big story this morning, of course, is the revelation that Iran has been building a second nuclear enrichment facility. Here's what I think it means, with the caveat that the story is about three hours old and I still have lots of unanswered questions.
To start, it is not good news for those who have been hoping for a gradual improvement in Iran's relations with the outside world, hopes that were already undermined by the repercussions of the fraudulent election this past summer. At a minimum, it is bound to create new doubts about Iranian assurances regarding its nuclear program, although I don't know anyone who took those assurances at face value. After all, the whole idea behind inspections and other safeguards, and the whole reason that Western intelligence agencies have continued to watch Iran closely, is because we don't necessarily believe what Iran's government tells us.
That said, it is not clear from the early press reports exactly how blatant a violation this really is. According to the Washington Post, Iran notified the IAEA on September 21 that it was constructing a new pilot enrichment plant. Assuming that it has not already introduced nuclear material into this facility (and Tehran says it hasn't), Iran is therefore in compliance with the NPT's Comprehensive Full Scope Safeguards Agreement, which requires it to notify the IAEA six months before nuclear material is introduced into any new facility. Iran previously withdrew from the more demanding Subsidiary Agreement 3.1, which would have required more detailed and timely notification, in response to the IAEA's decision to refer Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council. So from Tehran's perspective, this new facility is not a violation at all: they are permitted to enrich under the NPT and they have complied with the Comprehensive Safeguards agreement by notifying the IAEA of the new facility. (Even that rather generous interpretation might not let Tehran entirely off the hook, however, as it seems likely that they informed the IAEA on September 21 because they had discovered that the United States had penetrated the program and they wanted to pre-empt today's revelation.)
The United States has an obvious response: unilateral withdrawal from Agreement 3.1 is not permissible, and so technically Iran is still in violation of its past commitments, but this legalistic back-and-forth is part of a long pattern. In addition, the U.N. Security Council has passed several resolutions demanding that Iran cease all enrichment, and its refusal to comply provides the main legal basis for sanctions. Iran is hardly the first country to ignore Security Council resolutions, however, and Tehran undoubtedly believes that the construction of a second plant is not a direct violation of its more basic obligations under the NPT.
The bottom line is that we still don't yet know just how serious the new discovery is. If nuclear material is already present there (despite what Iran now says), then it is a clear violation of the agreements that Iran's government has repeatedly claimed it is upholding, and thus casts even more doubt on its credibility. If the facility is still under construction and no nuclear material has been introduced, then Iran is technically in compliance of the basic safeguards agreement, and trying to exploit various legal loopholes. (Again, it is defying the SC resolutions, but it was doing that already and so today's announcement adds nothing new).
The New York Times story also makes it clear that this discovery is not by itself evidence that Iran has an active nuclear weapons program. The new facility is an enrichment plant, not a bomb-building factory, and everyone knows that Iran was already producing low-grade enriched uranium. Accordingly, the new revelation does not contradict earlier intelligence estimates which concluded that Iran was not actively trying to build a bomb.
Of course, this does not mean Iran is not interested in getting nuclear weapons, or at least achieving a "breakout" capability that it would allow it to go nuclear rapidly at some point in the future. As I've noted before, there are good reasons why Iran might want a nuclear deterrent of its own, just as there are good reasons why the United States and its allies would prefer that it didn't. In any case, this new report is bound to reinforce suspicions about Iran's long-term intentions and hardliners will undoubtedly use this information to press for tougher economic sanctions. This is of course, why the United States, Britain, and France released it, and if I had to guess, I'd bet that stricter sanctions will in fact be imposed.
That's another puzzle, by the way. The Times's story says the United States "has been tracking the project for years," which makes one wonder why its existence was not disclosed previously. Perhaps the United States was trying to protect "sources and methods," or lacked fully convincing information. In any case, the timing of the release seems to be clearly related to the current push for more stringent sanctions.
Most importantly, this new information does not strengthen the case for using military force against Iran's nuclear program, although hawks are bound to invoke it for that purpose. Airstrikes can delay Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon, but cannot prevent it, and they are likely to strengthen Iran's resolve to acquire a genuine deterrent as soon as they can. Attacking Iran will rally the population around the regime, and given Iran ample reason to retaliate against the United States or its allies in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the Middle East.
If we want to stop an Iranian bomb (as opposed to halting its nuclear enrichment activities), we are going to have to convince Iran that it doesn't need a nuclear deterrent to be safe. That won't be easy to do, given that Iran has three nuclear neighbors (Pakistan, India, and Israel), and a very bad relationship with the United States, which has given millions of dollars to Iranian opposition groups and formally committed itself to regime change on several past occasions. Persuading Tehran that they don't need a deterrent requires taking the threat of force, regime change, and the like off the table, instead of ratcheting the threat level up. I'm not saying that this approach will work; I'm saying that threatening preventive war won't. And actually launching a preventive war is likely to make things much worse.
On this issue, Iran expert Gary Sick has the right idea: "first, do no harm." Iran is committed to mastering the full fuel cycle, and probably wants to get a "breakout capability." Money quote:
The real purpose of negotiations, in my view, is to build a system of monitoring and inspections that will (1) provide maximum early warning of a potential future Iranian decision to "break out;" and (2) insure the maximum possible interval between that moment and the moment where Iran could actually have a bomb. Iran has said on several occasions that it is willing to accept such an enhanced inspection regime, but it will no doubt insist on a price. That, I think, is what the negotiations should be about."
Ironically, today's report may make this solution more feasible, by reminding the Iranian government that hiding a nuclear facility isn't easy -- especially when the outside world is suspicious -- and that any attempt to renege on a future agreements is likely to be detected. Maybe, just maybe, today's episode will make a deal easier to reach down the road. Not that I'd bet on that.
Stephen M. Walt
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/
Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:42pm
The big story this morning, of course, is the revelation that Iran has been building a second nuclear enrichment facility. Here's what I think it means, with the caveat that the story is about three hours old and I still have lots of unanswered questions.
To start, it is not good news for those who have been hoping for a gradual improvement in Iran's relations with the outside world, hopes that were already undermined by the repercussions of the fraudulent election this past summer. At a minimum, it is bound to create new doubts about Iranian assurances regarding its nuclear program, although I don't know anyone who took those assurances at face value. After all, the whole idea behind inspections and other safeguards, and the whole reason that Western intelligence agencies have continued to watch Iran closely, is because we don't necessarily believe what Iran's government tells us.
That said, it is not clear from the early press reports exactly how blatant a violation this really is. According to the Washington Post, Iran notified the IAEA on September 21 that it was constructing a new pilot enrichment plant. Assuming that it has not already introduced nuclear material into this facility (and Tehran says it hasn't), Iran is therefore in compliance with the NPT's Comprehensive Full Scope Safeguards Agreement, which requires it to notify the IAEA six months before nuclear material is introduced into any new facility. Iran previously withdrew from the more demanding Subsidiary Agreement 3.1, which would have required more detailed and timely notification, in response to the IAEA's decision to refer Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council. So from Tehran's perspective, this new facility is not a violation at all: they are permitted to enrich under the NPT and they have complied with the Comprehensive Safeguards agreement by notifying the IAEA of the new facility. (Even that rather generous interpretation might not let Tehran entirely off the hook, however, as it seems likely that they informed the IAEA on September 21 because they had discovered that the United States had penetrated the program and they wanted to pre-empt today's revelation.)
The United States has an obvious response: unilateral withdrawal from Agreement 3.1 is not permissible, and so technically Iran is still in violation of its past commitments, but this legalistic back-and-forth is part of a long pattern. In addition, the U.N. Security Council has passed several resolutions demanding that Iran cease all enrichment, and its refusal to comply provides the main legal basis for sanctions. Iran is hardly the first country to ignore Security Council resolutions, however, and Tehran undoubtedly believes that the construction of a second plant is not a direct violation of its more basic obligations under the NPT.
The bottom line is that we still don't yet know just how serious the new discovery is. If nuclear material is already present there (despite what Iran now says), then it is a clear violation of the agreements that Iran's government has repeatedly claimed it is upholding, and thus casts even more doubt on its credibility. If the facility is still under construction and no nuclear material has been introduced, then Iran is technically in compliance of the basic safeguards agreement, and trying to exploit various legal loopholes. (Again, it is defying the SC resolutions, but it was doing that already and so today's announcement adds nothing new).
The New York Times story also makes it clear that this discovery is not by itself evidence that Iran has an active nuclear weapons program. The new facility is an enrichment plant, not a bomb-building factory, and everyone knows that Iran was already producing low-grade enriched uranium. Accordingly, the new revelation does not contradict earlier intelligence estimates which concluded that Iran was not actively trying to build a bomb.
Of course, this does not mean Iran is not interested in getting nuclear weapons, or at least achieving a "breakout" capability that it would allow it to go nuclear rapidly at some point in the future. As I've noted before, there are good reasons why Iran might want a nuclear deterrent of its own, just as there are good reasons why the United States and its allies would prefer that it didn't. In any case, this new report is bound to reinforce suspicions about Iran's long-term intentions and hardliners will undoubtedly use this information to press for tougher economic sanctions. This is of course, why the United States, Britain, and France released it, and if I had to guess, I'd bet that stricter sanctions will in fact be imposed.
That's another puzzle, by the way. The Times's story says the United States "has been tracking the project for years," which makes one wonder why its existence was not disclosed previously. Perhaps the United States was trying to protect "sources and methods," or lacked fully convincing information. In any case, the timing of the release seems to be clearly related to the current push for more stringent sanctions.
Most importantly, this new information does not strengthen the case for using military force against Iran's nuclear program, although hawks are bound to invoke it for that purpose. Airstrikes can delay Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon, but cannot prevent it, and they are likely to strengthen Iran's resolve to acquire a genuine deterrent as soon as they can. Attacking Iran will rally the population around the regime, and given Iran ample reason to retaliate against the United States or its allies in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the Middle East.
If we want to stop an Iranian bomb (as opposed to halting its nuclear enrichment activities), we are going to have to convince Iran that it doesn't need a nuclear deterrent to be safe. That won't be easy to do, given that Iran has three nuclear neighbors (Pakistan, India, and Israel), and a very bad relationship with the United States, which has given millions of dollars to Iranian opposition groups and formally committed itself to regime change on several past occasions. Persuading Tehran that they don't need a deterrent requires taking the threat of force, regime change, and the like off the table, instead of ratcheting the threat level up. I'm not saying that this approach will work; I'm saying that threatening preventive war won't. And actually launching a preventive war is likely to make things much worse.
On this issue, Iran expert Gary Sick has the right idea: "first, do no harm." Iran is committed to mastering the full fuel cycle, and probably wants to get a "breakout capability." Money quote:
The real purpose of negotiations, in my view, is to build a system of monitoring and inspections that will (1) provide maximum early warning of a potential future Iranian decision to "break out;" and (2) insure the maximum possible interval between that moment and the moment where Iran could actually have a bomb. Iran has said on several occasions that it is willing to accept such an enhanced inspection regime, but it will no doubt insist on a price. That, I think, is what the negotiations should be about."
Ironically, today's report may make this solution more feasible, by reminding the Iranian government that hiding a nuclear facility isn't easy -- especially when the outside world is suspicious -- and that any attempt to renege on a future agreements is likely to be detected. Maybe, just maybe, today's episode will make a deal easier to reach down the road. Not that I'd bet on that.
Stephen M. Walt
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/
China Opposes Iran Sanctions Sought by US - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times.
China Opposes Iran Sanctions Sought by US - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times.
China will not support increased sanctions on Iran as a way to curb its nuclear program, a government spokeswoman said Thursday. Although China has generally opposed the use of sanctions, the announcement is sure to complicate President Obama’s efforts to impose tougher penalties on Iran, should international talks over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, scheduled for Oct. 1, fail to make headway. “We always believe that sanctions and pressure are not the way out,” said Jiang Yu, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, during a news conference. “At present, it is not conducive to diplomatic efforts.” On Wednesday, the White House savored success after Russia, a longtime opponent of economic sanctions, said it would consider tough new sanctions against Iran. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has veto power over any decision by the body to impose sanctions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25beijing.html?_r=1&ref=world
China will not support increased sanctions on Iran as a way to curb its nuclear program, a government spokeswoman said Thursday. Although China has generally opposed the use of sanctions, the announcement is sure to complicate President Obama’s efforts to impose tougher penalties on Iran, should international talks over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, scheduled for Oct. 1, fail to make headway. “We always believe that sanctions and pressure are not the way out,” said Jiang Yu, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, during a news conference. “At present, it is not conducive to diplomatic efforts.” On Wednesday, the White House savored success after Russia, a longtime opponent of economic sanctions, said it would consider tough new sanctions against Iran. As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has veto power over any decision by the body to impose sanctions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25beijing.html?_r=1&ref=world
Iran Has a Secret Nuke Plant from Danger Room by Noah Shachtman
Iran Has a Secret Nuke Plant
from Danger Room by Noah Shachtman
Iran has been building a clandestine, underground nuclear enrichment facility, the Tehran regime has admitted. President Obama said the plant, and the larger Iranian nuclear program, was “threatening the stability and the security of the region and of the world.”
The plant — built inside a mountain near the ancient holy city of Qum, 100 miles southwest of Tehran — is not yet complete. Nor has any nuclear material has been introduced into the “pilot” facility, according to International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman Marc Vidricaire. In a letter to the IAEA, Tehran “said the plant would not enrich uranium beyond the 5 percent level suitable for civilian energy production. That would be substantially below the threshold of 90 percent or more needed for a weapon,” the Associated Press reports.
The plant, however, would be in violation of international nuclear-control agreements, and the latest example of Iran’s attempts to hide parts of their atomic program from the world.
“As the international community knows, this is not the first time Iran has concealed information about its nuclear program. Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people. But the size and the configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program. Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow,” President Obama just said at a meeting of the G20 in Pittsburgh.
“The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments will shock and anger the whole international community. And it will harden our resolve,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown added. “Confronted by the serial deception of many years the international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand… We are prepared to offer further and more stringent sanctions.”
The Iranians “have cheated three times,” one senior administration official told the New York Times last night. “And they have now been caught three times.”
The official was referring to the revelations by an Iranian dissident group that led to the discovery of the underground plant at Natanz in 2002, and the evidence developed two years ago — after Iran’s computer networks were pierced by American intelligence agencies — that the country had secretly sought to design a nuclear warhead.
[Photo: via NYT]
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/iran-has-a-secret-nuke-plant/
from Danger Room by Noah Shachtman
Iran has been building a clandestine, underground nuclear enrichment facility, the Tehran regime has admitted. President Obama said the plant, and the larger Iranian nuclear program, was “threatening the stability and the security of the region and of the world.”
The plant — built inside a mountain near the ancient holy city of Qum, 100 miles southwest of Tehran — is not yet complete. Nor has any nuclear material has been introduced into the “pilot” facility, according to International Atomic Energy Agency spokesman Marc Vidricaire. In a letter to the IAEA, Tehran “said the plant would not enrich uranium beyond the 5 percent level suitable for civilian energy production. That would be substantially below the threshold of 90 percent or more needed for a weapon,” the Associated Press reports.
The plant, however, would be in violation of international nuclear-control agreements, and the latest example of Iran’s attempts to hide parts of their atomic program from the world.
“As the international community knows, this is not the first time Iran has concealed information about its nuclear program. Iran has a right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people. But the size and the configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program. Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow,” President Obama just said at a meeting of the G20 in Pittsburgh.
“The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is the breach of international commitments will shock and anger the whole international community. And it will harden our resolve,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown added. “Confronted by the serial deception of many years the international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand… We are prepared to offer further and more stringent sanctions.”
The Iranians “have cheated three times,” one senior administration official told the New York Times last night. “And they have now been caught three times.”
The official was referring to the revelations by an Iranian dissident group that led to the discovery of the underground plant at Natanz in 2002, and the evidence developed two years ago — after Iran’s computer networks were pierced by American intelligence agencies — that the country had secretly sought to design a nuclear warhead.
[Photo: via NYT]
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/09/iran-has-a-secret-nuke-plant/
The Iran nuclear revelation from Marc Lynch
The Iran nuclear revelation
from Marc Lynch by Marc Lynch
Last night, President Obama along with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nikolas Sarkozy announced that the IAEA had been presented with detailed evidence about the existence of a previously undisclosed Iranian nuclear enrichment facility. While there's always good reason to be skeptical about such intelligence claims, in this case it is significant that the Iranians hastened to pre-emptively declare to the IAEA that a "new pilot fuel-enrichment plant is under construction." The U.S. has, from what I can tell, been aware of this site for quite some time, and it has not yet gone operational. So this is not a story of the sudden discovery of an urgent new threat requiring whatever red-blooded solution the hawks will be peddling today. The interesting question is why Obama chose to go public with this information now, and how it fits into the administration's diplomatic strategy.
According to the New York Times, the administration went public because the Iranians had discovered that Western intelligence had "breached the secrecy surrounding the project." Perhaps. But it seems rather more likely that the administration chose to go public as part of a calculated effort to ratchet up the credibility of the threat of tough sanctions ahead of the October 1 meeting between Iran and the P5+1 in Geneva. The public disclosure puts Iran on the back foot ahead of those talks, and appears to have encouraged Russia to more seriously consider supporting such sanctions (that, plus the missile defense decision probably). This has to change Iranian calculations -- indeed, the perception that the sanctions are now more likely is precisely what may lead the Iranians to make more concessions to avoid them.
It also demonstrates to the Iranians the quality of Western intelligence and the difficulty of deception and denial -- especially in the atmosphere of (quite warranted) mistrust of their intentions. That may reduce their reasons to oppose the intrusive inspections and monitoring regime which Gary Sick argues is the most likely reasonable negotiated outcome. Such an outcome would be far more in the interests of the U.S., Iran, and Iran's neighbors than any plausible outcome of a military strike, and has to be the target of the engagement process.
So despite what I expect to see swarming the media in the next few days -- wanna bet that John Bolton or John Bolton-equivalent oped is already in production over at the Washington Times Washington Post (sorry, it's hard to tell the difference on foreign policy issues sometimes) -- I actually think that this public revelation makes war less rather than more likely. The timing of the announcement, immediately following the consultations at the UN and the G-20 and just before the Geneva meetings, makes it seem extremely likely that the Obama administration has been waiting for just the right moment to play this card. Now they have. It strengthens the P5+1 bargaining position ahead of October 1, changes Iranian calculations, and lays the foundations for a more serious kind of engagement. So now let's see how it changes the game.
http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/09/25/the_iran_nuclear_revelation
from Marc Lynch by Marc Lynch
Last night, President Obama along with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nikolas Sarkozy announced that the IAEA had been presented with detailed evidence about the existence of a previously undisclosed Iranian nuclear enrichment facility. While there's always good reason to be skeptical about such intelligence claims, in this case it is significant that the Iranians hastened to pre-emptively declare to the IAEA that a "new pilot fuel-enrichment plant is under construction." The U.S. has, from what I can tell, been aware of this site for quite some time, and it has not yet gone operational. So this is not a story of the sudden discovery of an urgent new threat requiring whatever red-blooded solution the hawks will be peddling today. The interesting question is why Obama chose to go public with this information now, and how it fits into the administration's diplomatic strategy.
According to the New York Times, the administration went public because the Iranians had discovered that Western intelligence had "breached the secrecy surrounding the project." Perhaps. But it seems rather more likely that the administration chose to go public as part of a calculated effort to ratchet up the credibility of the threat of tough sanctions ahead of the October 1 meeting between Iran and the P5+1 in Geneva. The public disclosure puts Iran on the back foot ahead of those talks, and appears to have encouraged Russia to more seriously consider supporting such sanctions (that, plus the missile defense decision probably). This has to change Iranian calculations -- indeed, the perception that the sanctions are now more likely is precisely what may lead the Iranians to make more concessions to avoid them.
It also demonstrates to the Iranians the quality of Western intelligence and the difficulty of deception and denial -- especially in the atmosphere of (quite warranted) mistrust of their intentions. That may reduce their reasons to oppose the intrusive inspections and monitoring regime which Gary Sick argues is the most likely reasonable negotiated outcome. Such an outcome would be far more in the interests of the U.S., Iran, and Iran's neighbors than any plausible outcome of a military strike, and has to be the target of the engagement process.
So despite what I expect to see swarming the media in the next few days -- wanna bet that John Bolton or John Bolton-equivalent oped is already in production over at the Washington Times Washington Post (sorry, it's hard to tell the difference on foreign policy issues sometimes) -- I actually think that this public revelation makes war less rather than more likely. The timing of the announcement, immediately following the consultations at the UN and the G-20 and just before the Geneva meetings, makes it seem extremely likely that the Obama administration has been waiting for just the right moment to play this card. Now they have. It strengthens the P5+1 bargaining position ahead of October 1, changes Iranian calculations, and lays the foundations for a more serious kind of engagement. So now let's see how it changes the game.
http://lynch.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/09/25/the_iran_nuclear_revelation
US, French, UK leaders say Iran must abandon nuclear weapons program by year's end - or face sanctions from DEBKAfile
US, French, UK leaders say Iran must abandon nuclear weapons program by year's end - or face sanctions
from DEBKAfile
In a dramatic joint appearance in Pittsburgh, Friday, Sept. 25, Presidents Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy and prime minister Gordon Brown accused Iran of concealing a second uranium enrichment plant near Qom for years from international inspection, in violation of its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and UN Security Council Resolutions. Taking time out of the G20 summit, they went on live television to declare their willingness for a concerted effort to stop Iran attaining nuclear weapons by the end of 2009.
from DEBKAfile
In a dramatic joint appearance in Pittsburgh, Friday, Sept. 25, Presidents Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy and prime minister Gordon Brown accused Iran of concealing a second uranium enrichment plant near Qom for years from international inspection, in violation of its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and UN Security Council Resolutions. Taking time out of the G20 summit, they went on live television to declare their willingness for a concerted effort to stop Iran attaining nuclear weapons by the end of 2009.
Chu seeks more loan guarantees for nuclear energy
Chu seeks more loan guarantees for nuclear energy
Energy Secretary Steven Chu aims to increase the department's loan-guarantee authority to help revive the U.S. nuclear energy industry and curb emissions of greenhouse gases. While firms have filed 18 requests for nuclear plant licenses, the agency can only authorize $18.5 billion in loans, which can cover four to five facilities. The U.S. needs to show the industry that it "is serious about investing in nuclear power plants," Chu said. Nasdaq.com/Dow Jones Newswires
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200909241923dowjonesdjonline000687&title=us-energy-secretaryto-push-for-more-nuclear-loan-guarantees
Energy Secretary Steven Chu aims to increase the department's loan-guarantee authority to help revive the U.S. nuclear energy industry and curb emissions of greenhouse gases. While firms have filed 18 requests for nuclear plant licenses, the agency can only authorize $18.5 billion in loans, which can cover four to five facilities. The U.S. needs to show the industry that it "is serious about investing in nuclear power plants," Chu said. Nasdaq.com/Dow Jones Newswires
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200909241923dowjonesdjonline000687&title=us-energy-secretaryto-push-for-more-nuclear-loan-guarantees
NRC chief: Certifying reactor design first could expedite plant reviews
NRC chief: Certifying reactor design first could expedite plant reviews
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission can evaluate nuclear plants more quickly and efficiently if the reactor design has been certified under the agency's combined construction and operating license process, Chairman Greg Jaczko said. Speaking at a Platts Energy Podium conference, Jaczko said that some COL applications pertain to reactor designs that have not been certified. The NRC is reviewing 13 of the 18 COL applications that it has received, he added. Power Engineering
http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/369398/6/ARTCL/none/none/1/NRC:-Nuclear-reviews-faster-if-design-certified-first/
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission can evaluate nuclear plants more quickly and efficiently if the reactor design has been certified under the agency's combined construction and operating license process, Chairman Greg Jaczko said. Speaking at a Platts Energy Podium conference, Jaczko said that some COL applications pertain to reactor designs that have not been certified. The NRC is reviewing 13 of the 18 COL applications that it has received, he added. Power Engineering
http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/369398/6/ARTCL/none/none/1/NRC:-Nuclear-reviews-faster-if-design-certified-first/
"Iran Is Breaking Rules That All Nations Must Follow"
"Iran Is Breaking Rules That All Nations Must Follow"
Obama Opens G20 Summit With Dramatic Statement After Iran Acknowledges Secret Nuclear Facility... Read Complete Remarks... New York Times: Obama Privately Pressed Leaders This Week On Iran... Marc Lynch: 'The Iran Nuclear Revelation'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/obama-iran-has-secret-nuc_n_299556.html
Obama Opens G20 Summit With Dramatic Statement After Iran Acknowledges Secret Nuclear Facility... Read Complete Remarks... New York Times: Obama Privately Pressed Leaders This Week On Iran... Marc Lynch: 'The Iran Nuclear Revelation'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/obama-iran-has-secret-nuc_n_299556.html
INTELLIGENCE GUIDANCE (SPECIAL EDITION): SEPT. 25, 2009 - IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Stratfor
INTELLIGENCE GUIDANCE (SPECIAL EDITION): SEPT. 25, 2009 - IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Editor's Note: The following is an internal STRATFOR document produced to
provide high-level guidance to our analysts. This document is not a forecast,
but rather a series of guidelines for understanding and evaluating events, as
well as suggestions on areas for focus.
Iran's revelation of a second enrichment site is not critical in a military
sense. The West always knew the Iranians were playing a shell game. What it does
do, however, is highlight that one of the challenges of the situation is simply
that Western intelligence does not know how good its intelligence is -- until it
is used. So the Iranians are attempting a smoke-and-mirrors strategy in the hope
of deterring an attack. But they also don't know how much the West does or does
not know either.
Far more important was the decision by the leaders of the United States, the
United Kingdom and France to condemn Iran's partial unveiling of this new site,
and to demonstrate clearly that the time for talks is almost over. The round of
talks beginning Oct. 1 has been portrayed by the Israelis as the final round.
Now the United States is publicly saying the same thing, although Obama
continues to say it prefers a peaceful settlement.
There are four issues we need to drill into:
First, will the Russians come on board with gasoline sanctions in this context
or do they continue their opposition? We need to reassess the Russian mood and
see what their lowest possible price is for assistance.
Second, we should start seeing some overt movements by the U.S. military to
spook the Iranians. This will not be the typical watch for carriers moving
toward the Gulf. Between forces participating in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts,
the United States already has more than what it needs to attack Iran. Watch and
evaluate activities in the region itself.
Third, are there any statements out of Israel? They have been forcing this issue
to a head. A lack of statements from them is ominous.
Finally, Iran has the "use it or lose it" option with mines. If they feel attack
is imminent, will they use the mines? The United States must act against the
mines before anything else if this is not to cause a global recession on its
own.
Bottom line: If the Iranians indicate that they will not cooperate and the
Russians do not budge on their opposition to imposing sanctions, then war could
come suddenly -- and from the United States. All the pieces for that war are
already in place. It is just a question of nerve -- for all parties.
Copyright 2009 Stratfor.
INTELLIGENCE GUIDANCE (SPECIAL EDITION): SEPT. 25, 2009 - IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Editor's Note: The following is an internal STRATFOR document produced to
provide high-level guidance to our analysts. This document is not a forecast,
but rather a series of guidelines for understanding and evaluating events, as
well as suggestions on areas for focus.
Iran's revelation of a second enrichment site is not critical in a military
sense. The West always knew the Iranians were playing a shell game. What it does
do, however, is highlight that one of the challenges of the situation is simply
that Western intelligence does not know how good its intelligence is -- until it
is used. So the Iranians are attempting a smoke-and-mirrors strategy in the hope
of deterring an attack. But they also don't know how much the West does or does
not know either.
Far more important was the decision by the leaders of the United States, the
United Kingdom and France to condemn Iran's partial unveiling of this new site,
and to demonstrate clearly that the time for talks is almost over. The round of
talks beginning Oct. 1 has been portrayed by the Israelis as the final round.
Now the United States is publicly saying the same thing, although Obama
continues to say it prefers a peaceful settlement.
There are four issues we need to drill into:
First, will the Russians come on board with gasoline sanctions in this context
or do they continue their opposition? We need to reassess the Russian mood and
see what their lowest possible price is for assistance.
Second, we should start seeing some overt movements by the U.S. military to
spook the Iranians. This will not be the typical watch for carriers moving
toward the Gulf. Between forces participating in the Iraq and Afghan conflicts,
the United States already has more than what it needs to attack Iran. Watch and
evaluate activities in the region itself.
Third, are there any statements out of Israel? They have been forcing this issue
to a head. A lack of statements from them is ominous.
Finally, Iran has the "use it or lose it" option with mines. If they feel attack
is imminent, will they use the mines? The United States must act against the
mines before anything else if this is not to cause a global recession on its
own.
Bottom line: If the Iranians indicate that they will not cooperate and the
Russians do not budge on their opposition to imposing sanctions, then war could
come suddenly -- and from the United States. All the pieces for that war are
already in place. It is just a question of nerve -- for all parties.
Copyright 2009 Stratfor.
Iran's new nuclear proposal
Our colleagues over at ProPublica, the non-profit investigative journalism outfit, have secured what they say is a copy of Iran's five-page proposal for negotiations with the United States and other world powers.
Entitled, "Package of proposals by the Islamic Republic of Iran for Comprehensive and Constructive Negotiations," it can be found here. N&S can't yet vouch for the authenticity of the document.
http://www.propublica.org/article/iran-offer-includes-willingness-for-talks-on-nuclear-disarmament-but-no-910
Our colleagues over at ProPublica, the non-profit investigative journalism outfit, have secured what they say is a copy of Iran's five-page proposal for negotiations with the United States and other world powers.
Entitled, "Package of proposals by the Islamic Republic of Iran for Comprehensive and Constructive Negotiations," it can be found here. N&S can't yet vouch for the authenticity of the document.
http://www.propublica.org/article/iran-offer-includes-willingness-for-talks-on-nuclear-disarmament-but-no-910
Missile madness targets the money
Missile madness targets the money
President Barack Obama's decision to shelve plans for an anti-missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland continues a decades-long, military and political debate frequently set in terms little more sophisticated than "mine is bigger than yours". None of it is real, except the money, which is very real and very huge. - Julian Delasantellis (Sep 25, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KI26Ak01.html
President Barack Obama's decision to shelve plans for an anti-missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland continues a decades-long, military and political debate frequently set in terms little more sophisticated than "mine is bigger than yours". None of it is real, except the money, which is very real and very huge. - Julian Delasantellis (Sep 25, '09)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KI26Ak01.html
Obama hails historic U.N. resolution to rid world of nuclear weapons
Obama hails historic U.N. resolution to rid world of nuclear weapons
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/24/nuclear-weapons-un-security-council
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/24/nuclear-weapons-un-security-council
Iran tells IAEA it is building 2nd enrichment plant
Iran tells IAEA it is building 2nd enrichment plant
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE58O1N420090925
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE58O1N420090925
Thursday, September 24, 2009
China Opposes Iran Sanctions Sought by U.S
China Opposes Iran Sanctions Sought by U.S.: China will not support increased sanctions on Iran as a way to curb its nuclear program, a government spokesman said Thursday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25beijing.html?_r=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/world/asia/25beijing.html?_r=1
IAEA calls on Israel to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty:
IAEA calls on Israel to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty:
For the first time in 18 years, Israel, the United States and the Western powers were unsuccessful at preventing passage of a resolution calling on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1115750.html
For the first time in 18 years, Israel, the United States and the Western powers were unsuccessful at preventing passage of a resolution calling on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1115750.html
The Afghan Disaster by Lew Rockwell
The Afghan Disaster by Lew Rockwell
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/afghan-disaster130.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/afghan-disaster130.html
A Dangerous US Policy Comes to an End William Pfaff cheers the end of EU-based missile defense
A Dangerous US Policy Comes to an End
William Pfaff cheers the end of EU-based missile defense
http://original.antiwar.com/pfaff/2009/09/23/a-puzzling-dangerous-us-policy-comes-to-an-end/
William Pfaff cheers the end of EU-based missile defense
http://original.antiwar.com/pfaff/2009/09/23/a-puzzling-dangerous-us-policy-comes-to-an-end/
* Canada, Kazakhstan to strike deal involving nuclear technology
* Canada, Kazakhstan to strike deal involving nuclear technology
Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day is set today to sign an agreement that would allow the country to export nuclear technology to Kazakhstan. This comes after Day's Ukraine visit, which involved discussions on free trade and Atomic Energy of Canada's Candu nuclear reactors. "We have a very clear indication that they want to see Candus as part of their nuclear energy future," he said. Canada.com/Canwest News Service (9/23)
http://www.canada.com/technology/Canada+pushes+nuclear+technology+Asia/2025433/story.html
Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day is set today to sign an agreement that would allow the country to export nuclear technology to Kazakhstan. This comes after Day's Ukraine visit, which involved discussions on free trade and Atomic Energy of Canada's Candu nuclear reactors. "We have a very clear indication that they want to see Candus as part of their nuclear energy future," he said. Canada.com/Canwest News Service (9/23)
http://www.canada.com/technology/Canada+pushes+nuclear+technology+Asia/2025433/story.html
NRC official sees nuclear power in the future of U.S. energy
NRC official sees nuclear power in the future of U.S. energy
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is working to include nuclear power in the country's energy future, Commissioner Dale Klein said. His statement comes as he believes the Obama administration may likely concentrate more on developing power sources such as wind and solar instead of nuclear. "My job as a regulator is to make sure that it's done safely, securely and that we protect people and the environment," Klein added. KIDK-TV (Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho)
http://www.kidk.com/news/local/60815727.html
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is working to include nuclear power in the country's energy future, Commissioner Dale Klein said. His statement comes as he believes the Obama administration may likely concentrate more on developing power sources such as wind and solar instead of nuclear. "My job as a regulator is to make sure that it's done safely, securely and that we protect people and the environment," Klein added. KIDK-TV (Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho)
http://www.kidk.com/news/local/60815727.html
When Zionists made deal with the Nazis By EDWIN BLACK, SPECIAL TO JPOST
When Zionists made deal with the Nazis
By EDWIN BLACK, SPECIAL TO JPOST
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1253627550497&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
By EDWIN BLACK, SPECIAL TO JPOST
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1253627550497&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Ahmadinejad offers to buy US uranium
Iran prepared to buy its highly enriched uranium from the US
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=106989§ionid=351020104
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=106989§ionid=351020104
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
President Obama's Proposals To Implement Iranian Sanctions Are Not Going To Be Accepted from War News Updates by Bookyards
President Obama's Proposals To Implement Iranian Sanctions Are Not Going To Be Accepted
from War News Updates by Bookyards
China is potentially undermining US-led efforts aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear plans by supplying the state with petrol. Photo AFP
China Firms Selling Fuel To Iran As U.S. Sanctions Loom -- New York Times/Reuters
BEIJING/LONDON (Reuters) - State-run Chinese companies are selling gasoline to Iran, a move that could undermine U.S. pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear programme, traders and a newspaper report said on Wednesday.
Although some sources said the trade had been quietly ongoing for at least a year as Chinese companies joined a handful of global oil traders and Indian refiners who regularly sell to Iran, the revelation of this flow comes at a time when Western powers may consider target Iran's fuel imports if it refuses to enter talks over its disputed nuclear programme.
Iran is the world's fifth-largest crude exporter but imports up to 40 percent of its gasoline as it lacks the refining capacity to meet domestic demand.
Read more ....
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/09/23/world/international-us-china-iran-oil.html
More News On Iran Sanctions
Report: Chinese State Companies Supplying Gasoline to Iran -- Voice of America
France against fuel sanctions on Iran: foreign minister -- AFP
China selling petrol to Iran, report says -- AFP
'Iran begins fuel imports from China' -- Press TV
China, Russia wouldn't block new Iran sanctions:EU -- Reuters
Israel calls for 'crippling sanctions' against Iran - Netanyahu -- RIA Novosti
US lawmakers put off new Iran sanctions until after talks -- Washington TV
US lawmakers hold off on new Iran sanctions -- AFP
The Lengthening List of Iran Sanctions -- Council On Foreign Relations
Cracks in Iran’s Clique -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times
A smarter way to sanction Iran -- Christian Science Monitor
I have been observing the evolving Iranian discussion on nuclear programs and sanctions for the past few years. I am dishearten to say that from my vantage point nothing is going to change. In fact .... countries like China and France are actively laying the groundwork for more business and commercial relations that are clear contradictions to their public and official policy of supporting sanctions on Iran.
The reasons why are obvious .... the dependence, need and hunger for oil and energy. On my many trips to China over the past two decades, the need for energy has always been the consuming drive of most (if not all) Chinese foreign policy. Iran has enormous oil and natural gas resources .... and the Chinese are not fools .... they are going to make deals with the devil in order to get their hands on that energy.
Sanctions or not.
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2009/09/president-obamas-proposal-for-iranian.html
from War News Updates by Bookyards
China is potentially undermining US-led efforts aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear plans by supplying the state with petrol. Photo AFP
China Firms Selling Fuel To Iran As U.S. Sanctions Loom -- New York Times/Reuters
BEIJING/LONDON (Reuters) - State-run Chinese companies are selling gasoline to Iran, a move that could undermine U.S. pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear programme, traders and a newspaper report said on Wednesday.
Although some sources said the trade had been quietly ongoing for at least a year as Chinese companies joined a handful of global oil traders and Indian refiners who regularly sell to Iran, the revelation of this flow comes at a time when Western powers may consider target Iran's fuel imports if it refuses to enter talks over its disputed nuclear programme.
Iran is the world's fifth-largest crude exporter but imports up to 40 percent of its gasoline as it lacks the refining capacity to meet domestic demand.
Read more ....
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/09/23/world/international-us-china-iran-oil.html
More News On Iran Sanctions
Report: Chinese State Companies Supplying Gasoline to Iran -- Voice of America
France against fuel sanctions on Iran: foreign minister -- AFP
China selling petrol to Iran, report says -- AFP
'Iran begins fuel imports from China' -- Press TV
China, Russia wouldn't block new Iran sanctions:EU -- Reuters
Israel calls for 'crippling sanctions' against Iran - Netanyahu -- RIA Novosti
US lawmakers put off new Iran sanctions until after talks -- Washington TV
US lawmakers hold off on new Iran sanctions -- AFP
The Lengthening List of Iran Sanctions -- Council On Foreign Relations
Cracks in Iran’s Clique -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times
A smarter way to sanction Iran -- Christian Science Monitor
I have been observing the evolving Iranian discussion on nuclear programs and sanctions for the past few years. I am dishearten to say that from my vantage point nothing is going to change. In fact .... countries like China and France are actively laying the groundwork for more business and commercial relations that are clear contradictions to their public and official policy of supporting sanctions on Iran.
The reasons why are obvious .... the dependence, need and hunger for oil and energy. On my many trips to China over the past two decades, the need for energy has always been the consuming drive of most (if not all) Chinese foreign policy. Iran has enormous oil and natural gas resources .... and the Chinese are not fools .... they are going to make deals with the devil in order to get their hands on that energy.
Sanctions or not.
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2009/09/president-obamas-proposal-for-iranian.html
Chief of federal nuclear unit touts role of Idaho National Laboratory
Chief of federal nuclear unit touts role of Idaho National Laboratory
Warren Miller, who was recently confirmed to lead the Energy Department's Office of Nuclear Energy, expects the Idaho National Laboratory to continue advancing its programs on nuclear energy, which he said produces 70% of all carbon-free power. Miller aims to cut U.S. dependence on imported oil by exploring new designs for reactors that can be installed quickly over the next decade. KPVI-TV (Pocatello, Idaho)
http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=11180143
Warren Miller, who was recently confirmed to lead the Energy Department's Office of Nuclear Energy, expects the Idaho National Laboratory to continue advancing its programs on nuclear energy, which he said produces 70% of all carbon-free power. Miller aims to cut U.S. dependence on imported oil by exploring new designs for reactors that can be installed quickly over the next decade. KPVI-TV (Pocatello, Idaho)
http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=11180143
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Harvey Wasserman Tom Friedman's Idiocy Atomique
Harvey Wasserman
Tom Friedman's Idiocy Atomique
http://www.counterpunch.org/wasserman09222009.html
Tom Friedman's Idiocy Atomique
http://www.counterpunch.org/wasserman09222009.html
Leon Hadar's op ed piece on Missile Defense
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-t-hadar/with-missile-shield-chang_b_294438.html
Leon Hadar's op ed piece on Missile Defense
Leon Hadar's op ed piece on Missile Defense
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