Official!! Iran announces nuclear ability.

Its on now folks!

www.cnn.com...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Tuesday that Iran has successfully enriched uranium.

"Iran has joined countries with nuclear technology," he said.

The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran stop all uranium enrichment activity by April 28. Iran has rejected the demand, saying it has a right to develop the process.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, is due in Iran this week for talks to try to resolve the standoff.

Im going to translate Ahmadinejad's statement from:
"...Iran has joined countries with nuclear technology..."
To: "Please bomb us right now"

Its getting hot now folks. Think the UN will wait until the 28th like promised?

I think is going to speed up the process to right now in the situation room.

Some personal opinion points on this:


#1 If they are admitting it now, its been like this for months or years

#2 Funny how they make this announcement a week after reports of nuclear capable Sahab-3 missiles surface.

#3 The USA and friends are at least 6 months ahead of the news reports regarding preparedness to attack Iran.

#4 The irony is staggering: How much oil pumped out of Iran will fuel the planes and ships that will bomb it?

Totally in agreement with you on this "#1 If they are admitting it now, its been like this for months or years"

IMHO Iran has probably had this for well over a year and pretty sure US knew about it before the war games.

Enriched Uranium does not = Nuclear weapons.
It all depends on the level of enrichment really, something the IAEA will have to inspect. I highly doubt there is anything of weapons grade there.
That won't stop the salivating armchair warriors calling for immediate death though

They have made the announcement because they have had nuclear capability, and now they have a satellite in orbit to monitor "troop movement or build-up" maybe? Another is to be launched in weeks. They are preparing.

Originally posted by Britguy
Enriched Uranium does not = Nuclear weapons.
It all depends on the level of enrichment really, something the IAEA will have to inspect. I highly doubt there is anything of weapons grade there.
That won't stop the salivating armchair warriors calling for immediate death though

Whats your next excuse for Iran?

Originally posted by Britguy
Ok so they have enough to make a bomb now, but its not enough to make something that will do any real damage

[edit on 11-4-2006 by C0le]

Come on, show us the proof of a nuclear weapons programme and the stockpile of weapons threatening us all.
So the Iranians have successfully enriched Uranium, so what! That was their stated aim anyway, for their power programme. Big difference between switching on a light and nuking a city

Originally posted by Britguy
Come on, show us the proof of a nuclear weapons programme and the stockpile of weapons threatening us all.
So the Iranians have successfully enriched Uranium, so what! That was their stated aim anyway, for their power programme. Big difference between switching on a light and nuking a city

I hear ya BG, barely, over the rattling of sabres. Just like the build up of hype before Iraq. I guess if you've got a formula that works you keep with it.

My health is poor and I could have gone without the near heart-attack the title of this thread gave me. They have announced the ability to enrich uranium, not a "nuclear capability." They still need more centrifuges than (we think) they have in order to enrich enough uranium to weaponize this capability. I'm not defending Iran. I'm merely trying to prevent a blind panic. I'm also not saying that they don't have nuclear weapons or the capability to develop them.

Regardless, this is disturbing.

EDIT: for spelling enrich "enrish" as the result of a typo LOL!

[edit on 11-4-2006 by AceWombat04]

OK then i ask you this, If the current administration and other countries set back and let Iran go down this path, Do you agree to not say a damn thing or place Blame on any of them for doing nothing, When Iran does Create nucleaer Weapons and does use them?

I highly doubt you will, because regardless of what the current adminstration or others do, they are damned if they do damned if they dont..




[edit on 11-4-2006 by C0le]

Originally posted by intrepid
[]

I hear ya BG, barely, over the rattling of sabres. Just like the build up of hype before Iraq. I guess if you've got a formula that works you keep with it.

LOL, what else do they need to do?

The Iranian government screams from the top of its lungs they want to detroy Israel and the west on a regular basis. Today they announce nuclear enrichment, how can this be ignored or dismissed as sabre rattling? I posted a few weeks ago a statement from Irans president all but admitting they wanted nukes to destroy the Israeli's

Burry your heads in the sand a little deeper my friends, maybe you will be safe there...

Originally posted by skippytjc
LOL, what else do they need to do?

The Iranian government screams from the top of its lungs they want to detroy Israel and the west on a regular basis. Today they announce nuclear enrichment, how can this be ignored or dismissed as sabre rattling? I posted a few weeks ago a statement from Irans president all but admitting they wanted nukes to destroy the Israeli's

Burry your heads in the sand a little deeper my friends, maybe you will be safe there...

DDSR, different day, same rhetoric. I didn't think it would be long before we heard the same old "destroy Israel" story. In case you missed it AGAIN the have been able to minimally enrich uranium. NOWHERE near the capacity for nuclear arms. For someone that spends so much time in the military forums here and grasp them well, I don't know why you can't(won't) get this.

Good Job Iran. I'm happy for them. I hope this makes the US think twice before invading.

Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake
Yellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F)
Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and process is repeated until uranium is enriched
Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel
Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons



iran have low level enriched uranium - which is NEEDED to run a nuclear reactor


you CANNOT just dig the stuff out of the ground and use it in a power station.


IF and this is a big fat IF - they keep it at this level of enrichment then they are complying with the IAEA rules.


on the other hand if they make 1000`s of these things then they can enrich it much higher for bombs - which is what china does - china almost exclusively uses uranium for its nukes , unlike the usa which uses plutonium (and tritium)

Originally posted by Barcs
Good Job Iran. I'm happy for them. I hope this makes the US think twice before invading.

"I hope this makes the US think twice before invading"

You are 100% right, instead of waiting for deplomacy, the world will react FASTER with a military solution to rid this TERRORIST nation of its ability to make good on its htreats of genocide against Israel.

Thanks Barcs for that insight!

[edit on 11-4-2006 by skippytjc]

They have no nuclear abilities yet, they enriched something like less than 3%.

Fuel rods are 8%, bombs are 98% enriched. just so you know.

So, we allow them to start the process, and then when they are processing weapons grade material, what are we supposed to do then? Can you give me a good answer to help me understand what we could bargin with AFTER they have nukes? This is not a pacify and move on issue to worry about later.

I still believe this is a ruse to prompt an attack by the US or Israel, but look where that type of bravado got Hussien. A trial and 2 dead sons.

We are all deeply concerned - or should be - about Iran's potential development of nuclear arms. The purpose of these discussions, however, should be to inform oneself or others, not to reinforce one's own view point or attempt to dominate other viewpoints with it. Arguing solves nothing. Debate is healthy and always constructive, however in some posts I detect the intent to heatedly impress upon those who disagree with them why they are right, and why those people are wrong. That isn't the purpose of discussion or debate, and in actuality, is a manifestation of the same primitive drives which lead to these sorts of armed conflicts in the first place - regardless of who starts them, or who is right.

I believe Iran may well be attempting to develop nuclear weapons, and may even already have them for all any of us truly know. I also, however, accept and respect the possibility that they are not pursuing nuclear arms, the integrity of which still has yet to be definitively compromised or defeated by any argument or evidence at hand thus far. Discussing why one or the other is more probable is constructive. Beating others over the head with one's view that one or the other is undeniable fact when this is not yet the case, however, is not in my opinion. No offense is intended.

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
They have no nuclear abilities yet, they enriched something like less than 3%.

Thanks for the stats Cobra, and I dont dissagree with that at all, fact is fact.

But my contention is that they are much further along than that.

What government in all of history has ever announced a strategic advancement in capability the moment it was achieved? It simply does not happen that way. Iran is months or even years ahead of today’s announcement.


[edit on 11-4-2006 by skippytjc]