Iran's need for nuclear reactors.

Iran claims they need reactors to make electric power. Iran claims this is a peaceful use that also requires they refine Uranium for use in reactors. I also get the idea that Iran wants to sell Oil for cash to have for other things.

Iran has huge amounts of natural gas, which could be more easily used to create electric power than building a reactor. Natural gas is not so easy to transport other places in the world for profitable sale.

Why does Iran require a nuclear reactor? What background information am I missing?

reply to post by rectangle


Who cares if they need it or not. No country including the US should be able to dictate what another country does when it comes to stuff like this. If they want it for power then let them do what ever they want to produce power. Iran knows just as well as the rest of the world if they were to create a nuclear weapon TPTB would have a reason to destroy yet another Muslim country just because they could.

I don't think you are missing anything. They will build a reactor or two, distribute some power, enrich uranium (or just buy it from another country) and make a nuclear bomb and threaten all their neighbors with it. Will they ever use it? Probably not because they know what would happen if they did. I think they just want them to have an extra card to pull when it comes to negotiations.

reply to post by Rhadamanthus


Given that Iran is also really big on missiles. Iran really hates Israel. Iran does not care about consequences to themselves, like radiation poisoning of either their population or other Muslims. They are very likely to attempt to use Atomic weapons against Israel. If not an explosion then that type of bomb where conventional explosives distribute radioactive material.

Then again, what is to keep that kind of bomb being used against the US. Surely Iran hates New York enough to think of trying.

Even if the bomb accidentally explodes inside Iran, the radiation is likely to cause health problems all around the world. Radiation does not care who the good guys are. Whomever one defines the good guys as being.

Originally posted by rectangle
Iran claims they need reactors to make electric power. Iran claims this is a peaceful use that also requires they refine Uranium for use in reactors. I also get the idea that Iran wants to sell Oil for cash to have for other things.

Iran has huge amounts of natural gas, which could be more easily used to create electric power than building a reactor. Natural gas is not so easy to transport other places in the world for profitable sale.

Why does Iran require a nuclear reactor? What background information am I missing?

Iran needs nuclear reactors so it can free it's domestic use of natural resources such as oil and gas. These two resources are Iran's main export and source of it's foreign exchange. The more foreign exchange the more profitable it will be for Iran's economy. If you can prove to me a country cannot benefit from more foreign exchange then only there is a point in discussing this further.

Originally posted by rectangle
reply to post by Rhadamanthus

 

Given that Iran is also really big on missiles. Iran really hates Israel.

What does that has to do with America? Are you suggesting it is only Iran that hates Israel and Israel loves Iran?

Iran does not care about consequences to themselves, like radiation poisoning of either their population or other Muslims.

Do explain how you came to this conclusion.

They are very likely to attempt to use Atomic weapons against Israel. If not an explosion then that type of bomb where conventional explosives distribute radioactive material.

Again what does that has to do with America? How does it effect what happens in other corner of the globe? Also how can you claim Iran is "very likely" to use atomic weapons against Israel? Do back up you're statements with reasonings.

Then again, what is to keep that kind of bomb being used against the US. Surely Iran hates New York enough to think of trying.

Explain how Iran will use any kind of bomb against US when they are building nuclear reactors for electricity? Iran's missile can barely reach Europe so how will they reach USA? Knowing US has the most numbers of nuclear warheads which country can attack it (MAD scenario).?

Even if the bomb accidentally explodes inside Iran, the radiation is likely to cause health problems all around the world. Radiation does not care who the good guys are. Whomever one defines the good guys as being.

Did it affected you're health when nuclear bombs were detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Iran has no ulterior motive. Try to have some critical thought with these matters. Your original post seemed so muted and mind-blocked. Basically you said, "I don't know why, but I think they are dangerous, but I don't have a reason but I'm told they are dangerous, so what am I to think, are they dangerous."

Now, this is the reason why:

AHVAZ, Iran -- Iran sits on one-tenth of the world's known oil supplies but is using so much energy these days it may start rationing gasoline as soon as next month. Part of the reason lies with people such as 42-year-old Seyd Jessem Moosavi. No one in Mr. Moosavi's family had an automobile when he was growing up. He was the first to buy one, followed quickly by his father. Now all five of his brothers have cars, and Mr. Moosavi just bought one for his 25-year-old son.

Wall Street Journal; article

Iran may start rationing gasoline as soon as next month, and its oil exports could dry up in as little as a decade. The stagnation of Iran's oil industry presents a potential crisis for the country and the global oil market.

Khalid Abdullah Al Bu Ainnain, Chairman of Baynuna, told Gulf News in an interview that the group has signed a deal with a French company to export 10,000 electric cars.

"We are cooperating with the giant French group Dassault to produce an electric car which can operate on clean power with a speed of 160 km/h," he said.

But no.. no... nah. I'm sure their real motive is to destroy the world!! That must be it! Why of course! No, it has nothing do with a failing supply of fuel to the public, no, it has all to do with a James Bond-esque plot to secretly take over the world and kill as many people as possible!!! Arrrhgg!

An attack on Iran would be one of the greatest tragedies in the past 200 years. On top of the already existing tragedies that have occurred in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, et al. All US/UK Coalition influenced.. but hey.. F** it, who's counting right? It's obvious Iran is the aggressor. Clearly.

Methinks that some of the posters make good points. I suspect that they start from the idea that the US should not be acting as "World Policeman." Which is not the point of my post, but perhaps should be discussed more.

One of irritations that Bin Laden said justified attacking the US is the continuing presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. Especially Saudi Arabia because of its special significance to the Muslim world. That is, if no US troops in Saudi Arabia, no 9-11 attack, no US intervention into Afghanistan, and probably it would not have been politically possible for George W. to invade Iraq. Which also might be viewed as whether the US should have any concern about one group of Muslims (Saddam Hussein government) committing Genocide against another group of Muslims (Kurds).

If the point of other posters is that Iraq did not have the WMD that supposedly justified the US invasion of Iraq, and the US should have known it. That is also another point, which I imagine I could find a lot of threads here on the forum.

My thought being that natural gas, not gasoline, is not very profitable for Iran to export. The US has built a port facility for handling (Liquefied Natural Gas) LNG here in the US. No, I do not know where the LNG originates. Several years ago the story was that no company intended to built another ship to carry LNG because it was not profitable. I understand, that Iran has huge amounts of natural gas. Perhaps the means of their selling large amounts of natural gas would be by pipeline to Europe. Simply what I am unclear about is how much natural gas they have and how much they sell, or could sell. The question being, if Iran has large amounts of natural gas, which they can not profitably sell, why do they absolutely need to spend hundreds of millions, (or is it in the billions) of dollars to have atomic reactors.

To others, the argument morphs into why should the US be concerned with whether Iran, or any other country has nuclear weapons?

The limitation of gasoline in Iran seems to be involved with the amount of refining capacity in Iran, plus the European sanctions against Iran that limit gasoline import. If it is immoral to have this sanction about the gasoline on Iran, it is another cost that Iran has chosen to bear to have: Either the ability to have atomic reactors to produce electricity, OR to have a that as a pretext to get refined radioactive material to build some kind of bomb.

In regard to the point of whether I suffered from the explosions in Japan during WWII, I point to later public exposure to radioactive materials, I was born in 1950. I know that the Japanese point to many health problems of individuals who were a long way from ground zero in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One of the points which has created to large number of Japanese to oppose all nuclear weapons.

We continue with the deliberate immoral actions of the US government, and private corporations in the US in regard to public exposure to radiation.

Uranium miners in Utah have had enormous health problems. Their children played on the mine tailings and years later have health problems. Compensation to disabled miners, if offered at all, would barely cover funeral expenses.

In Utah there is a term "downwinders" which refers to individuals exposed from the radiation that blew in from the US atomic bomb experiments in in the next door state of Nevada. I had a friend whose childhood during the time of the atomic bomb tests was in Iowa. Her life has been constantly handicapped by thyroid problems which are common in individuals who also drank milk from Iowa during those years. Last I heard, she had finally developed cancer.

In regards to the conspiracy part, I point at the case of Karen Silkwood. For those of you who are more youthful or not in the US. Karen Silkwood was a woman who worked in a plant which shaped Uranium Pellets for atomic reactors. She complained about her employer not adhering to the safety rules. Which led to her being followed by new vehicles. The company sent a team into her home and found food which had been contaminated with heavy levels of radiation. Company said Silkwood contaminated herself, and said she was an unsafe worker. Silkwood made an appointment to meet with a reporter to describe her claims. Silkwood's body was found by the highway. Not sure if I would believe the results of the police investigation, which I do not know. Silkwood died in the 1970's and her story was portrayed in a movie starring Cher.

I seem to recall reading how the incident at Chernobyl increased cancer in many places far distant from Russia.

I am not aware that the US policy to try to limit nuclear weapons to any other country have ever been successful. Yes, I do know that soon after the US second invasion and occupation of Iraq, that Libya announced they were abandoning their nuclear ambitions. I raise the point that Libya may have realized that they did not have a ghost of a chance of building a bomb and were unwilling to accept any more pain for a pretend program. Any other examples?

When I said even if the bomb exploded in Iran, it would have a negative effect, I did not intend to suggest that Iran would deliberately explode a dirty bomb in their country. Rather, I intended that the reader infer - it makes no difference where in the world the dirty bomb explodes, it will hurt a lot of people.

Surely we do know that Iran will have the capability to produce a dirty bomb, if not an extremely explosive one, if not now, then very soon. Whether Iran lets one fly at Israel, Israel will soon likely attempt a military operation against Iran.

Bringing up that old statement about the middle east; Radicals want radicals on the other side, and commit themselves to actions which bring that about. or something like that.

Just announced IRAN is making their own atomic fuel.
I think they need even more specialized equipment to make atomic bomb material.
So watch and wait for the mushroom clouds and orange skies.
ED: Yes I'd say oil in IRAN is a bigger problem.
We and tptb know how rich Saudi Arabia has gotten so we must sell them
arms or make more building projects to recoup the money.
IRAN oil power got them the atomic plants.
How much more will IRAN get with its oil.