WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George W. Bush has called Iran an issue of "grave national security concern" but said he wanted a diplomatic solution to the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.
His comments on Friday came as a hardline Iranian cleric denounced the European Union as a puppet of Washington, and as the EU's foreign policy raised the prospect of eventual sanctions against Tehran.
The EU's Javier Solana and Iran's Ahmad Khatami made their remarks as diplomats from the world's key powers were hammering out an expected U.N. statement on Iran's nuclear program.
Bush said American concerns stemmed from Iran's stated intention to destroy Israel and Washington's fear that Tehran wants to build nuclear bombs -- which the Iranians deny.
"You begin to see an issue of grave national security concern," Reuters reported Bush as telling a newspaper group.
"Therefore it's very important for the United States to continue to work with others to solve these issues diplomatically, deal with these threats today," he said.
In an interview published Friday in the Austrian daily Der Standard, Solana said sanctions against Tehran may be necessary.
"At a later stage, sanctions of some kind can't be excluded. Let's wait and see what the Security Council does," he was quoted as saying.
"We are only at the beginning. I don't exclude sanctions but it depends on the type of sanctions. We certainly don't want to target the Iranian people," Solana said.
It was Solana's first explicit mention of economic measures against Iran, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, Khatami told Friday worshippers in Tehran the European Union was just a puppet of Washington.
"The issue showed that the EU, despite its gesture of independence, is intimidated," Reuters quoted him as saying in a sermon broadcast live on state radio. "It is a puppet of U.S. policies."
Khatami also accused Bush of using the nuclear issue as part of an effort to topple Iran's government.
"Bush talks of regime change or change of its behavior, which is the same. It means no Islamic regime and the rest is just excuses," he said.
"Today the problem is nuclear energy. As soon as it is over, the problem of human rights will come up and right after that will be the issue of fighting terrorism."
Khatami's comments echoed those of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who said Thursday that Washington's focus on Iran's nuclear issue was a "pretext" for its "psychological war" on the country and its Islamic system of government.
"On different occasions over the past 27 years, whenever the U.S. pretext lost its effect for any reason, immediately it brought up another one, given its belief that continued psychological war with the Iranian nation is the best way to confront the Islamic system," Khamenei said, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
The mullahs in Iran call the Europeans puppets of the U.S.
Iran Nuclear Standoff
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Iran is only months from bomb technology, says Britain
Simon Tisdall and Ian Traynor
Friday March 10, 2006
Guardian
The west's confrontation with Iran over its nuclear activities intensified yesterday after Britain claimed that Tehran could acquire the technological capability to build a bomb by the end of the year.
A day after the International Atomic Energy Agency referred the dispute to the United Nations security council, British officials also indicated that London would back Washington's efforts to impose a UN deadline of about 30 days for Iran's compliance with international demands.
The five permanent members of the security council began consultations on an expected statement on Iran on Wednesday after Russian-led attempts to broker a compromise at the IAEA in Vienna failed. A deadline could be set as early as next week and would cover a period "of weeks, not months", officials said. A senior Foreign Office official said that while it could take Iran several years to build a serviceable nuclear weapon, it might gain the technical knowhow within months. "By the end of the year is a ... realistic period," said the official. "It would be really damaging to regional security if Iran even acquired the technology to enable it to develop a nuclear weapon."
Until now, European diplomats have referred to a period of five to 10 years during which Iran might potentially build a bomb, while conceding that hard evidence is lacking. By publicly focusing on the level of Iran's technical capabilities, Britain may have shortened the timeframe for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons. The IAEA concluded this week that its assurances were insufficient.
Iran has 85 tonnes of uranium gas stockpiled for enrichment at its Isfahan facility, held under UN seals. American officials say this is enough for 10 bombs. Iran says it plans to install 3,000 centrifuges for enriching the gas at its Natanz underground complex by the end of the year. Western diplomats said any signs that Iran was moving the gas from Isfahan to Natanz would set alarms ringing. Since last month, the Iranians are reported to have been feeding uranium gas into a small rig of 20 centrifuges at Natanz. That can yield little useful fissile material, but plenty of knowhow for a later, more ambitious project, said a senior official close to the IAEA investigation.
At the end of the Vienna talks this week, a statement by Britain and European negotiating partners said: "Indicators of a possible military dimension to Iran's programme continue to be a legitimate source of intense concern." Britain maintains that military action to destroy Iran's suspect facilities is not under discussion. But the Bush administration, backed by Israel, has refused to rule out the use of force.
This week's Vienna breakdown has prompted angry recriminations. Faced with the threat of possible sanctions, Iran warned the United States on Wednesday that it could also inflict "harm and pain" in the dispute. Yesterday, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said at a congressional hearing in Washington: "We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran, whose policies are directed at developing a Middle East that would be 180 degrees different than the [one] we would like to see developed."
Source
Simon Tisdall and Ian Traynor
Friday March 10, 2006
Guardian
The west's confrontation with Iran over its nuclear activities intensified yesterday after Britain claimed that Tehran could acquire the technological capability to build a bomb by the end of the year.
A day after the International Atomic Energy Agency referred the dispute to the United Nations security council, British officials also indicated that London would back Washington's efforts to impose a UN deadline of about 30 days for Iran's compliance with international demands.
The five permanent members of the security council began consultations on an expected statement on Iran on Wednesday after Russian-led attempts to broker a compromise at the IAEA in Vienna failed. A deadline could be set as early as next week and would cover a period "of weeks, not months", officials said. A senior Foreign Office official said that while it could take Iran several years to build a serviceable nuclear weapon, it might gain the technical knowhow within months. "By the end of the year is a ... realistic period," said the official. "It would be really damaging to regional security if Iran even acquired the technology to enable it to develop a nuclear weapon."
Until now, European diplomats have referred to a period of five to 10 years during which Iran might potentially build a bomb, while conceding that hard evidence is lacking. By publicly focusing on the level of Iran's technical capabilities, Britain may have shortened the timeframe for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons. The IAEA concluded this week that its assurances were insufficient.
Iran has 85 tonnes of uranium gas stockpiled for enrichment at its Isfahan facility, held under UN seals. American officials say this is enough for 10 bombs. Iran says it plans to install 3,000 centrifuges for enriching the gas at its Natanz underground complex by the end of the year. Western diplomats said any signs that Iran was moving the gas from Isfahan to Natanz would set alarms ringing. Since last month, the Iranians are reported to have been feeding uranium gas into a small rig of 20 centrifuges at Natanz. That can yield little useful fissile material, but plenty of knowhow for a later, more ambitious project, said a senior official close to the IAEA investigation.
At the end of the Vienna talks this week, a statement by Britain and European negotiating partners said: "Indicators of a possible military dimension to Iran's programme continue to be a legitimate source of intense concern." Britain maintains that military action to destroy Iran's suspect facilities is not under discussion. But the Bush administration, backed by Israel, has refused to rule out the use of force.
This week's Vienna breakdown has prompted angry recriminations. Faced with the threat of possible sanctions, Iran warned the United States on Wednesday that it could also inflict "harm and pain" in the dispute. Yesterday, Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said at a congressional hearing in Washington: "We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran, whose policies are directed at developing a Middle East that would be 180 degrees different than the [one] we would like to see developed."
Source
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cycloneye
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Russia Proposes More Talks on Iran Crisis
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Russia proposed more talks on Iran's nuclear program as the five U.N. Security Council powers Friday considered a statement to pressure Tehran to clear up questions about whether it is trying to build atomic weapons.
The U.S. was skeptical about the idea, saying it was time for tough action after three years of failed negotiations.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, who weild veto power, gathered Friday afternoon for their second meeting on Iran, and were expected to discuss new proposals aimed at getting Tehran to clear up questions about its disputed program.
The ambassadors met at the U.S. mission to the U.N. several blocks from the United Nations Secretariat building in a bid to avoid media scrutiny.
(Ambassador John Bolton and other senior American officials have suggested that if the Security Council does not take tough action, Washington might look elsewhere to punish Iran - possibly by rallying its allies to impose targeted sanctions.
"We are going to press for as vigorous a response in the council as we can get, and hope that that gets the Iranians' attentions," Bolton said Thursday. "This is a test for the council. And if the Iranians do not back off from their continued aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, we will have to make a decision of what the next step will be."
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said talks should be held that include Moscow, the United States, China, France, Germany, Britain and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"We all have to get together again to collectively find a new consensus regarding our strategy at the current stage," Lavrov said in an interview with state television broadcast Thursday but published in full on the Foreign Ministry's Web site Friday.
The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the exact format for the proposed talks.
However, Lavrov's call for Germany, which is not a member of the Security Council, and IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei to be included appeared to indicate he meant the talks should take place outside the framework of the U.N. body.
"It's an attempt to stop the referral to the Security Council and have more talks," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. "We've been talking for three years. At some point, the international community has to decide whether or not the IAEA resolutions and the U.N. Charter mean anything."
The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking to develop atomic weapons, but Tehran denies the allegations, saying its nuclear program is solely for generating electricity.
Diplomats have indicated they will move slowly, focusing initially on a presidential statement that will likely ask Iran to comply with demands by the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The agency triggered council action by sending a Feb. 27 report on Iran's activities to the council.
One of Iran's senior clerics warned the Security Council to be careful before making any further decisions on Iran's nuclear program.
"Our nation insists on its rights and will never back down. Talking to this nation with a threatening tone is unwise and stupid," cleric Ahmed Khatami said during Friday prayers in Tehran.
Iranian legislator Kazem Jalali also said ending negotiations was not a "good solution" for breaking the impasse and cautioned the move could have region-wide consequences.
"Our region is not ready for another crisis. Any new crisis might even harm the whole region," he told AP Television News.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would not be opposed to the Russian proposal for more talks with Iran, but he expected the Security Council to issue a presidential statement first. "Then, we'll see," Steinmeier told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Salzburg, Austria.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also underscored the need for diplomacy.
"I think that now more than ever there should be negotiations," he said. "One must believe in negotiations, one must believe in diplomacy, one must believe in reason."
Officials in Washington have raised the possibility of a Security Council resolution backed by the threat of military force that would demand Iran abandon uranium enrichment and answer outstanding questions about its nuclear program. The United States also wants the statement to include some condemnation of Iran.
"We're confronted with a threat here as Iran pursues not only nuclear weapons, but the capability through increasingly longer-range and more accurate ballistic missiles ... that is obviously very, very dangerous," Bolton said. "So we have a responsibility in the council to try and deal with that threat."
But Russia and China, which have closer ties to Iran, oppose sanctions on principle and fear that tough council action will lead Iran to abandon the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty for good and expel IAEA inspectors.
To try to stave off sanctions against Iran, Russia proposed to host Iran's uranium enrichment program in an offer backed by both the U.S. and the EU as a way to tighten controls over Tehran's atomic program.
But talks on the issue have stalled over Iran's staunch refusal to reimpose a moratorium on domestic enrichment activity - a condition that accompanied the Russian offer.
"Yes, the situation is critical, including because of the position of the Iranian leadership, which we do not approve of," Lavrov said. "But it does not mean that everybody now has to go to the Security Council and start to issue calls, threaten and put such threats into effect."
Britain, also a proponent of tough action, has proposed asking ElBaradei to report back in two weeks on Iran's compliance with IAEA resolutions. But Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov said Thursday this would not give Tehran enough time.
British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the council should respond quickly and urge Iran to meet the IAEA requirements.
"If the Iranians meet the requirements of the (IAEA) government board, then there's no activity here, no need for the Security Council to be involved," he told AP Television News.
Top EU officials stressed Friday that a diplomatic solution is still possible, but also appeared to leave open the possibility of sanctions.
"Everything is on the table, everything is open," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said when asked about a report in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard in which he was quoted as saying that sanctions cannot be excluded.
Umm I smell division of the UN parties on this issue.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Russia proposed more talks on Iran's nuclear program as the five U.N. Security Council powers Friday considered a statement to pressure Tehran to clear up questions about whether it is trying to build atomic weapons.
The U.S. was skeptical about the idea, saying it was time for tough action after three years of failed negotiations.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, who weild veto power, gathered Friday afternoon for their second meeting on Iran, and were expected to discuss new proposals aimed at getting Tehran to clear up questions about its disputed program.
The ambassadors met at the U.S. mission to the U.N. several blocks from the United Nations Secretariat building in a bid to avoid media scrutiny.
(Ambassador John Bolton and other senior American officials have suggested that if the Security Council does not take tough action, Washington might look elsewhere to punish Iran - possibly by rallying its allies to impose targeted sanctions.
"We are going to press for as vigorous a response in the council as we can get, and hope that that gets the Iranians' attentions," Bolton said Thursday. "This is a test for the council. And if the Iranians do not back off from their continued aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, we will have to make a decision of what the next step will be."
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said talks should be held that include Moscow, the United States, China, France, Germany, Britain and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"We all have to get together again to collectively find a new consensus regarding our strategy at the current stage," Lavrov said in an interview with state television broadcast Thursday but published in full on the Foreign Ministry's Web site Friday.
The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the exact format for the proposed talks.
However, Lavrov's call for Germany, which is not a member of the Security Council, and IAEA chief Mohammed ElBaradei to be included appeared to indicate he meant the talks should take place outside the framework of the U.N. body.
"It's an attempt to stop the referral to the Security Council and have more talks," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. "We've been talking for three years. At some point, the international community has to decide whether or not the IAEA resolutions and the U.N. Charter mean anything."
The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking to develop atomic weapons, but Tehran denies the allegations, saying its nuclear program is solely for generating electricity.
Diplomats have indicated they will move slowly, focusing initially on a presidential statement that will likely ask Iran to comply with demands by the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The agency triggered council action by sending a Feb. 27 report on Iran's activities to the council.
One of Iran's senior clerics warned the Security Council to be careful before making any further decisions on Iran's nuclear program.
"Our nation insists on its rights and will never back down. Talking to this nation with a threatening tone is unwise and stupid," cleric Ahmed Khatami said during Friday prayers in Tehran.
Iranian legislator Kazem Jalali also said ending negotiations was not a "good solution" for breaking the impasse and cautioned the move could have region-wide consequences.
"Our region is not ready for another crisis. Any new crisis might even harm the whole region," he told AP Television News.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he would not be opposed to the Russian proposal for more talks with Iran, but he expected the Security Council to issue a presidential statement first. "Then, we'll see," Steinmeier told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Salzburg, Austria.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also underscored the need for diplomacy.
"I think that now more than ever there should be negotiations," he said. "One must believe in negotiations, one must believe in diplomacy, one must believe in reason."
Officials in Washington have raised the possibility of a Security Council resolution backed by the threat of military force that would demand Iran abandon uranium enrichment and answer outstanding questions about its nuclear program. The United States also wants the statement to include some condemnation of Iran.
"We're confronted with a threat here as Iran pursues not only nuclear weapons, but the capability through increasingly longer-range and more accurate ballistic missiles ... that is obviously very, very dangerous," Bolton said. "So we have a responsibility in the council to try and deal with that threat."
But Russia and China, which have closer ties to Iran, oppose sanctions on principle and fear that tough council action will lead Iran to abandon the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty for good and expel IAEA inspectors.
To try to stave off sanctions against Iran, Russia proposed to host Iran's uranium enrichment program in an offer backed by both the U.S. and the EU as a way to tighten controls over Tehran's atomic program.
But talks on the issue have stalled over Iran's staunch refusal to reimpose a moratorium on domestic enrichment activity - a condition that accompanied the Russian offer.
"Yes, the situation is critical, including because of the position of the Iranian leadership, which we do not approve of," Lavrov said. "But it does not mean that everybody now has to go to the Security Council and start to issue calls, threaten and put such threats into effect."
Britain, also a proponent of tough action, has proposed asking ElBaradei to report back in two weeks on Iran's compliance with IAEA resolutions. But Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov said Thursday this would not give Tehran enough time.
British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said the council should respond quickly and urge Iran to meet the IAEA requirements.
"If the Iranians meet the requirements of the (IAEA) government board, then there's no activity here, no need for the Security Council to be involved," he told AP Television News.
Top EU officials stressed Friday that a diplomatic solution is still possible, but also appeared to leave open the possibility of sanctions.
"Everything is on the table, everything is open," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said when asked about a report in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard in which he was quoted as saying that sanctions cannot be excluded.
Umm I smell division of the UN parties on this issue.
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canegrl04 wrote:If Israel gets involved with this militarily,I'm afraid that could make the whole situation worse.They are the #1 enemy of the Arab world. Hamas and Syria would probably retaliate,and we could have this war spread to the whole region
I got a warning for Syria if they attack Israel.
Isaiah 17:1
1The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Beware Mr.Assad
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cycloneye
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OPEC’s No. 2 oil producer ‘will use any means,’ Tehran official says
INTERACTIVE
Updated: 4:05 p.m. ET March 11, 2006
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Saturday explicitly warned for the first time that it could use oil as a weapon if the U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions over an Iranian nuclear program that the U.S. and others suspect is trying to produce atomic bombs.
Later in the day, diplomats said Russia is pushing for a new round of international talks to be held away from U.N. headquarters, apparently hoping to head off a showdown in the council.
Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi raised the possibility of using Iran’s oil and natural gas supplies as a weapon in the international standoff and also noted Iran’s strategic location at a chokepoint for a vital Persian Gulf oil route.
“If (they) politicize our nuclear case, we will use any means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the world,” Pourmohammadi was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iran is the No. 2 producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia. It also lies on one side of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for most of the crude oil shipped from the Persian Gulf nations.
Pourmohammadi’s statements were the most specific yet in a series of threats issued by Iranian officials as the Security Council discusses how to cajole Iran into reimposing a freeze on uranium enrichment and fully cooperating with a U.N. probe of its suspect nuclear program.
They may use the oil card as a weapon.
INTERACTIVE
Updated: 4:05 p.m. ET March 11, 2006
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Saturday explicitly warned for the first time that it could use oil as a weapon if the U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions over an Iranian nuclear program that the U.S. and others suspect is trying to produce atomic bombs.
Later in the day, diplomats said Russia is pushing for a new round of international talks to be held away from U.N. headquarters, apparently hoping to head off a showdown in the council.
Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi raised the possibility of using Iran’s oil and natural gas supplies as a weapon in the international standoff and also noted Iran’s strategic location at a chokepoint for a vital Persian Gulf oil route.
“If (they) politicize our nuclear case, we will use any means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the world,” Pourmohammadi was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
Iran is the No. 2 producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia. It also lies on one side of the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for most of the crude oil shipped from the Persian Gulf nations.
Pourmohammadi’s statements were the most specific yet in a series of threats issued by Iranian officials as the Security Council discusses how to cajole Iran into reimposing a freeze on uranium enrichment and fully cooperating with a U.N. probe of its suspect nuclear program.
They may use the oil card as a weapon.
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SouthFloridawx
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southfloridawx2005 we haven't attacked yet because we are getting our ducks in a row. The Iran web goes far and wide. Iran-->PRNK, Iran-->Venezuela-->Cuba. Lets see how they start their New Year off on the 20th. Their first shot will be the oil bourse if I was to guess. Our's will follow within a couple of weeks after that I think. From what I have read you can expect a 1 Euro to US $1.60 or $1.75 ratio. Guess what will happen to the petrodollar. I think Iran will try economics first while buying more time.
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Iran Opts Out of Russian Enrichment Plan By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
Sun Mar 12, 6:48 AM ET
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Sunday it had ruled out a proposal to move its uranium enrichment program to Russia, further complicating the international dispute over the country's nuclear program.
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Russia has sought to persuade Iran to move its enrichment program to Russian territory to allow closer international monitoring. The U.S. and the European Union had backed the idea as a way to ensure Iran would not misuse the process to make nuclear weapons.
Iran had insisted that the plan was negotiable and reached basic agreement with Moscow, but details were never worked out.
"The Russian proposal is not on our agenda any more," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, meanwhile, said Iran had no intention to use oil as a weapon in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, contradicting comments made a day earlier by the interior minister.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is insisting to provide Asia with the oil it needs as a reliable and effective source of energy and will not use oil as a foreign policy instrument," he told a conference on energy and security issues in Tehran.
On Saturday, Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi warned Iran could use oil as a weapon if the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against the country.
Iran is the No. 2 producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia. It also has partial control of the narrow Straits of Hormuz, a key route for most of the crude oil shipped from the Persian Gulf nations to world markets.
The five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — have been considering proposals for pressuring Iran to resolve questions about its nuclear program, including demands that it abandon uranium enrichment.
The council has the power to impose political and economic sanctions.
Asefi said Iran was considering starting large-scale uranium enrichment but would wait for the outcome of the Security Council discussions to make a decision. Iran, however, has only an experimental research program and scientists say it would need months to begin any large-scale enrichment.
Uranium enriched to a low level produces fuel for a nuclear reactor, while higher enrichment produces the material needed for a warhead.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for generating electricity, but the United States and other Western nations fear Tehran is trying to build a bomb.
Iran restarted research-scale uranium enrichment last month, two years after voluntarily freezing the program during talks with Germany, Britain and France.
Last week, Iran offered to suspend large-scale enrichment temporarily in return for recognition from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency of its right to continue research-scale enrichment.
The U.S. and its European allies ignored the Iranian offer, insisting that the time had come for the Security Council to handle Iran's nuclear dossier.
Iran, Russia and the European Unions explored the possibility last week of allowing Iran to resume small-scale enrichment if it re-imposed a freeze for an undefined period to rebuild international trust. But talks broke up without any agreement.
Mottaki warned Sunday that Iran may reconsider its nuclear policy if its right to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel is not respected — a veiled threat to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
"If we reach a point that the existing rules don't meet the right of the Iranian nation, the Islamic Republic of Iran may reconsider policies," he said.
In a report last week, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran was testing centrifuges, which spin uranium gas into enriched uranium, and had plans to begin installing the first 3,000 centrifuges late this year. Iran would need to install about 60,000 centrifuges for large-scale enrichment.
Hmmm...looking grimer and grimer every second...
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cycloneye
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Iran builds a secret underground complex as nuclear tensions rise
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
(Filed: 12/03/2006)
Iran's leaders have built a secret underground emergency command centre in Teheran as they prepare for a confrontation with the West over their illicit nuclear programme, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.
The complex of rooms and offices beneath the Abbas Abad district in the north of the capital is designed to serve as a bolthole and headquarters for the country's rulers as military tensions mount.
Iran uses small attack boats to simulate assaults on US warships
The recently completed command centre is connected by tunnels to other government compounds near the Mossala prayer ground, one of the city's most important religious sites.
Offices of the state security forces, the energy department and the Organisation of Islamic Culture and Communications are all located in the same area.
The construction of the complex is part of the regime's plan to move more of its operations beneath ground. The Revolutionary Guard has overseen the development of subterranean chambers and tunnels - some more than half a mile long and an estimated 35ft high and wide - at sites across the country for research and development work on nuclear and rocket programmes.
The opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) learnt about the complex from its contacts within the regime. The same network revealed in 2002 that Iran had been operating a secret nuclear programme for 18 years.
The underground strategy is partly designed to hide activities from satellite view and international inspections but also reflects a growing belief in Teheran that its showdown with the international community could end in air strikes by America or Israel. "Iran's leaders are clearly preparing for a confrontation by going underground," said Alireza Jafarzadeh, the NCRI official who made the 2002 announcement.
America and Europe believe that Iran is secretly trying to acquire an atomic bomb, although the regime insists that its nuclear programme is for civilian energy purposes.
As the United Nations Security Council prepares to discuss Iran's nuclear operations this week, Teheran has been stepping up plans for confrontation. Its chief delegate on nuclear talks last week threatened that Iran would inflict "harm and pain" on America if censured by the Security Council.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline president who has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", also said that the West would "suffer" if it tried to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. As the war of words intensified, President George W Bush said that Teheran represents a "grave national security concern" for America.
Click to enlarge
In Iraq, which Mr Ahmadinejad hopes will develop into a fellow Shia Islamic state, Iran is already using its proxy militia to attack British and American forces, often with Iranian-made bombs and weapons. As tensions grow, Teheran could order Hizbollah - the Lebanese-based terror faction that it created and arms - to attack targets in Israel.
The regime is also reviewing its contingency plans to attack tankers and American naval forces in the Persian Gulf and to mine the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels of oil (about 20 per cent of world production) passes each day. Any action in the Gulf would send oil prices soaring - a weapon that Iran has often threatened to wield.
The Pentagon's strategic planning is focused on the danger that Iran might try to mine the strait and deploy explosive-packed suicide boats against its warships. In May, American vessels in the Gulf will take part in the Arabian Gauntlet training exercise that deals with clearing mines from the strait, which has a navigable channel just two miles wide.
The naval wing of the Revolutionary Guard has in recent years practised "swarming" raids, using its flotilla of small rapid-attack boats to simulate assaults on commercial vessels and United States warships, according to Ken Timmerman, an American expert on Iran.
The Pentagon is particularly sensitive to the dangers of such attacks after al-Qaeda hit the USS Cole off the Yemen with a suicide boat in 2000, killing 17 American sailors. Last month the White House listed two foiled al-Qaeda plots to attack ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
US intelligence believes that if Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked by either America or Israel, then Teheran would respond by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz with naval forces, mines and anti-ship cruise missiles.
"When these systems become fully operational, they will significantly enhance Iran's defensive capabilities and ability to deny access to the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz," Michael Maples, the director of the Defence Intelligence Agency testified before the Senate armed services committee last month.
A senior American intelligence officer said that the US navy would be able to reopen the strait but that it would be militarily costly. Hamid Reza Zakeri, a former Iranian intelligence officer, recently told Mr Timmerman that the Iranian navy's Strategic Studies Centre has produced an updated battle plan for the strait.
Its most devastating options would be to use its long-range Shahab-3 missiles to attack Israeli or American bases in the region or to deploy suicide bombers in Western cities under its strategy of "asymmetric" response.
"The price to the West for standing up to Iran is clear," Gen Moshe Ya'alon, the former Israeli defence chief said last month in Washington. "It includes terror attacks, economic hardship… and consequences resulting from fluctuations in Iranian oil production. Indeed, the regime believes that the West - including Israel - is afraid to deal with it."
Iran has built underground command and control center.Several bunker busters and the 21,000 pound MOAB should destroy that.
By Philip Sherwell in Washington
(Filed: 12/03/2006)
Iran's leaders have built a secret underground emergency command centre in Teheran as they prepare for a confrontation with the West over their illicit nuclear programme, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.
The complex of rooms and offices beneath the Abbas Abad district in the north of the capital is designed to serve as a bolthole and headquarters for the country's rulers as military tensions mount.
Iran uses small attack boats to simulate assaults on US warships
The recently completed command centre is connected by tunnels to other government compounds near the Mossala prayer ground, one of the city's most important religious sites.
Offices of the state security forces, the energy department and the Organisation of Islamic Culture and Communications are all located in the same area.
The construction of the complex is part of the regime's plan to move more of its operations beneath ground. The Revolutionary Guard has overseen the development of subterranean chambers and tunnels - some more than half a mile long and an estimated 35ft high and wide - at sites across the country for research and development work on nuclear and rocket programmes.
The opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) learnt about the complex from its contacts within the regime. The same network revealed in 2002 that Iran had been operating a secret nuclear programme for 18 years.
The underground strategy is partly designed to hide activities from satellite view and international inspections but also reflects a growing belief in Teheran that its showdown with the international community could end in air strikes by America or Israel. "Iran's leaders are clearly preparing for a confrontation by going underground," said Alireza Jafarzadeh, the NCRI official who made the 2002 announcement.
America and Europe believe that Iran is secretly trying to acquire an atomic bomb, although the regime insists that its nuclear programme is for civilian energy purposes.
As the United Nations Security Council prepares to discuss Iran's nuclear operations this week, Teheran has been stepping up plans for confrontation. Its chief delegate on nuclear talks last week threatened that Iran would inflict "harm and pain" on America if censured by the Security Council.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline president who has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map", also said that the West would "suffer" if it tried to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. As the war of words intensified, President George W Bush said that Teheran represents a "grave national security concern" for America.
Click to enlarge
In Iraq, which Mr Ahmadinejad hopes will develop into a fellow Shia Islamic state, Iran is already using its proxy militia to attack British and American forces, often with Iranian-made bombs and weapons. As tensions grow, Teheran could order Hizbollah - the Lebanese-based terror faction that it created and arms - to attack targets in Israel.
The regime is also reviewing its contingency plans to attack tankers and American naval forces in the Persian Gulf and to mine the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 15 million barrels of oil (about 20 per cent of world production) passes each day. Any action in the Gulf would send oil prices soaring - a weapon that Iran has often threatened to wield.
The Pentagon's strategic planning is focused on the danger that Iran might try to mine the strait and deploy explosive-packed suicide boats against its warships. In May, American vessels in the Gulf will take part in the Arabian Gauntlet training exercise that deals with clearing mines from the strait, which has a navigable channel just two miles wide.
The naval wing of the Revolutionary Guard has in recent years practised "swarming" raids, using its flotilla of small rapid-attack boats to simulate assaults on commercial vessels and United States warships, according to Ken Timmerman, an American expert on Iran.
The Pentagon is particularly sensitive to the dangers of such attacks after al-Qaeda hit the USS Cole off the Yemen with a suicide boat in 2000, killing 17 American sailors. Last month the White House listed two foiled al-Qaeda plots to attack ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
US intelligence believes that if Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked by either America or Israel, then Teheran would respond by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz with naval forces, mines and anti-ship cruise missiles.
"When these systems become fully operational, they will significantly enhance Iran's defensive capabilities and ability to deny access to the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz," Michael Maples, the director of the Defence Intelligence Agency testified before the Senate armed services committee last month.
A senior American intelligence officer said that the US navy would be able to reopen the strait but that it would be militarily costly. Hamid Reza Zakeri, a former Iranian intelligence officer, recently told Mr Timmerman that the Iranian navy's Strategic Studies Centre has produced an updated battle plan for the strait.
Its most devastating options would be to use its long-range Shahab-3 missiles to attack Israeli or American bases in the region or to deploy suicide bombers in Western cities under its strategy of "asymmetric" response.
"The price to the West for standing up to Iran is clear," Gen Moshe Ya'alon, the former Israeli defence chief said last month in Washington. "It includes terror attacks, economic hardship… and consequences resulting from fluctuations in Iranian oil production. Indeed, the regime believes that the West - including Israel - is afraid to deal with it."
Iran has built underground command and control center.Several bunker busters and the 21,000 pound MOAB should destroy that.
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cycloneye
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Senators: Force remains option in Iran dispute
Allen, Biden say Tehran should not have nukes
Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET March 12, 2006
WASHINGTON - The United States probably can stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons without military action, but use of force, subject to congressional approval, is still an option, U.S. lawmakers said Sunday.
“I think we can stop them from having a nuclear weapon short of war,” Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia said on the same show: “Ultimately, you never want to take military action off the table. But you never want it to get that far. But if necessary, it is an option. But it is not one that is desirable.
“We can’t allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It would be too dangerous for us, for our allies, and for the rest of the world,” Allen said.
Biden and Allen,agreed that Washington must work with other countries to deal with Iran, and that Bush would need congressional approval before the United States participates in military action to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
“He has to do that,” Biden said.
“I believe he should, and I believe he would if necessary,” said Allen
The Senators are somewhat cautious when they are asked about Military action.
Allen, Biden say Tehran should not have nukes
Updated: 2:08 p.m. ET March 12, 2006
WASHINGTON - The United States probably can stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons without military action, but use of force, subject to congressional approval, is still an option, U.S. lawmakers said Sunday.
“I think we can stop them from having a nuclear weapon short of war,” Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”
Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia said on the same show: “Ultimately, you never want to take military action off the table. But you never want it to get that far. But if necessary, it is an option. But it is not one that is desirable.
“We can’t allow them to have a nuclear weapon. It would be too dangerous for us, for our allies, and for the rest of the world,” Allen said.
Biden and Allen,agreed that Washington must work with other countries to deal with Iran, and that Bush would need congressional approval before the United States participates in military action to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
“He has to do that,” Biden said.
“I believe he should, and I believe he would if necessary,” said Allen
The Senators are somewhat cautious when they are asked about Military action.
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x-y-no
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canegrl04 wrote:BUSH SPEECH TODAY : Iran responsible for the bombs in Iraq
Sounds like the administration is in the process of making the case for war with Iran
Yeah, but as I said way back when in this thread, we're in a really bad position strategically with all those troops in Iraq. Situated as we are, military action against Iran will have a very high cost in lives - much higher than we've seen so far in this war.
Much hinges on just how advanced Iran's nuclear weapons programs are. If they're still several years away from building a weapon, then we have time to attempt the international sanctions route whilst repositioning ourselves into a better strategic military position. If they're a year or less away, we may have no good option at all.
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