Dissident group: Tehran producing centrifuges to enrich uranium

[sabra]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/754668.html

Dissident group: Tehran producing centrifuges to enrich uranium

Iran is secretly manufacturing upgraded centrifuges used to enrich uranium, an Iranian opposition movement claimed Thursday.

Spokespersons for the National Council of Resistance of Iran said Tehran has built 15 P-2 model centrifuges. The advanced designs have a greater speed and can thus enrich much larger amounts of uranium in a shorter period of time.

If the group's accusations are true, it would mean that Iran could speed up its ability to produce high-grade uranium, which would pave the way towards production of the atomic bomb.

The organization alleges that the new-model centrifuges are being manufactured at a factory outside of Tehran.

[LSparkle]

1. Here we go again (INC, Part II). Is Chalabi a part of this group too?

[wellst0nev0ter]

10. Iranian National Congress?

Yep, sounds about right :eyes:

[LSparkle]

13. I think it was the Iraqi National Congress last time

and this "dissident group" sounds no more reliable ...

[Warren Stupidity]

17. Actually this dissident group is legitimate.

They appear to be a front for the MEK which is the marxist armed resistance group that fought both the Shah's regime and the theocracy. See the WIKI article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_of_Resistance_of_Iran

I note that as our government is trying to outlaw the NCRI, I conclude that they are in fact a legitimate resistence organization.

[IndianaGreen]

19. It doesn't matter who they are. This is the same old script used in Iraq.

The same people that participated in the sale of the Iraq war, are now trying to do the same in regards to Iran.

They got their war in Iraq, but there are not going to get their war in Iran precisely because of the Iraq FUBAR situation.

[Warren Stupidity]

22. Oh I agree.

It just turns out that this group happens to be legitimate.

[Blue Meany]

21. I met some of the NCR leaders in the 1980s

When I was studying Persian at UC Berkeley and they held one of their conferences there. As I recall they were virtually all from the mujahadin-i khalq (MEK). They were there lobbying for American assistance for their cause: overthrowing the Khomeini regime. And they have continued lobbying for such help ever since. I remember asking them how they could in one breath denounce American intervention in their country in the past (e.g., the overthrow of Mossadeq) and in the next breath request assistance for a movement that doesn't have enough popular support to win either in the streets or at the ballot box without outside intervention.

These folks talk a good game about democracy and minority rights, but they are trying to take power by force. They have engaged in terrorist attacks in Iran and are rightly labelled a terrorist organization by the State Department. I wouldn't trust anything they say, especially such conveniently-timed announcements.

[BootinUp]

anyone named "sinker", "fastball" or "knuckleball"?

in that group?

[harlinchi]

5. Slider? Change-up?

I hope there are no nicknames that correspond to pitches! Curveball was more than enough!

[wellst0nev0ter]

11. Screwball? (n/t)

[gasperc]

2. hmmm.. here we go again..time to roll out the new product

they know not what they do

[arcane1]

6. August is, after all, almost over

and the Sept 11 anniversary celebrations are approaching

:puke:

[mitchtv]

3. Wolf! Wolf!

long live the Shah

[Purveyor]

4. "They" really do think they can pull this stunt a 2nd time, don't they?n/t

[HuffleClaw]

7. so fucking what??!!

its not newsworthy, except as overblown bullshit propaganda.

[IndianaGreen]

8. What's next, mobile WMD labs?

How about yellow cake uranium?

All of the fear mongering from the same people that frightened us into a war in Iraq will ever work again.

I just don't care if Iran has an H-bomb! No more wars in the Middle East!

[leesa]

9. And burying them under rose bushes, yeah, we know the drill.

[SoCalDem]

12. But. but ..but.. do they have the giganto aluminum tubes?

What has the shoe-loving fashion queen told us about that?

[Anakin Skywalker]

14. Another F***ing Dissident Group

trying to lure the U.S. into yet another war. How nice.

[IndianaGreen]

15. All we need is another high ranking defector

an Iranian version of Curve Ball.

[lyonn]

16. This was printed in a Jewish newspaper - Israel

Isn't this the country that joins bushco in the propaganda to prove Iran is close to having a bomb? Bush is itching to bomb that country, he needs all the help he can get since he is pretty much standing alone on this issue, except for Israel.

Here is some of the information taken from the NCRI document:

Democratic decision-making
All members of the Council have one vote. All decisions are adopted by a simple majority.

Parliament in Exile
The NCRI has 550 members, including representatives of ethnic and religious minorities such as the Kurds, Baluchis, Armenians, Jews and Zoroastrians, representing a broad spectrum of political tendencies in Iran. Acting as parliament in exile, the NCRI aims to establish a democratic, secular and coalition government in Iran.

snip -

Six-month provisional government
The council's 25 committees form the basis for a provisional coalition government once the mullahs are toppled. Chairing each committee is a prominent political personality who is an expert in the field.

The provisional government will be in power for only six months and its main responsibility is to hold free and fair elections for a National Legislative and Constituent Assembly and to transfer power to the representatives of the people of Iran.


National Solidarity Front
In its two-day plenary session in November 2002, NCRI adopted a plan to form the "National Solidarity Front to Overthrow Religious Dictatorship in Iran." The front was designed as a platform to encompass all Iranian republicans who "are campaigning for a democratic, independent and secular regime."


This info sounds like something The Chalibis of the world would whip up just in case the Mullahs fall.

[Warren Stupidity]

18. Ad Hominem

The negative characterization of the source of information does not shed any light on the truth value of the information.

See the WIKI article on the NCRI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_of_Resistance_of_Iran

They appear to be a legitimate resistence group, a fact which also does not shed any light on the truth value of the information.

As the Iranians are processing uranium, why exactly would they not be looking for the best uranium processing equipment they can afford?

In my opinion the article is probably true but is at the same time irrelevant. In other words, so what? The Iranians are completely within their rights to process uranium and not in violation of any treaty obligations.

[lyonn]

20. Thanks Warren. Skimmed article and

decided I know nothing about all the workings of all the governments involved. If we had a government that we could trust to negotiate some kind of compromise to the hostilities in Iran and the whole ME, along with other nations, many of us would not be so scared. As it stands, bush is fixin' to do his bombs away routine before he loses control, in my opinion.

Stupidity is reigning supreme in bush's court and many of us are sure he will try to play the same cards he did to allow the attack on Iraq. So articles like the one discussed makes me wonder the real meaning behind the announcement - to me it seems to tell the world we need to take the nuke shops out in Iran!