Russia Makes 1st Nuke Shipment to Iran

[shenmue]

Source: Associated Press

"MOSCOW - Russia has made its first shipment of nuclear fuel to an Iranian nuclear power plant at the center of the international tensions over Tehran's atomic program, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

"Iran contends its plant in the southern city of Bushehr is strictly for civilian purposes, but the project concerns the United States and others who fear Tehran could use it to advance efforts to build nuclear weapons."

Read more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20071217/47660250_3ca6_1552620071217989436102

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:scared:


Oh @#%&...



(This is an AP story posted on Earthlink.)

[Junkdrawer]

1. Russian oversight of enrichment and plant operations has always been seen as a plus....

Indeed, it has been offered as an alternative to Iranian fuel enrichment.

[shenmue]

2. What?

How does it make it better?

It's not seen as a plus by everyone. Me, for starters.

:shrug:

Speak for yourself.

[Sirveri]

3. It would make it better if they had full control of the fuel.

If they supply the fuel, then Iran doesn't need to mine it or refine it. If they have to refine it, then they will know HOW to refine it, and once you know how you can refine it as much as you want. Thus giving you access to weapons grade nuclear material. If Russia also takes the spent rods then Iran can not chemically seperate the materials and pull the Pu239 out of it which is also used for nuclear weapons. And chemical seperation is also substantially easier than uranium enrichment. Finally it denies them a source of radioactive waste that could be used in a nuclear waste bomb, since some of the fission fragments are notoriously long lived.

I'm actually quite curious about what design they're using for their reactor plant.

[Virginia Dare]

4. Wow, that's a big f.u. to the Bush administration...

Condi and crew don't know whether to scratch their watches or wind their asses.

[lovuian]

5. Busher gets it fuel and Iran war is still on the table

we live in dangerous times

[Psephos]

6. Putin, Ahmadinejad, and nukes...seriously, what could possibly go wrong?

The Russian safety record on nuclear plants is enviable, while the mullahocracy of Iran is among the least meddlesome, most transparent governments of the Middle East. We can see, in the way the regime coddles gays, women, and free thinkers, that Iran is a moderate state dedicated to classical liberal ideals. Putin, meanwhile, represents a level of trustworthiness and decentralization of power that leaders of other democracies could learn a thing or two from.

The Middle East itself remains free of would-be hegemons among the various Arab states, and thankfully, there are few national enmities and jealousies. This gives sophisticated geopolitical thinkers strong confidence that their analyses will not be confounded by unforeseen events.

I consider the proliferation of nuclear fuel and centrifuge refinement facilities in countries such as Iran a boon to us all. I sleep safer knowing that future global risk of nuclear threats has just been substantially lowered.

[ronnie624]

7. Not me!

I feel like I might need to run around in circles screaming, waving my arms and pissing in my pants. After all, the mighty Iran, with its bloody history of invading and plundering all of those other countries, could attack us with its nuclear weapons at any moment.

I suggest we take cover.