[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20368030[/url]
[QUOTE]
[B]Iran is ready to double the output at its underground uranium enrichment facility, the UN nuclear watchdog says.[/B]
A leaked report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there were [B]2,784 centrifuges at Fordo, and that Iran could soon double the number operating from 700 to 1,400.[/B]
The development is likely to fuel Western suspicions that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Th[B]e government in Tehran insists the nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.[/B]
Talks this year about the uranium enrichment programme between Iran and the so-called P5+1 - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - have made little progress.
Bushehr fuel 'removed'
Iran's progress at Fordo was disclosed in a leaked report based on the findings of the IAEA's inspectors, who visit the facility regularly.
While the uranium enrichment plant is not yet fully operational - with only about 700 of the 3,000 centrifuges the facility is designed in use - experts say it could be within months.
[B]The IAEA report said four new cascades of 174 centrifuges each "having been subjected to vacuum testing, were ready for feeding" with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas.[/B]
Once the new cascades were in operation, monthly production of 20%-enriched (medium-enriched) uranium would be about 25kg (55lb) per month, compared with 15kg at present, one official said.
The facility at Fordo, which is buried deep under a mountain inside a military base near the holy city of Qom, is designed to contain 16 cascades producing medium-enriched uranium, which experts say could be enriched to about 90%, or weapons-grade, in a relatively short time.
The IAEA also revealed in its report that Iran had produced about 233kg (512lb) of higher-grade enriched uranium since 2010, an increase of 43kg since August.
Earlier this year, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) used 96kg of its supply of 20%-enriched uranium for conversion into fuel for its medical research reactor in Tehran. Experts say it would be difficult to turn the fuel into weapons-grade uranium.
Nuclear fuel had also been removed from the core of the nuclear reactor at Bushehr without a reason being given by Iran, the IAEA added.
The report also said that "extensive activities" at the Parchin military site had seriously undermined an investigation into indications that experiments related to nuclear weapons might have been carried out there. Iran is suspected of attempting to removing evidence.
Iran has denied that there are any nuclear-related activities at Parchin.
The IAEA's report concluded that the agency was [B]"unable... to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities".[/B]
[/QUOTE]
Woah... might want to change that title. I believe there's a big difference between the enrichment rate (say 10% to 20% enriched) as opposed to the quantity of fuel being produced. I suggest a variation of the first line of the BBC article.
'Iran is ready to double the [I]output[/I] at its underground uranium enrichment facility'
[QUOTE=scout1;38483795]Woah... might want to change that title. I believe there's a big difference between the enrichment rate (say 10% to 20% enriched) as opposed to the quantity of fuel being produced. I suggest a variation of the first line of the BBC article.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the heads up, changed it to output instead.
Good for Iran. Fight the power.
[QUOTE=Scrimp;38486487]Good for Iran. Fight the power.[/QUOTE]
Yea, go despotic authoritarian oppressive government go!
Don't see any problem here. So long as standard safety regulations are upheld to prevent any accidents then it's a good thing.
[QUOTE=entertainer89;38488048]Don't see any problem here. So long as standard safety regulations are upheld to prevent any accidents then it's a good thing.[/QUOTE]
"The facility at Fordo, which is buried deep under a mountain inside a military base near the holy city of Qom, is designed to contain 16 cascades producing medium-enriched uranium, which experts say could be enriched to about 90%, or weapons-grade, in a relatively short time."
[QUOTE=Thom12255;38486520]Yea, go despotic authoritarian oppressive government go![/QUOTE]
While Iran certainly has it's fair share of problems, maybe if the US hadn't gone out of it's way to irreversibly damage western relations with Iran in the 1970's/80's and put the nation on a crash course to being an authoritarian islamic government then this predicament wouldn't exist right now. Almost everybody is to blame for Iran's current state.
It seems awfully hypocritical and two-faced that most of the nations pressuring Iran to abandon it's nuclear program are also nations with large nuclear munition stockpiles. One would think they are uncomfortable with the idea that they might not be able to bomb the fuck out of Iran at their leisure. Because hey, why should you make a strong effort to be diplomatic and civilized when you can just inevitably fill Iran's collective anus with high ordnance if things aren't proceeding fast enough for you?
Honestly, Iran with nuclear weapons is probably just as reasonable a future as an Iran without nuclear weapons. At least if Iran has nuclear weapons then an actual effort may be made to reason with them. With an actual trump-card in their hand they might feel less disparity when dealing with diplomatic affairs, because as of right now they probably feel like the are in negotiations with nations who are pointing guns at them; because that really is the reality of the current situation. Maybe when they feel that they aren't going to be set upon at any moment, they actually might be willing to sit down at the negotiations table.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;38488116]"experts say could be enriched to about 90%, or weapons-grade, in a relatively short time."[/QUOTE]
Oh dear, they must totally want to make a nuke as fast as possible. Then use it on Israel so that they can be absolutely glassed into oblivion by every other super power. Iranian leaders would totally do that just to remove Israel from the map like they said that one time right?
Oh wait, come to think about it, maybe the Iranians know that using nukes would bring mutual destruction and don't want to have their whole country leveled.
Maybe junior high game theory doesn't work in real life and no nation should be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons when the goal is reduction of current stockpiles
"Fucking Palestinians are stealing our spotlight, we gotta do something"
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;38488813]Maybe junior high game theory doesn't work in real life and no nation should be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons when the goal is reduction of current stockpiles[/QUOTE]
That doesn't work when there are a couple of countries with thousands. No one is going to wait and say, 'I'll secede the diplomatic power a nuke brings just so you guys can reduce your stockpiles' while America is spreading democracy around the East. The governments there are saying 'fuck that' at the moment.
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