Iran begins processing 2nd batch of uranium; Bush and Putin meet

An interesting day in the Iran saga.

First off the Iran continues to defy the IAEA and the EU and said that it had started processing a second batch of uranium at its facility in Isfahan. This has essentially halted the `diplomacy' with the EU over the matter.The Hindu : International : Iran begins processing second batch of uranium Whoops.

It was also revealed today the the Iranians `just happened' to get technical blueprints for building nukes `from a black market source'. I guess that Iran bought the plans as a curiousity, since they continue to insist that they have no interst inbuilding nuclear weapons and that all that oil they're sitting on isn't sufficient for their energy needs!Iran should explain uranium documents: US - Sify.com


In a related story,President Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia had a sitdown that's been long overdue. The two met in South Korea and essentially went at it over Iran's nukes. They agreed- in theory- to `emphasize their cooperation on limiting Iran's nuclear program and sidestep differences over how to do it'. Yeah,that makes sense.


The latest brilliant proposal that Bush now backs involves Russia taking spent nuclear fuel from Iranian reactors back to Russia for reprocessing, to prevent it frombeing used to make nuclear weapons. As if the Iranians couldn't scam THAT arrangement and siphon off enough fuel..with or without Russian cooperation! Bloomberg.com: Top Worldwide

I don't know which is more pathetic...Putin actually putting this out with a straight face or President Bush apparently swallowing it. Bush appears to be disengaged from the threat of Iran going nuclear. I hope I'm wrong.

A subtext to all this, of course, is that Putin may be belatedly realizing that the mullahs have played him for real sucker and may be looking to worm himself back into Bush's good graces.

As the Freedom Fighter related before, Russia has been the key supplier and builder of Iran's nukes, including transporting ICBMs from North Korea to Iran through Russia..for a suitable commission, of course.J O S H U A P U N D I T: Russians Help Iran With Missile Threat to Israel, Europe And Russia, along withEgypt and the Saudis have also been protecting the Assad regime in Syria from any serious consequences for supporting and harboring the Iraqi terrorists which cross their border with impunity.

My thought on all this is that Putin felt he had made a deal with the Iranians for them to keep Islamic terrorists out of Chechnya and the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union in exchange for all that assistance. The recent mass attack on Nalchik by al Qaeda forces supplied and armed in Iran and made up of mostly local, radicalized Muslims might have a wake up call for ol' Vladimir.J O S H U A P U N D I T: Al Qaeda strikes in Nalchik, Russia

Im sure thatPutin burned up the wires to Teheran after that one, only to be told: "eh those crazy al Qaeda guys..what're you gonna do, eh? Oh about those navigational systems, Vlad..are they en route?"

Putin may just be starting to realize that he's playing with fire.