Iran has successfully enriched uranium for the first time, a major development in its fuel cycle technology, according to former President Hashemi Rafsanjani.
This occurred 15 days before the expiration of the UN Security Council deadline for Iran to slam the brakes on its uranium enrichment program..so I guess you could call a fairly deliberate nose thumbing.
In an interview with the Kuwait news agency KUNA, Rafsanjani said a cascade of centrifuges had been operated at a facility in Natanz.
"We operated the first unit which comprises 164 centrifuges, gas was injected, and we got the industrial output," Rafsanjani was quoted as saying.
In a speech in Iran today, President Ahmadinejad added that Iran "will soon join the club of countries with nuclear technology."
Ahmadinejad also told the country to expect "good news" later today about the nuclear drive, amid reports the country has made key progress in uranium enrichment to make reactor fuel.
The comments by the Iranians came just before the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Mohammed ElBaradei(AKA Inspector Clouseau) was due to pay a lil' social call in Tehran this week for talks on the nuclear showdown....another example of excellent timing by the Iranians!
The West is going to have to figure out whether they really can live with the idea of Iran as part of `the Nuclear club.'
And soon.
I'll be posting more on the Iran situation a bit later.
No comments:
Post a Comment