| Author | Message | | Alpha | | Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:12 am Post subject: JINSA Zionist Extremist Still after Iran for Israel |
| http://www.nowarforisrael.com
U.S.: Iran Preparing to Make Nuke Weapons
By BARRY SCHWEID
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Raising new alarms about Iran, the Bush administration concluded Wednesday that the country is getting ready to produce enough enriched uranium for four nuclear weapons.
Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, the administration's point man on nuclear proliferation threats, said ``we view with great concern'' revelations in a classified report circulated among member governments by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran is about to convert 37 tons of ``yellowcake'' uranium into uranium hexafluoride gas.
Bolton said that move combined with Iran's recent announcement that it intends to test its gas centrifuges ``are further strong evidence of the compelling need to take Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council.''
Uranium hexafluoride is spun in centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, which in turn can be used to generate power or make nuclear warheads, depending on the degree of enrichment.
The United States will continue to urge other members of the U.N. agency's board of governors ``to join with us in this effort to deal with the Iranian threat to international peace and security,'' Bolton said.
Another senior Bush administration official said after Bolton left for talks in Europe that Iran was positioning itself to produce 220 pounds of enriched uranium, enough for four nuclear weapons.
``You are talking serious business here,'' the official said in an interview in which his identity was withheld. Despite denials by Iran, he said the United States remained convinced that Iran was proceeding to develop nuclear weapons.
However, while Bolton indicated the Bush administration might move unilaterally to try to impose economic or other U.N. sanctions on Iran, there was little likelihood of such a move at least until after the IAEA board holds its next scheduled meeting in Vienna, Austria, beginning Sept. 13.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign criticized the Bush administration for going to war against Iraq on what it called discredited grounds instead of acting sooner to marshal U.S. allies to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The IAEA report shows ``a leading state sponsor of terrorism is yet another step closer to nuclear weapons capability,'' said Susan Rice, Kerry's senior national security adviser. ``Yet the Bush administration has stood on the sidelines while this nuclear program has advanced. ... It is past time for this administration to develop a tough and effective strategy for dealing with Iran.''
U.N. inspectors have been looking for evidence that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program. Such a finding could be critical to the Bush administration's effort to gain support from the other 34 members of the agency to seek U.N. Security Council action.
Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, said the report being circulated by the IAEA ``continues to document the fact that through the past 18 years Iran has amassed a record of deception and denial about its nuclear activities.''
``It will be up to the board to decide what the next steps are,'' Casey said.
Many of the questions the IAEA has about Iran's activities are outlined in its sixth and latest report, the spokesman said as he accused Iran of violating pledges to refrain from proliferation of nuclear technology and to ``come clean'' with the IAEA about its activities.
Henry Sokolski, a former Pentagon official who heads a private proliferation research group, said after reading the report that ``we need to be backing the inspectors by putting much more pressure on Pakistan.''
That is, Sokolski said in a telephone interview, Pakistan should clarify how much of the enriched uranium found in Iran came from Pakistan and how much was illicitly made by Iran.
Also, he said, ``the problem with the IAEA isn't the inspectors, it is getting the board to confirm what the inspectors have found.''
09/01/04 23:15 EDT | |  | | Alpha | | Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 5:12 am Post subject: U.S. Plans to Seek Sanctions Against Iran |
| Updated: 01:44 AM EDT
U.S. Plans to Seek Sanctions Against Iran
By GEORGE GEDDA, AP
WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell says the United States plans to press for a range of possible U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran in response to what he describes as a concerted effort by that country to develop nuclear weapons.
Powell told reporters Wednesday night the United States will urge the United Nations' nuclear watchdog group on Sept. 13 in Vienna to refer the Iranian case to the U.N. Security Council for action.
"We're looking at the range of possible actions of a political, economic, diplomatic nature," Powell said.
He commented while flying home from Panama after attending the inauguration of Panamanian President Martin Torrijos.
In Vienna, the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency said earlier Wednesday that Iran plans to process tons of raw uranium and restart its centrifuges - two activities that could be used to make nuclear warheads.
U.S. diplomats at the meeting said the revelations provided further evidence that Iran's activities pose "a threat to international peace and security."
"Unless there are assurances that the international community can count on, I think it's appropriate that it (the Iran issue) be referred to the Security Council," Powell said.
He said it remains to be seen whether there is a consensus to do that now.
Diplomats said the IAEA report on Iran with the new disclosures was based on information provided by Iran's government. Iran insists its nuclear program is devoted to the peaceful generation of electricity.
Earlier Wednesday, Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, the administration's point man on nuclear proliferation threats, said, "We view with great concern" revelations in the IAEA report that Iran is about to convert 37 tons of yellow cake uranium into uranium hexafluoride gas.
Uranium hexafluoride is spun in centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, which in turn can be used to generate power or make nuclear warheads, depending on the degree of enrichment.
The United States will continue to urge other members of the U.N. agency's board of governors "to join with us in this effort to deal with the Iranian threat to international peace and security," Bolton said.
Another senior Bush administration official, in an interview in which his identity was withheld, said Iran was positioning itself to produce 220 pounds of enriched uranium, enough for four nuclear weapons.
U.N. inspectors have been looking for evidence that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program. Such a finding could be critical to the Bush administration's effort to gain support from the other 34 members of the agency to seek U.N. Security Council action.
Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman, said the report being circulated by the IAEA "continues to document the fact that through the past 18 years Iran has amassed a record of deception and denial about its nuclear activities."
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign criticized the Bush administration for going to war against Iraq on what it called discredited grounds instead of acting sooner to marshal U.S. allies to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The IAEA report shows "a leading state sponsor of terrorism is yet another step closer to nuclear weapons capability," said Susan Rice, Kerry's senior national security adviser. "Yet the Bush administration has stood on the sidelines while this nuclear program has advanced. ... It is past time for this administration to develop a tough and effective strategy for dealing with Iran."
09/02/04 01:42 EDT | | | | Alpha | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
