Iran may still be seeking nuclear bomb: British diplomat

Iran may not have ended efforts to develop a nuclear weapon, despite a US intelligence report that Tehran shelved its atomic arms plans in 2003, a senior British diplomat was quoted as saying Thursday.The diplomat, cited by British newspapers, questioned the US National Intelligence Estimate, which caused surprise last year by saying that Iran's atomic goals had been exaggerated.

"Many of us were surprised by how emphatic the writers of it were. That all the activities stopped in 2003 and had not resumed," said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"I haven't seen any intelligence that gives me even medium confidence that these programmes haven't resumed. So we just don't know," he added, cited by the Independent and Guardian dailies.

The US intelligence report released in December said Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, although it cautioned that the Islamic republic could be able to make a nuclear weapon sometime between 2010 and 2015.The assessment was seen by some as weakening the justification for military strikes against Iran, although US President George W. Bush refused to rule out an attack and vowed to step up pressure on Tehran despite the report.The British diplomat said the US report "had an impact on the international debate, but I don't think it ever took the military option off the table," adding that the Iranians "continue to pursue a dangerous path.

Iran was searched in 2003 and showed no sign of continuing their missile dovelorment program. Britan still dosn't belive Iran and is not quite done searching Iran. This shows that the U.S. isn't the only country trying to keep Iran from makeing missils.

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Faster centrifuges

Iran's nuclear project has developed its own version of an advanced centrifuge to churn out enriched uranium much faster than its previous machines, diplomats and experts said Thursday.They said that few of the IR-2 centrifuges were operating and that testing appeared to be in an early phase, with the new machines rotating without processing any uranium gas.


More significant, the officials said, is the fact that Iran appears to have used know-how and equipment bought on the nuclear black market in combination with domestic ingenuity to overcome daunting technical difficulties and create highly advanced centrifuges.



Iran's uranium enrichment work has raised concerns in Washington and other Western capitals because it can produce the radioactive material needed for nuclear bombs. Tehran says it is only pursuing lower-level enrichment to make fuel for atomic reactors that will generate electricity.
Iran is under two sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which it started developing during nearly two decades of covert nuclear activity built on illicit purchases and revealed only five years ago.



Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency's chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, was given new information on Iran's "new generation of centrifuges" during talks in Tehran — a priority as the agency tries to establish how far along Iran is in developing the technology.



This story shows how Iran is trying to speed up the atomic reactors that the are trying to build. They are also doing this at the same time as their test launch of a rocket. These new centrifuges have been created with the ability to spin and make a warhead in less than a year.



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Iran's FM questions UN resolution

Manouchehr Mottaki has urged major world powers to exercise restraint over a new UN resolution aimed at tightening sanctions against Iran.
The Iranian foreign minister said the timing of the request that the UN Security Council consider a new draft resolution was "strange".
Mr Mottaki was speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He said the push for the new resolution looked like an exercise in influencing public opinion.

Mr Mottaki was no more encouraging on the prospects of improved relations with the United states.
"Definitely, if we see correction of their position, the reaction and the answer from the Iranian side also will be positive," he said. "But we do not see yet such positive and constructive approach from American side."
The Davos Economic Forum is often used by global leaders to lobby for international support.

Iran is still tring to get support of other supper powers to get to UN to not tightening sanctions against Iran. The Irannians only have Russia right now and are not expecting to gain suppport from the USA.

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Iran Develops Missiles at Increased Rate

The head of the United States' missile defense program sought Wednesday to bolster Washington's argument for anti-missile sites in Europe by warning that Iran has sped up development of long-range missiles.


Facing tough opposition from Russia and increased skepticism from Poland, where the U.S. wants to place part of the missile defense system, U.S. officials are trying to convince the Europeans that program is crucial to guarding against an emerging threat from Iran.


They are developing missiles today in an
accelerated pace," Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said at the Foreign Ministry in the Czech Republic, one of the two European sites Washington has in mind.

Iran recently announced that it has manufactured a new missile — the Ashoura —with a range of 1,200 miles, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.

The United States' missile defense program, in fear of Iran's most recent developments, is arguing for European anti-missile sights. This article provides yet another example of the hostility that exists between Iran and the United States; due to the increasing tension, the U.S. is now trying to involve European countries in the strict surveillance of Iran.

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