Iran,  Iran Nuclear Watch

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Sets Up 328 Uranium Enrichment Centrifuges

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Students form a human chain around the Azadi (Freedom) Square to show support for Iran ‘s nuclear program in Tehran February 5, 2007. Iran will not suspend its uranium enrichment work as demanded by a U.N. sanctions resolution, the country’s top nuclear official said on Sunday in the latest statement of defiance from Tehran as a U.N. deadline looms. The words on the boys’ shirts read, ‘Making use of peaceful nuclear energy is our right’.

Reuters: Iran sets up 328 centrifuges at big atom site: sources

Iran has set up two cascades of 164 centrifuges each in its underground nuclear plant, laying a basis for full-scale enrichment of uranium and upping the stakes in a standoff with the West, European diplomats said on Monday.

The cascades were to be vacuum-tested shortly, without uranium feedstock inside, and fuel material would then be added if the trial runs were successful, they said.

The 328 centrifuges would be the vanguard of 3,000 planned for installation in the coming months.

Iran recently finished installing piping, electrical cables and other equipment needed to begin so-called “industrial-scale” enrichment in the vast subterranean complex, which is fortified and ringed by anti-aircraft guns in the central Iranian desert.

Firing up the cascades would dramatically sharpen Iran’s confrontation with Western powers that pushed through limited U.N. sanctions on Tehran six weeks ago to try to curb what they suspect is a disguised effort to assemble atomic bombs.

The Islamic Republic, the world’s No. 4 oil producer, says it wants solely civilian atomic energy from uranium enrichment.

Diplomats said the launch of the first two cascades may be the gist of Iran’s planned announcement of “significant” nuclear progress on February 11, when it crowns 10 days of celebrations marking the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran is ignoring United Nations Resolution 1737 – what a surprise!

NOT

And this is nothing but a first step in uranium enrichment.

“Two cascades have been installed in the underground plant, but they are not running yet,” said a European Union diplomat in Vienna, headquarters of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has inspectors at Natanz.

A diplomat from another EU country said the assembled cascades would be switched on shortly to run empty “to test the vacuum for a few days and then, if that is successful, UF6 (uranium feedstock gas) will be added.”

“The Iranians appear to intend to have about six cascades (about 1,000 centrifuges) installed by the spring, and the rest of the 3,000 by around June,” the first diplomat said.

Iran plans to rig up a total of 54,000 centrifuges at Natanz over the longer term.

Flap’s only question is, not if, but how long will it be before Israel and the United States bomb Iran’s nuclear facilitites?

Or will Israel and the United States allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon?

Stay tuned……..

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Iran Nuclear Watch: Chirac – OK If Iran Has One or Two Nukes?

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Iran Nuclear Watch:: Boasts of Nuclear Program Propaganda?

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Currently Installing 3,000 Uranium Enrichment Centrifuges

Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Continuing Uranium enrichment

The Iran Nuclear Files

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The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.


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