tagged w/ Nuclear Weapons
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TEHRAN—Amidst mounting geopolitical tensions, Iranian officials said Wednesday they were increasingly concerned about the United States of America's uranium-enrichment program, fearing the Western nation may soon be capable of producing its 8,500th nuclear weapon. "Our intelligence estimates indicate that, if it is allowed to progress with its aggressive nuclear program, the United States may soon possess its 8,500th atomic weapon capable of reaching Iran," said Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi, adding that Americans have the fuel, the facilities, and "everything they need" to manufacture even more weapons-grade fissile material. "Obviously, the prospect of this happening is very distressing to Iran and all countries like Iran. After all, the United States is a volatile nation that's proven it needs little provocation to attack anyone anywhere in the world whom it perceives to be a threat." Iranian intelligence experts also warned of the very real, and very frightening, possibility of the U.S. providing weapons and resources to a rogue third-party state such as Israel.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/iran-worried-us-might-be-building-8500th-nuclear-w,27325/TEHRAN—Amidst mounting geopolitical tensions, Iranian officials said Wednesday... more
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The Ayatollah ordered the entire nuclear project to be closed down because it was the work of the devil
Turning round a story is one of the most difficult tasks in journalism – and rarely more so than in the case of Iran. Iran, the dark revolutionary Islamist menace. Shia Iran, protector and manipulator of World Terror, of Syria and Lebanon and Hamas and Hezbollah. Ahmadinejad, the Mad Caliph. And, of course, Nuclear Iran, preparing to destroy Israel in a mushroom cloud of anti-Semitic hatred, ready to close the Strait of Hormuz – the moment the West's (or Israel's) forces attack.
Given the nature of the theocratic regime, the repulsive suppression of its post-election opponents in 2009, not to mention its massive pools of oil, every attempt to inject common sense into the story also has to carry a medical health warning: no, of course Iran is not a nice place. But ...
Let's take the Israeli version which, despite constant proof that Israel's intelligence services are about as efficient as Syria's, goes on being trumpeted by its friends in the West, none more subservient than Western journalists. The Israeli President warns us now that Iran is on the cusp of producing a nuclear weapon. Heaven preserve us. Yet we reporters do not mention that Shimon Peres, as Israeli Prime Minister, said exactly the same thing in 1996. That was 16 years ago. And we do not recall that the current Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in 1992 that Iran would have a nuclear bomb by 1999. That would be 13 years ago. Same old story.
In fact, we don't know that Iran really is building a nuclear weapon. And after Iraq, it's amazing that the old weapons of mass destruction details are popping with the same frequency as all the poppycock about Saddam's titanic arsenal. Not to mention the date problem. When did all this start? The Shah. The old boy wanted nuclear power. He even said he wanted a bomb because "the US and the Soviet Union had nuclear bombs" and no one objected. Europeans rushed to supply the dictator's wish. Siemens – not Russia – built the Bushehr nuclear facility.
And when Ayatollah Khomeini, Scourge of the West, Apostle of Shia Revolution, etc, took over Iran in 1979, he ordered the entire nuclear project to be closed down because it was "the work of the Devil". Only when Saddam invaded Iran – with our Western encouragement – and started using poison gas against the Iranians (chemical components arriving from the West, of course) was Khomeini persuaded to reopen it.
(click on the link for the complete article)The Ayatollah ordered the entire nuclear project to be closed down because it was the... more
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No sane person, especially someone who has had access to the elementary knowledge acquired in primary school, would agree that our species, especially those who are children, teenagers or youth, should be deprived of the right to live, today, tomorrow and forever. Never have human beings, throughout their eventful history, as persons endowed with intelligence, ever heard of an experience like that. I feel the duty to convey to those taking the trouble to read these Reflections the opinion that all of us, with no exception, are obliged to create awareness about the risks that humankind are running in an inexorable manner, towards a final and total catastrophe as the consequence of irresponsible decisions made by politicians who fate, rather than talent or merit, has placed the destiny of humankind in their hands. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/section-table/43040-genocidal-cynicism-by-fidel-castro-ruzNo sane person, especially someone who has had access to the elementary knowledge... more
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Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its much-trailed report ‘presenting new evidence’, said the BBC, ‘suggesting that Iran is secretly working to obtain a nuclear weapon.’ Relying on ‘evidence provided by more than 10 member states as well as its own information’, the IAEA said Iran had carried out activities ‘relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device’. Indeed, informed scepticism in the corporate media has been muted or non-existent - the image of Iran as a ‘nuclear threat’ has yet again been imposed on the public mind. Any reasonable news reader and viewer would find it extremely difficult to question the emphatic declarations offered right across the media ‘spectrum’. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/43028-the-iaea-iranEarlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released its... more
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The economic benefits that nuclear weapons projects bring to a state are negligible. Russ Wellen at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.The economic benefits that nuclear weapons projects bring to a state are negligible.... more
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Iran's need for uranium to treat its cancer patients with radiation provides a diplomatic opening in its nuclear program. Russ Wellen at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.Iran's need for uranium to treat its cancer patients with radiation provides a... more
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By DANA LIEBELSON
Dr. Strangelove fans had an exciting news cycle last week, with the release of two new reports that focus on the bomb (and tangentially, one on nuclear energy oversight.) First, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded the U.S. has no reliable way to track uranium and plutonium shipped to more than two dozen countries. Then Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Air Force is overstating the number of nuclear arsenals in service. Finally, the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) released a report asking for immediate reevaluation of the risks posed by earthquakes and floods to reactors. So put on your cowboy hat, here’s a closer look at these reports.
The U.S. has shipped 17,500 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium—material
that could potentially be used for weapons—to 27 countries with which it has peaceful nuclear cooperation agreements. According to the GAO report, the U.S. can only verify the location of about 1,160 kilograms of this material. Call me crazy, but it seems like a bad idea to track nuclear weapons material like Halloween candy.
The GAO report also reveals that the agencies (NRC, Department of State and the Department of Energy) responsible for visiting countries holding the highest proliferation risk quantities of U.S. nuclear material have not done so. In fact, of the 55 visits made between 1994 and 2010, countries only met international security guidelines about half the time.
“This could be a major violation of America’s international treaty obligations” wrote Adam Weinstein, Mother Jones’ national security reporter.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the Air Force claims that it has 555 ‘Minuteman IIIs,’ which are land-based intercontinental nuclear missiles. However, according to congressional investigators and Air Force documents, 105 of these missiles are disassembled. Several officials pointed to this discrepancy as evidence of a lack of accountability.
Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware) told Bloomberg, “If the Air Force accounting and inventory systems can't accurately count the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles in its possession, it's fair to question whether the Air Force and other military services can count other, more common and more numerous assets.”
The NRC also released a report last week requesting immediate reviews of seismic and flooding risks at 104 nuclear reactors throughout the country. This report comes about in response to the catastrophic Japan earthquake—and also last month’s East coast quake, which knocked over a couple chairs.
According to the report, knowledge of seismic hazards in the U.S. has evolved to the point where it’s time to reevaluate the designs of existing nuclear power reactors to ensure safety standards are met. Additionally, some plants still rely on “temporary flood mitigation measures”—like sandbagging.
The NRC recommends that their recommendations for regulatory actions be initiated “without delay.” Whether this will actually happen remains to be seen: as POGO’s executive director, Danielle Brian wrote recently: “regulators have been knowingly giving a pass to nuclear operators on 'seismic qualification' - i.e. earthquake preparedness - for years.”
Perhaps these kinds of reports would fly with Dr. Strangelove after all—he did say, “the whole point of the Doomsday Machine is lost if you keep it a secret.” Hopefully he was also referring to nuclear transparency—in war and energy.
Dana Liebelson is POGO's Beth Daley Impact Fellow.By DANA LIEBELSON
Dr. Strangelove fans had an exciting news cycle last week, with... more
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Eliminating nuclear weapons is the democratic wish of the world’s people. Yet no nuclear-armed country currently appears to be preparing for a future without these terrifying devicesEliminating nuclear weapons is the democratic wish of the world’s people. Yet no... more
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So let me get this straight. The US gives Israel $3 billion per year for no apparent reason, plus free weapons, loan guarantees and God knows what else, totalling to about $30 billion per year, and in return, we get sent their nuclear waste. OK.
The Dimona reactor is where Israel's undeclared, nuclear weapons of mass distruction are stored. Dimona has not been inspected by the IAEA.
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Israel has returned hundred of kilograms of nuclear waste from its nuclear reactor in Nahal Sorek to the U.S., the head of Israel's Nuclear Energy Commission Dr Shaul Horev revealed on Monday.
Speaking at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ministerial conference on nuclear safety in Vienna, Horev did not specify the exact amount of waste that had been returned, but according to estimates, Israel has sent back at least hundreds of kilograms' of 93% enriched uranium, which was used to power the Sorek reactor.
The operation took place after Israel's Nuclear Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy signed an agreement for the return of the nuclear waste over a year and a half ago. After the agreement was signed, an American ship collected nuclear waste from both Israel and Turkey.
The Sorek research reactor is a small five megawatt facility that was donated to Israel by the U.S. within the framework of former president David Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program. Israel also received 93% enriched uranium to fuel the reactor. The reactor has remained under IAEA supervision for years.So let me get this straight. The US gives Israel $3 billion per year for no apparent... more
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Earthquake concerns not only also exist for U.S. nuclear energy plants, but for nuclear-weapons facilities too. Imagine if a plant that produces a nuclear weapon's pit, in which the chain reaction occurs, were rocked by an earthquake?Earthquake concerns not only also exist for U.S. nuclear energy plants, but for... more
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Earthquake concerns not only also exist for U.S. nuclear energy plants, but for nuclear-weapons facilities too. Imagine if a plant that produces a nuclear weapon's pit, in which the chain reaction occurs, were rocked by an earthquake?Earthquake concerns not only also exist for U.S. nuclear energy plants, but for... more
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Imagine disarmament and nonproliferation talks in which states with more nuclear weapons make other states pay a price for having fewer. Russ Wellen at Scholars & Rogues.Imagine disarmament and nonproliferation talks in which states with more nuclear... more
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Like the Fukushima reactors, U.S. nuclear labs lie on faults. Russ Wellen at Scholars & Rogues.Like the Fukushima reactors, U.S. nuclear labs lie on faults. Russ Wellen at Scholars... more
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President Obama Sits Down For One-On-One With Action 7 News.
Congress is looking for ways to cut the federal budget and House Republicans have showed interest in slashing nuclear weapons spending. The move could affect the 20,000 employees at New Mexico’s two research labs.
Obama said Japan’s hardships are a reminder that the work at these facilities should not be scaled back.
“One of the things that 'it' reminds us of is that the safety and the constant monitoring and oversight that we're providing to our nuclear facilities here in the United States has to be maintained,” Obama said.
The president said the money is there.
“We have a budget for it. I've already instructed our Nuclear Regulatory Agency to make sure that we take lessons learned from what's happened in Japan and that we are constantly upgrading how we approach our nuclear safety in our country,” Obama said.
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So while Obama wants to increase funding for new nuclear warhead development to record levels, the republicans want the increases to be slightly scaled back!?
I don't think Obama is drawing the right conclusions from the disaster in Japan. An additional plutonium factory to increase our "safety" is ridiculous.
Interesting when asked by her co-anchor how she was able to get the exclusive interview with Obama, KOAT's Royale Da responded, in part:
"KOAT reaches a very specific Southwest audience , and it appears.... that that is an audience the president has an interest in speaking directly to."
So in other words KOAT (and others) act as propaganda outlets for the nuclear weapons labs and associated corporate interests?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TECgnIce-aM/TYdmbaXoSmI/AAAAAAAADvQ/3gWrMAoTgCg/s1600/image006.jpgPresident Obama Sits Down For One-On-One With Action 7 News.
Congress is looking... more
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