tagged w/ Nuclear Programme
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The lawmakers adopted the bill in response to the latest round of sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme by the United Nations Security Council, the United States and the European Union.
Tehran: Iran's parliament approved a law yesterday calling on the government to retaliate against any countries that inspect the Islamic state's ships and aircraft or refuse to provide fuel to its aircraft as part of foreign sanctions, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The lawmakers adopted the bill in response to the latest round of sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme by the United Nations Security Council, the United States and the European Union.
The bill included no details of what form retaliation should take, and it was not immediately clear if it was more than a symbolic gesture of protest against the sanctions.
Uranium supply
The legislation also made the government responsible for supplying adequate amounts of 20 per cent enriched uranium for Iran's nuclear research reactors for medical, industrial and scientific use, Fars said.
The UN Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran on June 9 over its disputed nuclear programme, and the United States and the European Union have imposed additional sanctions of their own.
Major powers suspect Iran is using its nuclear programme to develop atomic weapons, but Tehran says it is enriching uranium only for electricity generation.
Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, told reporters in Geneva "If they want to act illegally and inspect Iran's ships, then we will retaliate."
Retaliation
Larijani, formerly Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, did not say how Iran would retaliate for searches of its ships for suspected nuclear-linked material.
In Brussels, the European Union diplomats said that the foreign ministers will adopt tighter sanctions against Iran next week, including measures to block oil and gas investment and curtail its refining and natural gas capability.
A draft declaration prepared for a meeting of EU foreign ministers showed they would approve a decision taken by EU leaders on June 17 to adopt further sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme, and also call on Iran to resume talks.
The measures, which go beyond steps approved by the United Nations on June 10, are designed to put pressure on Tehran to return to talks on its uranium enrichment programme which Western powers believe is designed to produce nuclear weapons.The lawmakers adopted the bill in response to the latest round of sanctions imposed on... more
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Iran's president has said it is ready to send its enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment under a deal to ease concerns about its nuclear programme.
LINK : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8494772.stmIran's president has said it is ready to send its enriched uranium abroad for... more
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Professor Muhammad Sahimi challenges assumptions about Iran's nuclear program.
"Iran wants to put itself in a position such that if an international crisis arises and there is an external threat to the national security of Iran, Iran can be in a position to make a nuclear weapon in an emergency as a deterrent against a foreign threat. Otherwise, Iran has no intention whatsoever of making a nuclear weapon, because Iranian leaders are fully aware that if they cross the line and somehow they make nuclear weapon, that will start a very bad nuclear arms race in the Middle East, which will ultimately will not be in Iran's benefit or in any body's benefit in that region."
Muhammad Sahimi is the NIOC Chair in petroleum engineering and professor of chemical engineering & materials science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In addition to his scientific research, which has resulted in over 270 published papers and five books, Muhammad has written extensively on Iran's political development and its nuclear program. In particular, Muhammad has concentrated on the legal and technical aspects of the dispute between Iran and the Western powers regarding Iran's nuclear energy program. He is a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an organization dedicated to making the public aware of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction, as well as polluting the environment.Professor Muhammad Sahimi challenges assumptions about Iran's nuclear program.... more
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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Iran's nuclear programme must be stopped by "all possible means". Speaking during a visit to Washington, he said Tehran must be made to see it would suffer devastating repercussions if it pursued atomic weapons.
The US and others have accused Iran of building a nuclear arms capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
"The Iranian threat must be stopped by all possible means," Mr Olmert said in his speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - a lobby group.
"The international community has a duty and responsibility to clarify to Iran, through drastic measures, that the repercussions of their continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will be devastating," he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said Iran's nuclear programme must be... more
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Iran's nuclear programme may start a "cascade of proliferation" that could end with a dozen countries in the Middle East possessing nuclear weapons, a new study says.
Thirteen countries across the Middle East have embarked on nuclear energy projects in the wake of Iran's decision to defy the United Nations by enriching uranium.
All of Iran's neighbours in the Gulf, with the sole exception of Iraq, have either revived old plans for nuclear power plants or compiled new proposals.
While all these projects are civilian - and no state has declared that nuclear weapons are the goal - the report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said the aim was to “provide a counter-balance to Iran” by “laying the ground for a possible future security hedge”. This could involve the development of nuclear weapons.
Iran has continued to enrich uranium in breach of four United Nations Resolutions, including three which have imposed economic sanctions on Tehran's regime.
This highly sensitive process, which Iran says is entirely peaceful, could be used to produce weapons-grade uranium: the essential material for a nuclear bomb.
The IISS believes that Iran is seeking a "nuclear-weapons capability" - and this has already triggered a reaction among its neighbours.
"The single most salient political factor, however, is Iran's development of dual-use nuclear technologies, which motivates at least some of its neighbours to seek fledgling nuclear capabilities of their own," said John Chipman, chief executive of the IISS.
"If Tehran's nuclear programme is unchecked, there is reason for concern that it could in time prompt a regional cascade of proliferation among Iran's neighbours. For some states, such as Saudi Arabia, an Iranian nuclear weapon would present a direct and dire threat."
Iran's nuclear programme may start a "cascade of proliferation" that... more
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kushan
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