Nuclear Crisis

[Rasputin]

Hot and cold fusion

Iranian leaders must be scratching their heads at what on earth their ally Russia is up to.
On one hand, the Kremlin is in Iran's corner in opposing the "excessive" sanctions the UN security council is about to discuss, including a ban on arms sales to Tehran and the freezing of the assets of 28 individuals and organisations involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programmes.

These measures would come on top of limited sanctions imposed in December - penalties that were less harsh than the US, Britain and France had wanted because of opposition from Russia and China.

Yet Iran is irritated at Russia's recent decision to suspend work on the Bushehr nuclear reactor plant, in southern Iran, because of alleged delays in payments. Consequently, Russia has indefinitely postponed the reactor's launch, originally set for September.
Iran has denied falling behind in payments and has accused Russia of caving in to US pressure. Iranian state television yesterday described Russia as an "unreliable partner", adding: "It is clear that Russia has stopped construction of this plant under pressure and for political reasons."

The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has denied reports that Moscow has told Iran it would withhold nuclear fuel for the Russian-built nuclear plant unless Tehran complies with UN demands.

"There is no link whatsoever between the UN resolution ... and the implementation of the Bushehr project," Mr Lavrov today told representatives in the lower parliament house. Notwithstanding such denials, Iran must feel that the world is ganging up against it.

The US and its western allies may be in the dark about what exactly Russia is up to. One line of reasoning, contained in a recent New York Times article, is that the Russian atomic energy agency, Rosatom, is eager to burnish its credibility in the global nuclear energy market and sees its association with Iran as a liability.

Whatever the reasons for the rift between Tehran and Moscow, it will not make life easier for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, already under considerable pressure because of Iran's weak economy. With Iran feeling that Russia is casting its lot in with the US, Tehran's determination to pursue uranium enrichment has become that much harder.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

Negotiations at the United Nations over a resolution imposing further sanctions over Iran have been paused briefly.

Britain, France and the US want a vote on Saturday but Qatar, Indonesia and South Africa, members of the Security Council, have concerns.

President Ahmadinejad of Iran has been given a visa by the US government so he can be present for the vote.

The five permanent members of the security council and Germany proposed new sanctions against Iran last week.

Frozen assets

These include a ban on the export of arms from the country and freezing the financial assets of key individuals and institutions involved in Iran's nuclear programme.

PROPOSED SANCTIONS
Ban on Iranian arms exports
Call for end to new loans
Travel restrictions on people involved in Iran's programme
Freeze on the assets of key Iranian leaders
Iran given 60 days to halt enrichment or face further measures


Q&A: Iran nuclear row

But there are three members of the Security Council with objections.

Qatar and Indonesia want the resolution to call for a nuclear-free Middle East - meaning Israel should get rid of its nuclear weapons.

Russia has suggested some compromise language.

South Africa has called for major changes, most of which have been rejected.

However, diplomats say the idea of Russia enriching uranium for Iran has been included, an notion approved by South Africa.

The five permanent members of the Security Council would like this resolution to be passed unanimously.

This would send a stronger signal to Iran than if there is a divided Council.

The full Council meets again later on Friday with the possibility of a vote on Saturday.

The detention of the 15 British servicemen by Iran will only heighten the tension - the French ambassador described this as a "concerning development".

[Rasputin]

نوزدهمين اجلاس وزراى خارجه كشورهاى عربى امروز به رياست "سعود الفيصل" وزير امور خارجه عربستان سعودي، در محل "قصرالموتمرات" رياض آغاز شد.

در اين اجلاس قرار است تحولات منطقه*اى و جهان عرب از جمله بحران لبنان، اوضاع فلسطين، وضعيت امنيتى عراق، دارفور سودان، سومالى و نيز پرونده هسته*اى جمهورى اسلامى ايران مورد بحث و بررسى قرار گيرد.

در اجلاس وزراى خارجه كشورهاى عربى كه به مدت دو روز ادامه خواهد داشت، وزيران خارجه بيش از ۲۰كشور عربى حضور دارند.

در اين اجلاس دستور كار نشست سران اتحاديه عرب كه قرار است روز پنجشنبه در رياض آغاز به كار كند، تدوين مي*شود.

[Rasputin]

روساى جمهور چين و روسيه با درخواست براى حل و فصل مسالمت*آميز مساله هسته*يى ايران متعهد شدند كه رقابت تسليحاتى خود را در فضا متوقف كنند.


به گزارش خبرگزارى رويترز، هوجين*تائو، رييس*جمهور چين و ولاديمير پوتين همتاى روس وى روز دوشنبه در مسكو ديدار كردند.

در اين ديدار، سران دو كشور روسيه و چين طى يك بيانيه*ى مشترك اعلام كردند كه مشكل برنامه هسته*يى صلح*آميز ايران بايد منحصرا از طريق مسالمت*آميز و مذاكره حل شود.


پوتين در اين ديدار اظهار داشت: مي*خواهم با رضايت كامل تاكيد كنم كه مواضع روسيه و چين در تمامى مسائل مورد مذاكره يكسان است.

هوجين*تائو نيز گفت: ما توافق كرده*ايم كه همكارى استراتژيك بين چين و روسيه، اهميت بسيار زيادى براى امور بين*المللى از قبيل ايجاد يك جو مناسب، دموكراتيك*تركردن روابط بين*الملل و تضمين صلح جهانى دارد.

بر اساس اين گزارش در ديدار روز گذشته قرارداد چندان بزرگى بين دو كشور در زمينه انرژى به امضا نرسيد اما سران دو كشور متعهد شدند همكارى دوجانبه، استراتژيك و طولاني*مدت خود را در زمينه*ى انرژى افزايش دهند. دو طرف هم*چنين پروتكلى را در زمينه*ى افزايش انتقال نفت روسيه به چين امضا كردند.

هم*چنين در اين ديدار هوجين*تائو و پوتين درباره برنامه هسته*يى كره شمالى نيز بيانيه مشابهى را صادر كردند و اظهار داشتند كه براى حل مساله هسته*يى كره بايد يك راه حل كامل و جامع ارائه و اين مشكل از طريق ديپلماتيك و صلح*آميز حل و فصل شود.

[Rasputin]

دبير شوراى عالى امنيت ملى كشور دو روز پس از قطعنامه جديد شوراى امنيت سازمان ملل عليه ايران در گفت*وگوى تلفنى با خاوير سولانا، مسوول سياست خارجى اتحاديه*ى اروپا، صدور قطعنامه اخير شوراى امنيت را نشان*دهنده مسير اشتباه درپيش گرفته شده از سوى قدرت*هاى بزرگ دانست.

خاوير سولانا در گفت*وگوى تلفنى با لاريجانى تمايل بسيار زياد خود براى حل پرونده*ى هسته*اى ايران از طريق مذاكره را ابراز داشت.

براساس گزارش رويتر آنها همچنين بر سر انجام گفت*وگوهاى بيشتر در آينده نزديك توافق كردند.

در اين گفت*وگو لاريجانى به سولانا گفت كه قطعنامه*اى كه از سوى شوراى امنيت عليه ايران اعمال شد نشان داد كه قدرت*هاى بزرگ كه در پشت پرده*ى اين اقدام بوده*اند، در مسير صحيحى حركت نمي*كنند.

سولانا پس از انجام اين گفت*وگو اظهارداشت كه اواخر اين هفته مجددا با لاريجانى صحبت مي*كند تا شايد راه براى آغاز دوباره مسير مذاكرات هموار شود.

لاريجانى نيز گفت*وگوى خود با سولانا را"صريح و شفاف" توصيف كرد.

سولانا قبل از انجام اين گفت*وگوى تلفنى با لاريجانى تاكيد كرده*بود كه ايران كشورى مهم و براى اتحاديه اروپا شريكى ارزشمند است و اروپا خواهان گسترش روابط با ايران است.

وى افزود:"من حاضرم به نوبه خود هر كار ضرورى را انجام دهم و هرگز راه*حل*هاى سياسى را كنار نخواهم گذاشت."

[Nutcase]

Pentagon chief warns against "illusions" on Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday said the United States was open to high-level talks with Tehran, but warned against "illusions" about Iran's government and its intentions.

"We should have no illusions about the nature of this regime or about their designs for their nuclear program, their intentions for Iraq or their ambitions in the Gulf region," Gates said at a speech to the American-Turkish Council in Washington.


Tensions between Washington and Tehran are high and at risk of worsening with Iran's capture and continued detention of 15 military personnel from Britain, America's closest ally.


The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of fueling Sunni-Shi'ite violence in Iraq by providing arms and other support to Shi'ite militias. The United States and others also say Iran's nuclear energy program is being used as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.


Gates, who advocated U.S. dialogue with Iran before he took the Pentagon job in December, said talks this month in Baghdad that included U.S., Iranian and Syrian officials were "a good start" toward improving cooperation.


"Our government is open to high-level exchanges," he said.


"But in dealing with a regime like Iran one has to be realistic. The American search for elusive Iranian moderates is a recurring and mostly fruitless theme since the (Iranian) revolution in 1979."

[Rasputin]

Fear of U.S. attack behind IAEA cooperation limit: Iran

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's decision to stop giving early notice of nuclear development plans to the U.N. watchdog was prompted by fear the information would be used for a U.S. or Israeli attack, Tehran has told the monitoring agency.

In response, the International Atomic Energy Agency told Iran that its March 25 move to withhold details of any future nuclear activity violated a key part of its non-proliferation accords with the IAEA, and called on Tehran to reconsider.

The decision, which suspended a subsidiary deal agreed with the IAEA in 2003 to shore up Iran's nuclear safeguards agreement with the agency, was retaliation for widened U.N. sanctions imposed over an Iranian refusal to stop enriching uranium.

Iranian IAEA Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, in a letter to IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei obtained by Reuters, said Tehran was forced to shield nuclear plans from what he called constant threats by the United States and Israel -- both of which have mooted last-resort military action against Iran.

Soltanieh also cited what he called improper leaks to Western powers of confidential data from IAEA inspections of its nuclear installations, and what he termed U.N. efforts to deny its "inalienable right" to peaceful nuclear energy.

"As long as such threats of military action persist, Iran has no option but to protect its security through all means possible, including protection of information which can facilitate openly stated and aggressive military objectives of the war mongers," he wrote.

"At this stage therefore, such dangerous dissemination of sensitive information will have to be curtailed through steps which limit their scope and availability," he added.

Western powers suspect Iran's ultimate goal is to be able to build atom bombs. Tehran says its nuclear fuel program, still at research level but due to be ramped up to "industrial scale" enrichment of uranium, is meant only to generate electricity.

A letter replying to Soltanieh from IAEA external relations chief Vilmos Cserveny said Tehran's move departed from a 1992 IAEA measure providing for advance handover of nuclear design plans to enable an "effective implementation of safeguards."

"Iran's decision therefore is regrettable. I would urge your authorities to reconsider their decision," Cserveny wrote.

It was not clear whether this scale back of cooperation with the IAEA might warrant a special meeting of the its 35-nation Board of Governors to consider declaring Iran in non-compliance.

The board did so previously over Iran's concealment of sensitive enrichment research from the IAEA for 18 years until 2003 and stonewalling of subsequent agency investigations to determine whether the program is wholly peaceful or not.

Diplomats say Iran's withholding of nuclear design information from the IAEA could effectively free it to build back-up uranium enrichment facilities in secret for use if the United States were to bomb its flagship Natanz enrichment plant.

[abadani69]

مراسم بزرگداشت روزملي فن آوري هسته اي ايران امروز با حضور محمود احمدي نژاد درتاسيسات هسته اي نطنزبرگزار مي شود تا بدين وسيله رييس جمهوري به وعده خوددرخصوص اعلام خبرهاي خوش هسته اي وفا کند. پيش ازاين قراربود خبرهاي خوش هسته اي هنگام جشن هاي سالگردپيروزي انقلاب اعلام شود، اما این کار به دلايل نامعلومي به تعويق افتاد. در آن زمان گفته می شد خبرخوش هسته اي مربوط به نصب 3000 دستگاه سانتريفوژ درتاسيسات نطنز است، اما مقامات رسمي بعدا آن را تکذیب کردند.

اين در حالي است که روز چهارشنبه علي لاريجاني وخاويرسولانا تلفني با يکديگر گفت وگو کرده اند. به گفته يکي ازاعضاي شوراي امنيت ملي دراين گفت وگو علي لاريجاني برادامه برنامه هسته اي ايران تاکيد کرده وگفته است که ايران هيچ پيش شرطي براي گفت وگو برسربرنامه هسته اي خود رانمي پذيرد. سولانا ازلاريجاني دعوت کرده است تا بار ديگر مذاکرات هسته اي ازسرگرفته شود.

همزمان سخنگوي وزارت خارجه ايران ضمن تاکید بر اینکه احتمال حمله آمریکا واسراييل به تاسيسات هسته اي ايران بسياراندک و یک جنگ روانی است، از عدم تعليق غني سازي اورانيوم خبرداد. خبری که انعکاس زيادي درمطبوعات غربي داشت. هرالدتريبون در همین ارتباط به نقل ازمنابع محلي نوشته است که خبرهسته اي به احتمال زياد نصب موفقيت آميز 3000 دستگاه سانتريفوژ درتاسيسات زيرزميني هسته اي نطنز است.

سال گذشته، محمود احمدي نژاد رييس شوراي انقلاب فرهنگي، مصوبه اي را در اين شورا به تصويب رساند که درآن 20 فروردين به عنوان "روزملي فن آوري هسته اي" نامگذاري شد. دراين روزايران اعلام کرد که متخصصين ايراني موفق شده اند غني سازي اورانيوم را به ميزان 3.5 درصد به انجام رسانده وايران را وارد باشگاه هسته اي کنند. باشگاه هسته اي مجموعه معدودي ازکشورهاي جهان هستند که ازچرخه کامل سوخت اتمي برخوردارهستند.

مقامات دولتي ايران، ازبسياري ازسفراي خارجي وخبرنگاران داخلي وخارجي براي پوشش دادن مراسم امشب دعوت به عمل آورده اند. علاوه برآن گفته شده است که اين برنامه ازشبکه هاي صدا وسيما به صورت مستقيم پخش خواهد شد.


اظهارات مقامات ايران همزمان با گردش روسيه به سوی غرب، نگراني عمده اي را درخصوص ادامه همکاري با مسکو پديد آورده است. بیشتر اين نگراني ها پيرامون نيروگاه بوشهراست که پیشرفت کار آن طي چند ماه گذشته مطابق آنچه طرف روسي مي گويد به دليل عدم پرداخت پول متوقف شده است. مقامات ايراني ادعاهاي طرف روسي را رد کرده اند. حسيني سخنگوي وزارت خارجه ايران درباره سرنوشت همکاري روسيه با ايران درزمينه پرونده هسته اي گفته است: "در حال حاضر اختلاف خاصي ميان ايران و روسيه وجود ندارد؛ قرار است در خصوص اتمام اين پروژه در سفر هيات روسي به ايران مذاکراتی صورت گيرد. زمان راه*اندازي نيروگاه بوشهر به زودي اعلام خواهد شد."

برگزاري جشن هسته اي باتبليغات وسيعي ازسوي دستگاه هاي دولتي وشبه دولتي همراه بوده است. تجمع تشکل هاي دانشجويي نزديک به دولت همچون بسيج دانشجويي، ازجمله اين مراسم است. قراراست برنامه*هاي جشن، با تجمعات اعتراض*آميز و نشست*هاي علمي همراه باشد.

[Rasputin]

TEL AVIV -- Today -- April 9, the 20th day in the Persian month of Farvardin -- is Nuclear Day in Iran. It is expected that Ahmadinejad will make an announcement regarding progress made in Iran's quest to enrich uranium. This could be a lot of things. One of them is that Iran has managed to successfully install 3000 centrifuges. No one knows for sure.

What is certain is that Ahmadinejad needs to reinforce his position inside Iran, which has been weakened by the release of the soldiers. The decision to release the British soldiers was not his. It was made over his head by Ayatollah Khamenei.

At the very least, Ahmadinejad would have liked to have seen the British apologise for the recent spat, but he did not get that. To make matters worst, the timing of the announcement of the soldier's release has caused him further headaches and embarrassment, especially in front of reformists. On Tuesday April 3rd, Tony Blair said that "The next 48 hours will be fairly critical". Many in Iran interpreted that as an ultimatum. Right wing pro Ahmadinejad news agencies lambasted Tony Blair for acting like a "colonialist bully", and in stated that Iran does not give into threats and ultimatums, as proven by its nuclear program.

However they were shocked to see their president, the man who promised to stand up to the West, announce the release of the soldiers 24 hours after the "ultimatum" was issued. Ahmadinejad's announcement left them high and dry. Here they were, calling for the soldiers to be tried soon after they were arrested. Some of them called for the British soldiers to be imprisoned and even shot. Now all of a sudden they had to justify the actions of the President whose line they had so loyally defended. This was done reluctantly and grudgingly.

There is also Ali Larijani. His stock has been rising, both with Western governments with whom he negotiated during this affair, and Ayatollah Khamenei. It was him who consulted and convinced Ayatollah Khamenei that the soldiers should be released, before too much damage is done to Iran's position in the UN, and the IAEA. At the end, Khamenei listened to him, against Ahmadinejad's opinion and beliefs.

Ahmadinejad realizes this, and is looking to save face. Its bad enough that his popularity is falling with the people of Iran, over the last few days, the same has happened with some of his own supporters, and one could even say with Ayatollah Khamenei.

Nuclear day is a very timely opportunity for Ahmadinejad to make up for lost political ground. He will try to get as much out of the occasion as possible.

[Rasputin]

Iran can now produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale, President Ahmadinejad has announced, in a move likely to further strain tensions with the West
He gave no details of Iran's capacity, but some officials said 3,000 uranium gas enrichment centrifuges were running at the Natanz plant in central Iran.

Mr Ahmadinejad's speech came as Iran celebrated nuclear technology day.

Iran maintains its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, but the West fears it wants to build atomic bombs.

The UN has passed two packages of sanctions against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

A US spokesman said the White House was "very concerned" about the Iranian announcement.

"Iran continues to defy the international community and further isolate itself by expanding its nuclear programme, rather than suspending uranium enrichment," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

NPT warning

"With great honour, I declare that as of today our dear country has joined the nuclear club of nations and can produce nuclear fuel on an industrial scale," Mr Ahmadinejad told the audience at Natanz.

He did not say how many centrifuges - the machines that spin uranium gas in order to enrich it to levels needed for fuel - were now operational at Natanz.

Iran announced in February that it had set up two cascades of 164 centrifuges each at Natanz. It said it planned to have 3,000 centrifuges by the end of last month.

Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator with the West, said at Natanz on Monday that Iran had begun injecting gas into many of the centrifuges, without specifying the number.

Some other officials said 3,000 centrifuges had been installed, the BBC's Frances Harrison at Natanz reports.

The most sensitive areas at Natanz, deep underground, are thought to be halls that can hold up to 50,000 centrifuges.

The Iranian president again asserted his country's right to nuclear development for peaceful purposes.

And he also warned that Iran would have no choice but to review its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if further pressure was applied by the West.

Journalists and diplomats were invited to the special events taking place at Natanz, but European Union diplomats boycotted them in protest at Iran's refusal to comply with UN demands to end its uranium enrichment programme.

[abadani69]

[Rasputin]

دو بازرس آژانس بين*المللى انرژى اتمى يك روز پس از اعلام خبر خوش هسته*اى و به منظور بازديد از تاسيسات هسته*اى نطنز بامداد امروز سه*شنبه وارد تهران شدند.

اين دو بازرس آژانس بين*المللى انرژى اتمى كه يك هفته در كشورمان حضور دارند، قرار است از تاسيسات هسته*اى نطنز بازديد به عمل آورند. در سال جارى اين دومين مرتبه است كه بازرسان آژانس از تاسيسات ايران بازديد مى كنند.

[abadani69]

ايران اعلام کرده است "توليد صنعتي" سوخت هسته اي را، علي رغم کوشش هاي سازمان ملل در جلوگيري از اين کار، آغاز کرده است.

محمود احمدي نژاد، رئيس جمهوري ايران امروز هشدار داد که هيچ مقدار فشار بين المللي نمي تواند ايران را از رسيدن به "قله هاي" برنامه اتمي خود بازدارد.

وي در سخناني در يک مرکز صنعتي غني سازي اورانيوم در نطنز گفت: "امروز...اين کشور به کشورهاي توليد کننده سوخت هسته اي در مقياس صنعتي پيوسته است."

ايران در مخالفت با تحريم هاي سازمان ملل، غني سازي اورنيوم را با 3000 سانتريفوژ ادامه داده است و برنامه هسته اي خود را علي رغم محکوميت هاي غرب دنبال کرده است.

علي لاريجاني در برابر اين سوال که آيا ايران تزريق گاز به 3000 سانتريفوژ را آغاز کرده است، پاسخ داد : "آري".

وي در اين زمينه توضيح بيشتر نداد؛ اين اولين تائيد رسمي در اين زمينه پس از ماه ها به شمار مي آيد. ايران تا کنون تعداد 328 سانتريفوژ وارد عمل شده داشته است.

[abadani69]

ايران به پيشبرد برنامه هاي اتمي اش ادامه مي دهد. غلامرضا آقا زاده، مسئول برنامه هاي اتمي ايران، بعد از اينکه اعلام شد که برنامه اتمي ايران به مرحله صنعتي رسيده است، اعلام کرد که حالا هدف ايران، تصب پنجاه هزار سانتريفيوژ در مرکز نطنز است. اين تعداد بسيار زياد تر از 3000 سانتريفيوژي است که تا کنون از آنها صحبتي به ميان آمده بود.

منوچهر متکي، وزير امور خارجه ايران، اعلام کرد که تهران به هيچ عنوان تعليق برنامه هاي اتمي اش را قبول نمي کند و قدرت هاي جهان را تشويق کرد که اين "واقعيت جديد" را بپذيرند که برنامه غني سازي ايران به مرحله صنعتي رسيده است. اما روسيه، شريک ايران در پروژه هاي اتمي اين اظهارات پيروزمندانه را، با نگراني از برخورد اين برنامه ها با بازوي آهنين سازمان ملل، متوقف کرد.

ميخائيل کامينين، يکي از سخنگو هاي وزارت امور خارجه روسيه، گفت: "ما در جريان توسعه هاي فن آوري هاي اخير در حدي که ايران در برنامه هاي اتمي اش بتواند غني سازي اورانيوم را به اين حد برساند، نبوده ايم". اين سخنگو ي وزارت امور خارجه روسيه توصيه کرد که کشور هاي ديگر نسبت يه اين اظهارات که "بر پايه عواطف و احساساتي گرايي است و الزاما حقيقت ندارد"، واکنش نشان ندهند.

گفته شده است که ممکن است دو تن از بازرسان آژانس بين المللي انرژي اتمي براي روشن شدن حقيقت به ايران بيايند و در طول يک هفته، از تاسيسات نطنز بازرسي به عمل بياورند و در نتيجه از صحت اين خبر و اينکه چگونگي غني سازي اورانيوم که ايران مدعي آن است، اطلاعاتي بدست بياورند. در عين حال کميسيون اروپا ايران را تشويق کرد تا به "وظايفش" در چارچوب پيمان منع توليد سلاح اتمي، عمل کند.