From: Adam 

Phil Payne wrote:
>
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-04-1
9T004410Z_01_L17370115_RTRUKOC_0_US-NUCLEAR-IRAN.xml
>
> "The United States, which already enforces its own sweeping sanctions on
> Iran, wants the Security Council to be ready for strong diplomatic action,
> including measures such as a freeze on assets and visa curbs on Iranian
> officials."
>
> Actually the UN, being realists, realise that an Iranian bomb would help to
> stabilise the region.
>
> The fun bit is the US sanctions.  Wot - not going to buy any more Iranian
> oil?
>

It is humorous...

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=667765

"No sanctions are being considered in Washington against the Iranian
oil and natural gas sector, according to official report, because such
sanctions would predominantly affect the Iranian people. Analysts note that
such a step would further destabilize the oil market, where prices are at a
record high already."

Riiiiiight so it would be because it would "predominantly affect the
Iranian people"....not PRC people, EU people, US people etc as oil
headed north of 100 USD/b....

What I find odd (typical?) is the US still trying to push for some sort of
UNSC Chapter 7 declaration where Russia & PRC have already said no,
nyet etc.

The problem is that

(A) Iran has at least one mountain of uranium. (B) It has made lots of
hexafluoride gas (easy to hide). Enough (apparantly) for a number of bombs.
(C) Has obviously mastered centrifuges & again these can be made
locally
& then shoved into caves all over the place. How many P1 & P2 centriuges
has it made? Noone knows.......

so to recap :

1) It has an unknown but one might guess fairly high amount of UF6. 2) It
has an unknown number of P1 & P2 centrifuges. 3) Both 1 & 2 are
capable of being placed just about anywhere from a basement of a hospital
in downtown Tehran or down a remote mineshaft. 4) The bomb is 60 year old
tech & they got lots of docs from Mr Khan.

So all this "mil option" crap is just that. How much gas has
already been moved to unknown & thus safe places alongside an unknown
number of centrifuges? Chances are that natanz etc are curiously low on gas
stocks...

What I find particularly humorous is the way that the US & Iran are in
so many ways aligned....the US has got rid of 2 of Irans major enemies (the
Taleban & Saddam), they're fighting the 3'rd (AQ) & they've helped
Iran spread influence into Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon & Palestine.

What's more both are certain that being nuclear capable is a vitial part of
their national security.....

Gosh if only the Shah were still in charge....I mean now that iran is the
world's only F14 operator imagine the 2nd hand resale value of all those
ex-USN a/c......






Adam

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