[VooDoo Chile]

~Discuss~

Iran responds to nuclear proposalOctober 29, 2009 10:26 a.m. EDT

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has sent an "initial response" to a proposal designed to break the deadlock over its nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday.

The IAEA did not say what Iran's response was.

The deal could reduce the amount of material Iran has to make a nuclear bomb. The United States and its allies fear Tehran's goal is to make a bomb. Iran denies it.

Under the proposal, Iran would send low-enriched uranium abroad to be turned into material for use in medical research and treatment at a reactor in Tehran.

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a rare conciliatory note Thursday, saying that the Islamic republic was ready for nuclear cooperation with Western powers.

Ahmadinejad, speaking to crowds in the northeastern city of Mashhad, said the West has gone from "confrontation to cooperation," according to state-run Press TV, and praised the IAEA as "playing a genuine role."

"One, they told us to stop (nuclear work,)" he said. "Now they express readiness to cooperate with us in exchange of fuel, expansion of the technology and construction of power plants and atomic reactors."

He said his nation is ready to talk with the United States and its allies in developing Iran's nuclear program, and he described a current draft proposal as a "victory" for Iran.

A formal response to the proposal is expected from Tehran on Friday. If accepted, it could help quell the international showdown over Iran's nuclear activities.

That deal, brokered earlier this month at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, would send low-enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment and then return it to Iran for use in medical research and treatment at a reactor in Tehran. And, Ahmadinejad said, getting fuel for the Tehran reactor would provide an opportunity to determine the "honesty" of the IAEA and the countries involved in the negotiations.

"We welcome the exchange of fuel, technical cooperation and construction of power plants and reactors and we are prepared to cooperate (in those areas)," he said.

Iran shocked the world in September by revealing the existence of a previously unknown nuclear plant near the city of Qom.

The IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, sent a team of inspectors for a four-day visit to that facility, Press TV said. It said the inspectors "have expressed satisfaction with their mission."

Iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of theU.N. Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany, to further discuss the nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad also said that Iran expected countries who are parties to the talks to "fulfill their previous obligations."

"We have nuclear contracts. It has been 30 years. We have paid for them .. such agreements must be fulfilled ... for technical activities, for reactors and power plants. If we intend to cooperate, such contracts must be addressed and the previous commitments must be fulfilled."

Iranian lawmaker Hossein Ebrahimi told the semi-official Mehr News Agency on Wednesday that nuclear talks between Iran and Western powers have greatly improved.

"Current international circumstances suggest that the atmosphere of distrust in the ongoing nuclear talks is diminishing," said Ebrahimi, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

He said the IAEA-brokered proposal would be beneficial "because Iran's right to produce enriched uranium would be recognized."

"If we choose this option, we can continue enrichment and gradually increase our ability to produce uranium that is more enriched to supply our power plants and reactors in the future," Ebrahimi added.

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

I keep waiting to hear about the suspicious "accident" there. Not that it has happened or that I telepathically channeled it from the "head conspirator", just seems par for the course.

[contract.dude]

tooweird--

what are you talking about? what accident...

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

Originally Posted by tooweirdtolivetooraretodie

Not that it has happened

Prediction, not a report.
Not even completely serious. I imagine with the amount of oversight and scrutiny they will be under. It would be hard for any misdeeds, on either side, for awhile anyway.

[emon_man06]

This deal wont ever go through They say there getting closer all the time and Irans just leading them on

[contract.dude]

Originally Posted by emon_man06

This deal wont ever go through They say there getting closer all the time and Irans just leading them on

i agree, They are stalling and we will play along. north Korea is great at this stuff also.. the what can i get from you approach works great for other countries.. to bad for us

[BrattonBasher]

This whole notion that we can control a technology that we invented in the 1940's is flawed. Not that I want other countries to make nukes. Iran has never told the truth so I do not expect them to start now. What we have here is a shitty situation, and one that will become horrific if we decide to attack Iran IMHO.

[contract.dude]

let china have them, Afghanistan and Pakistan in trade for our debt we owe them...

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

China and Pakistan already have fully operational nuclear weapons and power plants. What Iran has that North Korea does not, is an abundance of highly educated people and funding. North Korea does have a fairly standard practice of making threats every time they need some more aid. Iran has plenty of funding and isn't making threats, it's reacting to them.
Possible war with Iran would require more soldiers than we currently have. Though it would seem, that problem is already being worked out. I still think it would be more convenient and cost effective for them to have an accident at the nuclear site. Depending on the size of the problem, materials on hand and prevailing winds, it could completely eliminate any significant resistance.
We would be free to change their hearts and minds the same way it's done here. Poisonous and perception altering food additives, combined with an onslaught of degenerate and mind numbing media. All in the form of aid packages.
Damn, maybe I chose the wrong m.o.s. ?

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

This whole notion that we can control a technology that we invented in the 1940's is flawed. Not that I want other countries to make nukes. Iran has never told the truth so I do not expect them to start now. What we have here is a shitty situation, and one that will become horrific if we decide to attack Iran IMHO.

Very sad and very true. We let the genie out of the bottle and will share the blame of any nuclear attacks, in histories hindsight. Regardless of what we do or don't do to prevent it.

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by tooweirdtolivetooraretodie

Very sad and very true. We let the genie out of the bottle and will share the blame of any nuclear attacks, in histories hindsight. Regardless of what we do or don't do to prevent it.

I agree. And the Neocon battle cry that we can't allow other countries to get what we have had for decades, and that it's worth going to war over is ridiculous IMHO. The reality is that over the next several years many nations will acquire or develop nukes. How is anyone going to stop Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Venezuela for example?

[tooweirdtolivetooraretodie]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

I agree. And the Neocon battle cry that we can't allow other countries to get what we have had for decades, and that it's worth going to war over is ridiculous IMHO. The reality is that over the next several years many nations will acquire or develop nukes. How is anyone going to stop Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Venezuela for example?

Neocon.......eh, maybe? I tend to think it's just the same greed, power and control games that have been in play since long before the current political structure was even dreamed of. Look at all the trouble we go through to keep countries with an exploitable amount oil either under our control or in fear of our retribution. Imagine how futile that would all become if overnight, all these little countries had a cheap and near limitless supply of energy? Or (deity of choice here) forbid, one of these f'ers, who tend to be pretty resourceful and motivated, learn enough about fusion to get cold fusion, BEFORE US! Utterly catastrophic, I can just see all my chevrontexaco stock dropping into a bottomless abyss in less than a year. Too much power to be lost to let it go without a fight.

Not that I wouldn't be ok with my loss for that greater good. Though in all fairness, my losses would be small compared to the people who run the energy companies.

[emon_man06]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

I agree. And the Neocon battle cry that we can't allow other countries to get what we have had for decades, and that it's worth going to war over is ridiculous IMHO. The reality is that over the next several years many nations will acquire or develop nukes. How is anyone going to stop Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Venezuela for example?

Well we have made contracts to not use them. And from what i heard we're not even making them anymore. Allowing other countries specially Iran to get these weapons would be horrible for the world, theres no telling who they'd give em to.... They already supply terrorist groups with enough weapons

[BrattonBasher]

Originally Posted by emon_man06

Well we have made contracts to not use them. And from what i heard we're not even making them anymore. Allowing other countries specially Iran to get these weapons would be horrible for the world, theres no telling who they'd give em to.... They already supply terrorist groups with enough weapons

What do you mean "allowing"? Do you think it's worth going into a horrific and destructive war over Iran developing nukes?

[contract.dude]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

I agree. And the Neocon battle cry that we can't allow other countries to get what we have had for decades, and that it's worth going to war over is ridiculous IMHO. The reality is that over the next several years many nations will acquire or develop nukes. How is anyone going to stop Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Venezuela for example?

was bill clinton a neocon?

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by BrattonBasher

I agree. And the Neocon battle cry that we can't allow other countries to get what we have had for decades, and that it's worth going to war over is ridiculous IMHO. The reality is that over the next several years many nations will acquire or develop nukes. How is anyone going to stop Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Venezuela for example?

South Africa already voluntarily gave up their nuclear weapons program. They're one of the only nations to do so.

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by contract.dude

was bill clinton a neocon?

He has a bit of a neocon streak, but I wouldn't diagnose him with full blown neoconitis or anything.

[VooDoo Chile]

We discussed how the events described in the following article may impact the situation with Iran during today's class. The teacher was pretty stoked about this and he got me stoked, too. Anyone wanna say how or why they think this may effect Iran's nuclear program?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and United Arab Emirates are finalizing a landmark nuclear power cooperation agreement now that Congress has given its tacit approval, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

"We are entering into the final stages of efforts to bring the proposed agreement into force," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.

The pact, which President Barack Obama approved in May and sent to Congress for a 90-day review period, is potentially worth billions of dollars to General Electric Co and Westinghouse Electric, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp.

The UAE was the third-largest oil exporter in 2007. But it is planning to build a number of nuclear reactors to meet an expected need for an additional 40,000 megawatts and is expected to award the primary contract soon.

The U.S.-UAE Business Council estimates the pact could generate more than $40 billion in commercial opportunities and well over 10,000 American jobs.

Congress could have blocked the deal by passing a resolution of disapproval before the end of the 90-day review period last Saturday. Despite concerns some lawmakers raised about the UAE's relationship with Iran, there was no push in the Senate or House of Representatives for a vote.

The Obama administration calls the pact a model for the region that contains several unprecedented commitments that ensures the UAE will not use American technology to develop a nuclear weapon or to help others in the region do that.

The UAE has pledged not to enrich uranium or reprocess used nuclear fuel and to import all fuel for its nuclear reactors.

The agreement will go into force once the two countries have exchanged diplomatic notes verifying they have fulfilled all the necessary requirements.

"The next step is to talk to the government of the UAE to see what their own requirements are for us to enter into this formally," Kelly said.

U.S. industry official hope that final legal move could be done in the next week to 10 days.

The National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hailed the nuclear deal.

"This agreement will usher in closer commercial ties between the U.S. and the UAE, which is already America's top export market in the Arab world," said Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-UAE Business Council.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Peter Cooney)

[contract.dude]

to bad we dont use nuke power for our problems.. but hey lets help them use it!!