Ahmadinejad's Announcement Was Misleading - Iran's Nuclear Programme Facing Severe Difficulties

Iran's nuclear programme is apparently facing severe technical difficulties. Experts now say that it could take four years to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's April 9th announcement that uranium enrichment on an "industrial scale" had begun was "misleading" and the time-scale for success is likely to be longer than early estimates suggested. Ahmadinejad was simply grandstanding, not that it is any surprise.

"It's very difficult to enrich uranium," said Norman Dombey, emeritus professor of theoretical physics at Sussex University. "It calls for several different scientific and engineering disciplines. Iran hasn't yet shown that it has mastered the problem."

Dombey estimates that Iran will need about two years simply to master the process of running centrifuges. Then, making allowances for interruptions caused by breakdowns, it could take another two years to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb. "At the moment, their programme doesn't constitute a threat. It would constitute a threat if they were enriching substantial amounts to more than five per cent and they're not. In fact they're not enriching anything very much. This talk about industrial scale enrichment is misleading."

The programme may not constitute a threat at the moment but what will happen 4 years down the road when it does? We should be counting our blessings that the Iranian President was exaggerating their capabilities and find a way to prevent Iran's programme from EVER becoming a threat. Once it does it may be too late. Unfortunately what will most likely happen is that our government along with the UN with impose sanctions and discuss why Iran should stop the enrichment of uranium. Four years down the line they will have the technology and no doubt will have built a bomb. There will then be discussions as to why they were not stopped and what should have been done. The result? Iran will have become an even greater and more deadly threat.

President of Iran Proudly Announces"We Have Joined the Nuclear Club" and Threatens the West

A year ago, Iran announced that it had produced enriched uranium for the first time. Unfortunately today they have come a long way from that first announcement.

At the ceremony at the Natanz nuclear facility Monday Ahmadinejad said, "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." This announcement has heightened fears that Tehran aims to produce warheads, not energy.

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 March. The United Nations has repeatedly demanded Iran halt its uranium enrichment programme. Previously Iran was only known to have 328 centrifuges, machines which purify uranium, in operation. But now officials say that Tehran has begun enriching uranium with 3,000 centrifuges thus vastly expanding its nuclear programme . David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector, said 3,000 centrifuges would be enough to build a nuclear warhead within a year.

Iran claims it wants the fuel to generate electricity so it is able export more of its oil and gas. But the West fears, with good reason, it will bring Tehran closer to building atomic bombs. Uranium enrichment can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or material for a nuclear warhead. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is purely peaceful. However, when referring to the UN increasing sanctions Ahmadinejad said,'Don't do something that will make this great nation reconsider its policies," a clear threat to the west.


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. He did not specifying a number. The most sensitive areas at Natanz, deep underground, are thought to be halls that can hold up to 50,000 centrifuges. Mr Larijani 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 over its nuclear programme.

Iran's clear defiance of the UN sanctions shows the ineffectiveness of the resolutions. Ahmadinejad is a terrorist who, will very soon possess the capability of nuclear warheads. Iran has already supplied Iraq with the bombs killing our soldiers. They attack our sailors and marines in international waters and hold them hostage. Their children, the future of Iran, are celebrating in the streets chanting "Death to Britain, Death to America", and receiving text messages congratulating them. And we really believe that Iran, if they are allowed to continue with the enrichment of uranium, will not develop nuclear warheads? Once they have nuclear warheads it will be too late. They will at best use the threat of them to achieve their goals and at worst we will have a nuclear war. Iran should never have been allowed to progress this far but now that they have this facility needs to be destroyed. As history has shown, sanctions and diplomacy do not work with terrorists, and it is most certainly terrorists we are dealing with.

British Hostages Speak - The Reality behind the Show from Iran's President

The cloud has been lifted and now we begin to hear the truth. Blair's triumph in diplomacy was nonexistent. The reality is this was a carefully planned and executed capture and release by Iran's President, and Blair played right into his hand. The British Sailors and Marines made the statement the Iranians so proudly aired on TV under duress, while facing at best a 7 year prison sentence. Lt Carman said they were given two choices.
"If we admitted we had strayed, we would be on a plane back to the UK soon. If we didn't we faced up to seven years in prison".

The only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, believed for at least four days that she was the only one still being held. Royal Marine Joe Tindell told how they feared for their lives in prison. "We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, said, I quote ' lads I think we're going to get executed'."

Lt Carman said they were only allowed to gather together for a few hours to put on a show for the Iranian media. He continued to describe their position and circumstances at the time of capture. Royal Marine Captain Chris Air said they had seconds to make a decision when confronted by the Iranians while carrying out a routine operation. "We are aware that many people have questioned why we allowed ourselves to be taken in the first place and why we allowed ourselves to be shown by the Iranian authorities on television. Let me be absolutely clear, from the outset it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option. Had we chosen to do so then many of us would not be standing here today. Of that I have no doubts".
Two of the crew read out a prepared statement to the press conference at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor. Lieutenant Carman said the sailors and marines were on an operation on 23 March, 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters, when they were captured.

Cpt Chris Air said the crew had made it clear they were on a "routine operation allowed under a UN mandate" but the Iranians had a "planned intent. Some of the Iranian sailors were becoming deliberately aggressive and unstable." Their boat was surrounded by six boats and rammed and they were trained with heavy machine guns and weapons. The officer in charge Lt Carman said they were taken to a prison in Tehran where they were stripped and dressed in pyjamas.
They were kept in stone cells, sleeping on blankets and held in isolation until the last few nights and frequently interrogated.

Is it any surprise that they said exactly what they were told to by Iran? I believe they did the right thing, and got home safely because of it. Britain however did not. A strong military action was called for, however Blair chose to write a note instead. The Iranian President's PR ploy, despite the callous and calculated planning that obviously went into it, was transparent. The result of this is more complicated. Britain came away from the situation looking pathetic and weak. That in itself comes with consequences. What is preventing this situation, or worse from occurring again repeatedly in the future? The terrorists and countries that support them will not stop unless they are forced to, or the consequences are far greater than the "benefits" of their action.

The "Real Gift" From Iran Was The Bomb They Supplied Iraq To Kill Our Soldiers

Diplomacy worked, sure it did. Iran may have returned 15 servicemen but today 4 died at the hands of an Iranian made bomb in Iraq. Four soldiers, two of them women, died when a huge Iranian-made bomb hit their patrol in Iraq. The blast exposed Ahmadinejad as the callous terrorist and hypocrite he is. While the 15 sailors and marines were on their way home from Iran, Iraqis were collecting souvenirs from the wreckage that killed our soldiers and celebrating around the 3 foot crater in the road near Basra . Blair's response was, "On the one hand we are glad that our service personnel are returned from their captivity. But on the other we return to the sober and ugly reality of what is happening through terrorism in Iraq." Perhaps if Mr. Blair took a stronger stance and there were consequences to terrorism it would no longer occur in such frequency. Including the Basra deaths six British soldiers have now been killed in six days in Iraq. This attack near Basra was carefully planned. It came at 2am just as the soldiers were returning to base after a counter-insurgency search in the slum district of Hayaniya. One vehicle was caught in a blast thought top have triggered by remote control. Britain and America have repeatedly blamed Iran for supplying the special armour-piercing bombs and triggering mechanisms used by Iraqi insurgents. So it seems we have Iran to thank for this "gift" as well. Tory MP Patrick Mercer, a former infantry commander, said last night: "This is the reality of the smile on the face of the Iranian tiger. What the Iranians have delivered with one hand they have taken away with the other." This attack just adds to the humiliation Blair has subjected Britain to over the hostage crisis. As I have said before, unless we take a strong military action against these people we will be terrorized indefinitely. Why would they stop? Thus far there have been no consequences for the vicious attacks and acts of terrorism they repeatedly inflicted on our country.

British Crew is Home but More Soldiers Killed Today in Iraq

More die in the Middle East. Is it sad, yes. Is it surprising, unfortunately not.

"Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 service personnel, so today we are also grieving and mourning for the loss of our soldiers in Basra, who were killed as the result of a terrorist act," Blair said outside his office at 10 Downing St

Blair claims that the return of the service personnel today was a triumph in Diplomacy, I am not so sure. I would however, call it a PR triumph for the Iranian President. Iran's release of the eight sailors and seven marines raised hopes among some that Tehran might be open to compromise on other matters, particularly Western demands for a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program. But Iran already was warning it would retaliate if the West pushed too hard. After Britain's "walking on eggshells" stance over the hostage situation it doesn't seem Iran has any fear, or reason to fear, the west's response should it "retaliate" for being pushed. As far as Iraq goes, men and women will continue to die, as they did today, in what the west is calling a terrorist attack. We need to show the Middle East that we will no longer tolerate the terrorism they sponsor on a daily basis. I do not have all the answers, I wish I did, but I do know there is a better way than our leaders chatting over tea and sending nice notes while our soldiers die. For news footage of the aftermath of todays attack click this link http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=2301810

Iranian Hostages Will Be Released as a "Gift"

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says 15 British naval personnel captured in the Gulf are free to leave.
Ahmadinejad still maintains that the British sailors and marines "invaded" Iranian waters, but said they were being released as a "gift" to Britain. They are expected to fly home to the UK on Thursday. New television pictures showed the Iranian president smiling, chatting and shaking hands with the crew at the presidential palace in Tehran. It is reported that one crew member said: "I'd like to say that myself and my whole team are very grateful for your forgiveness. I'd like to thank yourself and the Iranian people... Thank you very much, sir." One can only imagine what the crew were really thinking. Ahmadinejad spoke at a news conference marking the Persian New Year for an hour reprimanding the west over its policy in the Middle Wast before even mentioning the hostages. When he did he said,"We have every right to put these people on trial,But I want to give them as a present to the British people to say they are all free." He continued with his "grand gesture" by saying,"I'm asking Mr Blair to not put these 15 personnel on trial because they admitted they came to Iranian territorial water," referring to taped "confessions" made by the British sailors and marines. Ahmadinejad also addressed Prime Minister Blair during the speech. "I ask Mr Blair: Instead of occupying the other countries, I ask Mr Blair to think about the justice, to think about the truth and work for the British people not for himself," Mr Ahmadinejad said. "Unfortunately the British government was not even brave enough to tell their people the truth, that it made a mistake." He even gave the soldiers who captured the Britons medals. Blair did not address the Iranian president in response. Instead he said, "We bear you no ill will. We respect Iran as an ancient civilisation. " I for one do NOT respect Iran and think as soon as we get the sailors out of there we should take a very strong military action against them to discourage this from happening again. Iran has treated us like children and in turn Britain now appears as an easy target for future hostage situations and terrorist activities. Iran gave the hostages back to us as a "gift" Not exactly the image Britain should have. It appears as if we are weak a beholdent to Iran and that, pathetically, we should be indebted to them for being so kind as to return our people. Once again, they held HOSTAGE our men and women, they ATTACKED the British Embassy, the made a spectacle of the hostages on TV. This was all done with the approval of their government and President, but now we should be incredibly grateful for this "gift" they have given us by releasing hostages they never should have taken in the first place?

Beckett Doubts Swift resolution with Iran ... "We are not seeking a military confrontation"

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett says that we shouldn't hope for a swift resolution to the hostage situation in Iran. She continues to stress that the government is not seeking a military confrontation with Iran and continuing to pursue diplomatic channels. The Iranians don't seem particularly interested as they still have not responded to a formal note sent by Britain. Beckett's comments came after new pictures of the hostages were released and as Tony Blair said negotiations to free them were entering a "critical" phase. I think we passed critical quite some time ago Mr. Blair. As far as Margaret Beckett is concerned I would love to know what she defines as a "swift resolution" because I guarantee if she was the one held in Iran or it was a family member of hers she would be a lot more enthusiastic about rescuing them by any means! Diplomatic channels are NOT working, neither is sending notes which Iran ignores. Day ONE we should have given them the option to return the hostages or face military action. Day twelve, why are we still discussing this?

Britian Rewarded for Playing Nice with Iran over Hostages ... Are you Serious?

From the Telegraph "Iran today softened its rhetoric in the ongoing diplomatic dispute with Britain, promising not to show further television confessions as a reward for "positive changes" in the British negotiating stance."

What are we... children? Any why on earth are we letting these people treat us as such. We (the civilized British people) are allowing Iran (the terrorists holding our men and women hostage) to scold us then reward us for acquiescing to them in the way we handle the situation? What is wrong with our Government? Someone please enlighten me.

Let me recap. Iran takes HOSTAGE 15 British men and women. Iranians ATTACK the British Embassy with the consent of their government. The Iranian government controlled TV station parades two sailors on television where they are forced to point to a map and apoligise. Iran completely ignores our demands to return the hostages. Instead of using force the British government is walking on eggshells and are being rewarded by Iran saying, "Good Boy, if you behave we won't parade the hostages on tv anymore" ... Just the result we always wanted, we look pathetic and an easy target. HOW ABOUT USING FORCE IF NECESSARY TO GET THEM BACK... Enough nicey nice and chatting over tea. How dare our government allow Iran to get away with this degrading treatment of our men women and country!

New Video of UK Hostages in Iran .. When Will it End?

The situation in Iran is completely out of control. The latest video show two more of the British hostages last night aploigising to their captors. The hostages were identified as Royal Marines Captain Chris Air and Royal Navy Lieutenant Felix Carman. The men, in combat fatigues, were shown pointing to a map of the Persian Gulf. The Iranian Al-Alum TV (which is run by Iran's government) said the hostages were identifying where the British Royal Navy Boats had crossed into Iranian waters leading to their capture. Lieitenant Carment then proceeded so say “I would like to say to the Iranian people I can understand why you were so angry about our intrusion.”

To say this video is unacceptable is like saying a speck of dirt is sligtly on the small side. It is an outrage that they were taken hostage in the first place. An outrage that has only been compounded by the fact that these men and women are now being forced to act as mouthpieces for this horrible country and their fanatics and that our government is taking no definative or concrete action to recover them , forceably or otherwise. And did I mention, this video was being shot while they were attacking the British Embassy. How much more provacation does our government need? Do we sit patiently and have polite telephone conversations with Iran while they hold our people hostage and attack our country ? In case you are unaware the embassy is considered British soil and the Iranian Government is condoning this attack! No more talking or polite discussions... do what it takes to show Iran we will not tolerate this, if we do not draw the line here, what is next?

Government of Iran Supports Attack on UK Embassy ... WHY ARE WE NOT TAKING ACTION AGAINST IRAN?

This is from the BBC: Iranian students have thrown firecrackers and rocks into the British embassy compound during a protest in the capital Tehran.
About 200 people demonstrated against what they say was the illegal entry into Iranian waters of 15 UK Royal Navy personnel captured nine days ago. The BBC's correspondent, who was outside the embassy when the missiles were thrown, said the demonstrators were hardline Islamist students from Tehran University.
The protesters,whose demonstration was allowed by the Iranian government , were chanting "death to Britain" and calling for the deportation of the British ambassador, she said

I would love to know why we have not taken action against Iran to rescue our men and women. Exactly what Mr. Blair is thinking! Maybe he is to concerned with being questioned by the police over the "Cash for Honours" scandal. Maybe he is to busy playing tennis with sleazy Levy. Who knows. What I can not understand is why nothing is being done. By nothing I dont mean to imply they are not having a nice chat on the phone while having their afternoon tea, but I do mean no real action. Holding 15 of our citizens hostage is an act of WAR and should be treated as such. And why are we standing by letting the Iranian Government condone and sponser an attack on our Embassy? Iran has SPONSERED an attack on British soil !! The government should use whatever means are necessary to bring our soldiers home!! We need to show Iran that we will not toelrate this!

WHY SHOULD WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND IRAN'S (KIDNAPPERS AND TERRORISTS) POINT OF VIEW?

Terry Waite, who was kidnapped in Beirut while trying to negotiate a hostage release in 1987, offered to travel to Tehran to try to secure the release of the 14 servicemen and one woman.
“I don’t think one needs to be afraid of these people, but one does need to have respect for their point of view, whether you agree with it or not,” said Waite, who spent almost five years as the hostage of an Iranian-backed fundamentalist group in Beirut.

This is ABSURD!! What is the world coming to when a former kidnap victim says you need to respect Iran's point of view!!!!! I admire Mr. Waite's courage for offering to go to Tehran to attempt to secure the release of the service men and women but who brainwashed him to say we need to unDerstand their point of view. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THEIR POINT OF VIEW, DO YOU... they KIDNAPPED and are holding HOSTAGE our servicemen and women, forcing them to make videotapes and write letter and doing god knows what else to them. I still say use whatever force is necessary to bring them home!!!

STILL HELD CAPTIVE IN IRAN ... GET THEM HOME!!!

WE SHOULD BE PROTECTING OUR SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN NOT LET THEM BE USED AS PAWNS AND MOUTHPIECES FOR IRAN IN THE WAR!!!

The Mail Printed the following:
Their captors wished to show them looking relaxed and in their own clothes, continuing the "theme" of the first footage of the captives broadcast on Wednesday, when they were shown tucking into a meal in a bid to show how well they were being treated.
In the video, Royal Navy sailor Summers, from Hayle, Cornwall, appears to admit 'trespassing' into Iranian waters but the video displayed signs of editing, suggesting his words were being manipulated.
Looking relaxed and in his camouflage fatigues, he said: "I would like to apologise for entering your waters without permission. Since we have been arrested in Iran our treatment has been very friendly. We have not been harmed at all. They've looked after us really well."
The video had clearly been cut and edited between his reference to "trespass" and "apologise".
The new letter purportedly written by 25-year-old Mrs Turney, the mother of a three-year-old daughter, demonstrated even more obviously than the previous two how she is merely mouthing the words of the Iranians.


WE NEED TO RESCUE OUR MEN AND WOMEN!! Of course the video showed signs of editing...these people holding our men and women are TERRORISTS, who will lie, manipulate and torture into getting what they want then say it is our fault and, depending on their particular mood, that either we, or their religion made them do it. I think our government should grow a backbone and use whatever force necessary to get our people back home!!