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To be fair, Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon, as it has been proven again and again by the thorough inspections and controls allowed by the JCPOA ag

by Udik 8y ago

To be fair, Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon, as it has been proven again and again by the thorough inspections and controls allowed by the JCPOA agreement, which the US have just undermined and probably killed for good.

nl 8y ago
Err, they absolutely were trying for a nuclear weapon. That’s what Stuxnet and (later) JCPOA were trying to stop.
- Udik 8y ago
  You're confusing uranium enrichment with attempts to build nuclear weapons. Irans's research into nuclear weapons has ended in 2003, 15 years ago. Iran has nuclear power plants though, and uranium enrichment is needed to fuel them. I think the reason Trump and Netanyahu are so enraged by the JCPOA agreement is that it makes concessions to Iran in exchange of.. nothing, since Iran already didn't have any active nuclear weapons research. The purpose of the continued insistence on Iran's nuclear threat is to weaken it, and the JCPOA effectively kills this strategy.
  - gadders 8y ago
    Well, it also gave Iran a few billion dollars, a lot of which seems to have flowed into the coffers for Hamas, Hezbollah etc, both of which are terrorist organisations.
  - nl 8y ago
    I'd love for you to be correct. I think pulling out of the JCPOA was stupid, and I'd love to be able to point out there is no risk anyway. But... > Iran has nuclear power plants though, and uranium enrichment is needed to fuel them. They have a single commercial reactor[0], and it doesn't need the enrichment levels they are producing. Most reactors are light water reactors (of two types – PWR and BWR) and require uranium to be enriched from 0.7% to 3-5% U-235 in their fuel. This is normal low-enriched uranium (LEU). There is some interest in taking enrichment levels to about 7%, and even close to 20% for certain special power reactor fuels, as high-assay LEU (HALEU).[1] Iran has over 200kg(!) of 20% enriched uranium[2]. I guess it could be for an unbuilt, experimental reactor like they claim. It seems unlikely, since they haven't pursued any contracts for a reactor like that. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr_Nuclear_Power_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr_Nuclear_Power_Plant [1] http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/conversion-enrichment-and-fabrication/uranium-enrichment.aspx http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fue... [2] http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/iran.aspx#ECSArticleLink9 http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-pro...

by Udik 8y ago

nl 8y ago

Err, they absolutely were trying for a nuclear weapon. That’s what Stuxnet and (later) JCPOA were trying to stop.

Udik 8y ago
You're confusing uranium enrichment with attempts to build nuclear weapons. Irans's research into nuclear weapons has ended in 2003, 15 years ago. Iran has nuclear power plants though, and uranium enrichment is needed to fuel them. I think the reason Trump and Netanyahu are so enraged by the JCPOA agreement is that it makes concessions to Iran in exchange of.. nothing, since Iran already didn't have any active nuclear weapons research. The purpose of the continued insistence on Iran's nuclear threat is to weaken it, and the JCPOA effectively kills this strategy.
- gadders 8y ago
  Well, it also gave Iran a few billion dollars, a lot of which seems to have flowed into the coffers for Hamas, Hezbollah etc, both of which are terrorist organisations.
- nl 8y ago
  I'd love for you to be correct. I think pulling out of the JCPOA was stupid, and I'd love to be able to point out there is no risk anyway. But... > Iran has nuclear power plants though, and uranium enrichment is needed to fuel them. They have a single commercial reactor[0], and it doesn't need the enrichment levels they are producing. Most reactors are light water reactors (of two types – PWR and BWR) and require uranium to be enriched from 0.7% to 3-5% U-235 in their fuel. This is normal low-enriched uranium (LEU). There is some interest in taking enrichment levels to about 7%, and even close to 20% for certain special power reactor fuels, as high-assay LEU (HALEU).[1] Iran has over 200kg(!) of 20% enriched uranium[2]. I guess it could be for an unbuilt, experimental reactor like they claim. It seems unlikely, since they haven't pursued any contracts for a reactor like that. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr_Nuclear_Power_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushehr_Nuclear_Power_Plant [1] http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/conversion-enrichment-and-fabrication/uranium-enrichment.aspx http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fue... [2] http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/iran.aspx#ECSArticleLink9 http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-pro...