Iran’s enriched uranium ready for bombs? Not by a long shot.

Iran does not have the capability of making weapons-grade enriched uranium.

I know, you heard that there was more enriched uranium there than previously thought. But there are, apparently, many grades of enriched uranium, and bomb material is far cry from what Iran has.

Here’s U of Michigan Prof. Juan Cole:

clipped from www.juancole.com Image via Wikipedia Iran Nuclear Program Hyped again Note to mainstream media: Iran cannot construct nuclear bombs with uranium enriched only to less than 4%. It needs to be enriched to something like 90% to make a bomb. Iran is not known even to have that capability, and no it cannot be done in 2 months (try a decade), assuming they were trying to do it, which our $40 bn. a year intelligence agencies say they are not. So all the silly articles on Friday about how iran now has enough enriched uranium to make a bomb are just illiterate. Moreover, the report in question actually says that Iran is slowing its enrichment activities. h/t Jay McDonough.

Reason for panic? Threat to world peace? Justification for a strike from Israel?

Hardly.

Why is it “reasons for war” stories are so rarely true?

---

Tags: Iran, nuclear+weapons, Iran+nuclear+bomb, Iran+uranium, Iran+enrichment, Iran+nuclear+capability, Monte Asbury

National Intelligence Estimate: Iran halted weapons program in 2003

Oh guess what? While the President was suggesting “World War III” if America didn’t go get Iran—turns out it’s another “oops.” US intelligence now says Iran’s been out of the nuclear weapons business for years.

clipped from www.consortiumnews.com For those who have doubts about miracles, a double one occurred today. An honest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran’s nuclear program has been issued and its Key Judgments were made public. … “We judge that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program… “We assess with moderate confidence Tehran has not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007. … “We do not have sufficient intelligence to judge confidently whether Tehran is willing to maintain the halt of its nuclear weapons program indefinitely… “We judge with moderate confidence Iran probably would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium sometime during the 2010-2015 time frame. “We judge with high confidence that Iran will not be technically capable of producing and reprocessing enough plutonium for a weapon before about 2015.” … This NIE does not [italics in original] assume that Iran intends to acquire nuclear weapons

Strike two on nuke spooks, Mr. President:

1. None in Iraq, Americans believe you, a million perish.
2. None in Iran, Americans say “Hold on a minute,” disaster barely averted.

Wow, Mr. President, is this what neo-conservatism means? War, unless the evidence arrives before the bombing begins? Propaganda without facts?

Honestly, who’s the person most likely to get people killed? It’s not Osama; it never was Ahmadinejad.  Are you, Mr. President, the most dangerous man in the world?

---

Tags: Iran+nuclear, NIE, nuclear+weapons, mushroom+cloud, WWIII, Monte Asbury