UN hopes for Iran nuclear accord Oct 30, 2009
Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake Yellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F) Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and the process is repeated until uranium is enriched Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons. Although no details have been supplied, Iran's Isna news agency earlier quoted Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar... (BBC News -- Africa)
Bunker buster carries goal of deterring Iran Oct 27, 2009
The Iranians have many uranium-enriching centrifuges at an underground location at Natanz ... Still, the bomb might be enough, if its shock can disturb the spinning centrifuges and make the sensitive devices wobble into self-destruction. (Herald Online, SC -- Lifestyles)
* UN experts visit second Iranian enrichment plant Oct 26, 2009
Officials say that at the Qom plant they intend to install new generation centrifuges X the devices that enrich uranium at supersonic speed. The inspection came as Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged support for a separate deal to end the crisis over Irans uranium enrichment drive. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Nuclear inspectors arrive in Iran for key visit Oct 26, 2009
The small-scale site is meant to house no more than 3,000 centrifuges much less than the estimated 8,000 machines at Natanz, Iran's known industrial-scale enrichment facility ... It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges used to refine uranium. (MSNBC -- International)
What's Behind Iran's Nuclear Delaying Tactics Oct 26, 2009
Today, Iran negotiates with its centrifuges spinning. The domestic political situation militates against Iranian politicians being seen to accept American conditions too readily. (Time.com)
Turkey chastises the West on Iran Oct 26, 2009
Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake Yellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F) Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and process is repeated until uranium is enriched Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons ... They claim it will be large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges, which will produce uranium that is 5% enriched, suitable only... (BBC News -- Europe)
Political Grapevine Oct 24, 2009
Sarkozy said last month: "I support America's outstretched hand. But what has the international community gained from these offers of dialogue? Nothing but more enriched uranium and centrifuges.". No Good Deed. (Fox News)
Iran delays reply on nuclear plan Oct 24, 2009
Page last updated at 19:23 GMT, Friday, 23 October 2009 20:23 UK. The deal would see Iran exporting its uranium for enrichment. (BBC News -- Africa)
TEAM Integrated tapped for pact Oct 24, 2009
Jack Thomas, program manager for TEAM Integrated, notes that the contract calls for moving everything from small centrifuges to large and complex electron microscopes and setting them up at the new Army Institute of Surgical Research and the Battlefield Health and Trauma facility currently under construction at Fort Sam Houston. Medical research facilities from the Army, Navy and Air Force will be consolidated at Fort Sam as part of the BRAC program, creating an estimated 200 new jobs in San... (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
Daily makes an 'apples to oranges' comparison (2) Oct 23, 2009
The plant at Oum has been building for three years, still has no centrifuges, and was reported by Iran weeks earlier once they were sure the U.S. was aware of it. So jumping on Iran, as was proper, was also a little anti-climactic to begin with and, while a serious violation of the non-proliferation treaty, not nearly as dire as the setting up of nuclear missiles 90 miles off our shores. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
Iran Keeps Obama Waiting on Nuclear Deal Oct 22, 2009
Western diplomats, however, are mindful of the fact that Iran will keep on enriching uranium and fear that if its keeps its centrifuges running while shipping out smaller portions, it can maintain close to enough for a single bomb in its own stockpile. Not surprisingly Friday's verdict remains uncertain. (Time.com)
Iranian nuclear talks remain clouded Oct 21, 2009
The IAEA believes that, at present, Iran has more than 8,300 centrifuges used for uranium enrichment, and has produced more than a ton of uranium enrichment material. All the material is low-enriched uranium, which could not be used as fuel for anything other than for nuclear power stations. (Xinhuanet, China)
Iran nuke talks off to good start Oct 20, 2009
But Albright said Iran could replace even 1,200 kilograms (2,600 pounds) of low-enriched uranium "in little over a year." Iran now has more than 4,000 centrifuges producing low-enriched uranium, and its capacities are increasing. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- International)
Iran nuclear talks: Will fuel swap be finalized? Oct 20, 2009
If the centrifuges that Iran has continue to spin, however, without additional internationally imposed limitations and safeguards, the country could rebuild its low-enriched uranium stockpile to current levels by sometime next year. "And we'd be back to Square 1," adds the European diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Appulse Corporation: Press Release Oct 17, 2009
Through its subsidiaries, Centrifuges Unlimited Inc., Rolyn Oilfield Services Inc., and Design Machining Unlimited Inc., Appulse specializes in the sales, servicing and refurbishing of centrifuge equipment, serving both domestic and international markets, and offers full service industrial machining. The Corporation continues to pursue expansion to its product base and geographic markets, in addition to adopting a program of controlled acquisitions complementing its current activities. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Iran's nuclear disclosures: why they matter Oct 17, 2009
Gas centrifuges are an amazing technology ... But once an array of centrifuges is humming along, it needs little maintenance ... But it's intended to house about 3,000 gas centrifuges, according to both Iranian and US officials. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
D.C. Decoder: What do photos of Iran nuclear site tell US? Oct 16, 2009
"The bottom line is, the square footage is big enough to hold 3,000 P-2 [uranium enrichment] centrifuges," says Mr. Brown. Real intelligence agencies are not always right. (Christian Science Monitor)
Windber coal: Mining and the environment Oct 16, 2009
WINDBER The low-pitched humming has the feel of standing near a high-voltage power line, yet is deeper and punctuated by a sporadic, spark-like clicking noise (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Benchmarks prove elusive in Iran talks Oct 15, 2009
" In the event that the US and its allies reject Iran's request for assistance with the Tehran reactor, Iran is prepared to go it alone, despite the technological challenges and the costs involved. This would also heighten anxieties about possible proliferation misuse in such an endeavor. "This is a litmus test for the international community, to live up to its NPT [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] obligations to help a developing nation with its purely civilian nuclear needs," the Tehran... (Asia Times Online)
Deny nuclear materials to would-be bomb makers Oct 15, 2009
Attempts to control or reverse nuclear proliferation come in two flavors: Either one tries to control nuclear material (uranium, centrifuges, superfast switches) or one tries to control nuclear information (blueprints, schematics, scientific expertise). Columns and blogs. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
In Perspective — Promoting world peace Oct 15, 2009
What peaceful actions will he take when Israel, with its very existence at stake, attempts to bomb the hundreds of Iranian centrifuges to piles of rubble. Who will protect the Peace Prize committee then. (Brenham Banner, TX)
US wants bunker-buster fast, denies Iran is reason Oct 13, 2009
Iran plans new centrifuges for 2nd enrichment site ... Iranian scientists have carried out research and development in recent months for the new generation of more efficient centrifuges, and most of the machines' components are made domestically, said the head of Iran's nuclear agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, according to the Kayhan daily newspaper. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Iran accuses U.S. in scientist's disappearance Oct 9, 2009
The recent revelation of the Fordu plant - which is expected to house 3,000 new centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium - spurred the United States and its European allies to pressure Iran to divulge more about its nuclear sites. Iran has agreed to allow U.N. inspectors into the Fordu plant on Oct. 25. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Leaked Iran paper exposes IAEA rift Oct 8, 2009
No evidence has ever surfaced to challenge the Iranian explanation that Khan's agents threw in the document after a deal had been reached on centrifuges in an effort to interest Iran in buying the technology for casting uranium. The IAEA affirmed that it has found no evidence that Iran ever acquired such technology. (Asia Times Online)
Concern increases over Iran nuclear site Oct 8, 2009
Iranian scientists have carried out research and development in recent months for the new generation of more efficient centrifuges, and most of the machines' components are made domestically, said the head of Iran's nuclear agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, according to the Kayhan daily newspaper ... The new centrifuges would be more advanced than the decades old P-1 type centrifuges once acquired on the black market and in use at Iran's other enrichment facility in Natanz ... Most of the parts for the... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Why We Know So Little About Iran's Nuclear Program Oct 6, 2009
Long suspected of building its own bomb, the IRGC has a well-funded, experienced, clandestine procurement network capable of buying and operating centrifuges to enrich uranium as well as building triggering devices. The IRGC already possesses missiles that could deliver a nuke. (Time.com)
Iran to install new generation centrifuges at new nuclear enrichment site Oct 6, 2009
TEHRAN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran is intending to install a new generation of centrifuges at its new nuclear enrichment site, the local satellite Press TV reported on Monday ... Salehi expressed hope that his organization would be able to install a new generation of centrifuges in the new site, without elaborating the specifications and types of the new generation of centrifuges ... "During the past few months, we have also focused most... (Xinhuanet, China)
The Real ElBaradei Unleashed Oct 6, 2009
As early as mid-April 2003, as Bolton pointed out, ElBaradei's IAEA knew that the centrifuges at Iran's Natanz enrichment facility contained uranium hexafluoride, a compound used to make nuclear weapons fuel. In less than two months, ElBaradei will be replaced as IAEA director general by Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano. (Investors Business Daily)
Talking with Iran: Chances for a Breakthrough Are Low Oct 6, 2009
The U.S. and its allies point to signs in the Qom facility of what they say is Iran's military intent: first, the project's secrecy and partially underground location on a military base, and second, the fact that its limited capacity (3,000 centrifuges) makes it unsuitable for supplying reactor fuel but potentially capable of slowly amassing weapons-grade material. Iran continues to insist that it is simply exercising its right to develop nuclear-energy infrastructure as a party to the Nuclear... (Time.com)
Read the 'FNS' transcript Oct 5, 2009
They don't have enough centrifuges for that. So it's pretty clear that Iran is headed down the track of getting a nuclear weapon. (Fox News)
Enter the White Queen Oct 5, 2009
Location: TX Reply # 2 Date: Oct 5, 2009 - 1:21 AM EST Iran's Nukes The number and type of centrifuges and the facilities that Iran has been building are not necessary to fuel nuclear power plants. Iran is going far beyond what is necessary. (Townhall.com)
IRAN: U.N. can inspect nuclear facility Oct 5, 2009
The pilot plant will house 3,000 centrifuges that could soon produce nuclear fuel or the payload for atomic warheads. Salehi spoke on state TV Saturday. (USA Today)
Iran Won Atomic Talks Oct 5, 2009
He said past proposals for talks resulted in Nothing but more enriched uranium and more centrifuges and warned At a certain moment hard facts will force us to take decisions. The talks took place but the P-5+1 was not ready to take decisions. (Human Events Online)
Iran 'co-operation' draws praise Oct 5, 2009
Iran insists that all its nuclear facilities are for energy, not military purposes Bushehr: Nuclear power plant Isfahan: Uranium conversion plant Natanz: Uranium enrichment plant, 4,592 working centrifuges, with 3,716 more installed Second enrichment plant: Existence revealed to IAEA in Sept 2009. Separate reports say it is near Qom, and not yet operational Arak: Heavy water plant. (BBC News -- Africa)
Iran's Geneva Offer on Nukes: Progress for All Oct 3, 2009
"The Iranians will view this as an important change in the U.S. position on enrichment, focusing instead on transforming the LEU into fuel rods in order to remove doubts about what Iran intends to do with the material being enriched in its centrifuges.". Until now the U.S. position, strongly backed by France and Israel, has been that Iran should not be allowed to maintain a uranium-enrichment capability even for peaceful purposes, because such a capability could be transformed to create bomb... (Time.com)
Is Iran Nearing a Bomb? Oct 2, 2009
President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei must convince IAEA inspectors this small secret facility that can house only 3,000 centrifuges has the same purpose as Natanz, which can house 58,000. Or they will be exposed as liars -- to the West, to the Russians who have served as their defense counsel and to their own people. (Human Events Online)
Nuclear talks: Iran agrees to meet US, world powers twice more in October Oct 2, 2009
Mr. Jalili acknowledged that that facility south of Tehran, near the religious center of Qom, was being built because of the "daily" threats of attack that Iran heard from Israel, the US, and the West against Iran's far larger enrichment facility at Natanz which is designed to one day house more than 50,000 centrifuges ... Solana said the P5+1 also pressed again its freeze-for-freeze plan, in which Iran would halt its uranium enrichment and the building of more centrifuges already at... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
This Means War Oct 2, 2009
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency keep tabs on the amount of uranium coming in and going out of a facility, the number of centrifuges being used, and the pieces of equipment purchased ... A site that's configured to produce high-grade uranium would be set up differently, with some centrifuges arranged in tighter clusters as well as smaller "feed points" where you insert the uranium. (Slate)
Iran nuclear talks in Geneva: What is Tehran's strategy? Oct 2, 2009
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in August that Iran now has 8,000 centrifuges spinning to enrich uranium, to create nuclear material that can be used to fuel power plants as Iran says is all it wants to do or, if enriched to a far higher degree, for use in weapons, which some Western governments suspect is Iran's hidden purpose ... But Iran has stated categorically it will not stop the program, and with so many centrifuges already working, analysts say... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Is Iran hiding other secret nuclear sites? Oct 2, 2009
It is capable of holding only about 3,000 spinning centrifuges ... The amount of uranium hexafluoride necessary for Qom's centrifuges is large enough that such a diversion should be easy for the IAEA to spot, says Mr. Acton of the Carnegie Endowment. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
News Analysis: Iran nuclear talks send positive signals Oct 2, 2009
According to Solana, the six world powers on Thursday reiterated a "freeze-for-freeze" proposal, in which Iran would halt its uranium enrichment and the building of more centrifuges in exchange for no more new sanctions against Iran. But the Iranian delegation did not give a "complete answer" on that. (Xinhuanet, China)
U.S. Contemplating More Sanctions on Iran Oct 1, 2009
It now has more than 8,000 centrifuges set up in its cavernous underground facility at Natanz, with most of them working to churn out fuel-grade enriched uranium. With Iran spurning any discussion of cutting back, let alone freezing enrichment, the five powers also are ready to talk about other issues that Tehran holds dear in hopes of also engaging it on nuclear matters. (Fox News)
Iran put nuclear site near base in case of attack Oct 1, 2009
It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field -- large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges used to refine uranium. Article Rating. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
It's bomb, bomb, bomb Iran time Oct 1, 2009
The plant was built with heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field, enough to hold 3,000 uranium-refining centrifuges ... Brazilian centrifuges could be used to produce highly enriched uranium. (Asia Times Online)
Revelations of Iranian plant return nuclear threat to center stage Oct 1, 2009
For a while, talk of centrifuges and a potential nuclear threat was overshadowed by images like that of the young woman gunned down during an election protest whose last moments were captured on video and posted on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site. The result was a previously unimaginable collusion of interests between pro-Israel groups that had been pressing for sanctions and liberal groups that had opposed them. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Iran to give IAEA inspection timetable Sep 30, 2009
The facility is located on a military base near the city of Qom, about 100 miles southwest of Tehran, and is thought to be capable of housing 3,000 centrifuges, according to the officials and the IAEA. That is not enough to produce nuclear fuel to power a reactor, but sufficient to manufacture bomb-making material, according to a U.S. diplomatic source who read the letter. Iran told the IAEA there is no nuclear material at the site, an agency spokesman said. (CNN -- World)
Iran's secret site is the missing piece in its nuclear puzzle Sep 30, 2009
A US official who briefed reporters last week said it is designed to hold about 3,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges ... Plans call for it to eventually hold 47,000 centrifuges, which Iran says will produce low-enriched uranium for civilian power reactors. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Ahead of talks, Iran tests long-range missiles Sep 30, 2009
It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges used to refine uranium. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- International)
U.S., be wary of empty words Sep 30, 2009
However, having made reduction of the nuclear danger and arms control a central pillar of its foreign policy, the administration could not stand by and witness Iran's expanding array of centrifuges. 1. (Albany Times Union)
Iran tests its longest-range missiles Sep 30, 2009
It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges used to refine uranium. Allison Puccioni, a senior imagery analyst with Jane s, said Monday she could not reconcile the discrepancy between the location detailed in the satellite images and the site described by Iran s foreign ministry. (Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, NC)
Digging, clues revealed Iranian site Sep 30, 2009
The underground facility, a cluster of 3,000 connected centrifuges, was within a few months of being completed when Iran made the surprise disclosure of the site on Monday to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog ... It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field, large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges ... And there are too few centrifuges to play a meaningful role in Iran's civilian energy program. (MSNBC -- International)
Nuke Plant Strategy Sep 30, 2009
" He gave the location of the site as about 60 miles south of capital Tehran on the road leading to Qom. That is about 20 miles north of Qom. He dismissed a statement by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday that the facility was near the village of Fordo, which is about 30 miles south of Qom. A satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe and GeoEye shows a well-fortified facility built into a mountain about 20 miles northeast of Qom, with ventilation shafts and a nearby surface-to-air... (Fox News)
Iran Put Nuclear Site Inside of Mountain Sep 30, 2009
SIGN UP FOR FREE NEWS ALERTS. Tuesday, September 29, 2009 11:10 AM. (Newsmax)
Watch Chris Wallace's interview Sep 30, 2009
WALLACE: Centrifuges. FEINSTEIN: centrifuges. (Fox News)
Iran: Ready to Defy Sep 30, 2009
The facility which is run by the IRGC could house 3,000 centrifuges, enough machines to annually produce fissile material for two bombs a year. On Saturday, Iran s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the IRGC enrichment facility will begin to operate shortly. (Human Events Online)
Why Does Iran Need So Many Centrifuges? Sep 26, 2009
Why would Iran need so many centrifuges to make a nuclear warhead ... Why Does Iran Need So Many Centrifuges ... Intelligence reports claim it can house up to 3,000 centrifuges to make a nuclear warhead, but to fuel a power station. (Slate)
Russia 'Seriously' Concerned, But China? Sep 26, 2009
An August IAEA report said Iran had set up more than 8,000 centrifuges to produce enriched uranium at the first facility, also underground and located outside the southern city of Natanz. The report said that only about 4,600 centrifuges were fully active ... In Related news:Secret Enrichment centrifuges in Iran said to be housed in former industrial scale borscht curring tanks. (CBS News)
Disclosure of nuclear site turns up heat on Iran Sep 26, 2009
The revelation suggests a network of facilities, including ones with centrifuges that would enrich uranium at much higher speed and efficiency than previously known sites. Iran's secrecy has heightened suspicions that the new site might have been meant to produce weapons-grade uranium while U.N. monitors were focused elsewhere - concentrating on known facilities to ensure that Tehran produces only low-enriched uranium that cannot be used for weapons. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
How Close Is Iran to a Nuclear Bomb? Sep 26, 2009
Natanz until now Iran's only oficially-declared nuclear facility houses an older P1 series of centrifuges ... The last IAEA report on Iran in August said that Tehran had set up more than 8,000 centrifuges to produce enriched uranium at Natanz, although it said that only about 4,600 were fully active. (Fox News)
Officials tell AP Iran has second enrichment plant Sep 26, 2009
The revelation suggests a network of facilities, including ones with centrifuges that would enrich uranium at much higher speed and efficiency than previously known sites ... The intelligence assessment cited by diplomats says the site is meant to house no more than 3,000 enriching centrifuges -- much less than the more than 8,000 machines at Natanz, Iran's known enrichment facility ... But the plant, which intelligence reports say is set to start operation next year, could be set up for... (USA Today)
IRAN WARNED: Allies: Nuclear program may bring sanctions Sep 26, 2009
The facility is designed to hold about 3,000 centrifuges, compared to about 8,000 at Iran's cavernous underground facility outside the southern city of Natanz, which was discovered in 2002, according to one of the officials. The news of the uranium enrichment facility comes after three days of meetings at the United Nations, in which Iran denied seeking nuclear weapons. (USA Today)
Iran's Ahmadinejad urges prosecution of opposition leaders Sep 26, 2009
Friday's quarterly report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, to its governing board, suggested Iran had continued producing reactor-grade enriched uranium at about the same pace as before the June election and was operating about the same number of centrifuges, though since May it had installed at least 1,300 new ones at its facility in Natanz ... "The report shows a steady trajectory, with no additional expansion except for the sudden rise of installed... (FOX61, CT)
West demands access to Iran's secret nuclear plant Sep 26, 2009
Iran's previously declared Natanz plant comprises a huge underground hall, under daily surveillance by IAEA inspectors, where more than 8,000 centrifuges are installed, machines that rotate at supersonic speed to refine uranium. More than half of the centrifuges -- nearly 5,000 -- are currently actively enriching uranium. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Iran 'concealed nuclear facility' - Obama Sep 26, 2009
Iran insists that all its nuclear facilities are for energy, not military purposes Bushehr: Nuclear power plant Isfahan: Uranium conversion plant Natanz: Uranium enrichment plant, 4,592 working centrifuges, with 3,716 more installed Second enrichment plant: Existence revealed to IAEA in Sept 2009 ... Construction on the facility - believed by the US to be large enough to contain 3,000 centrifuges, not large enough for commercial work - started in earnest in mid-2006, diplomatic sources said. (BBC News -- Americas)
Obama's focus shifts from engaging Iran Sep 26, 2009
"Let us not allow the Iranian leaders to buy time while the centrifuges are turning. And if by December there is no significant change in policy on the part of the Iranian leaders, sanctions will have to be taken.". The talks in Switzerland will involve diplomats from Iran, as well as those from the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. (MSNBC -- Politics)
