WTF? So Which Is It?? Iran Has Nukes or Not???

[leftchick]

someone is not towing the neocon line.....

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5201Y920090301

Iran "not close" to nuclear weapon: Gates
Sun Mar 1, 2009 1:14pm EST

By Deborah Zabarenko

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran is not close to having a nuclear weapon, which gives the United States and others time to try to persuade Tehran to abandon its suspected atomic arms program, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday.

"They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time," Gates said on NBC television's "Meet The Press."

Gates' comments followed a televised interview with Adm. Mike Mullen, head of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told CNN's "State of the Union" that he believed Iran has enough fissile material to make a nuclear bomb.

"We think they do, quite frankly," Mullen said.

Mullen had been asked about a watchdog report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency last month that said Iran had built up a stockpile of low-enriched uranium. The reported stockpile of 1,010 kg would be enough -- if converted into highly-enriched uranium -- to make a bomb, analysts have said.

The United States suspects Iran of trying to use its nuclear program to build an atomic bomb, but Tehran insists it is purely for the peaceful generation of electricity.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Scott Ritter is the best source on this topic, IMO

There is no doubt that Iran has a nuclear program.

Iran doesn’t deny that. Iran is permitted to have a nuclear program under the terms of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which Iran is a signatory power to. Iran has signed what’s called a Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency , which allows more nuclear inspectors to operate inside Iran to monitor Iran’s nuclear program.

So it’s not that Iran is trying to do something in secret. Iran has declared its program and has subjected it to international compliance inspections. And, indeed, the last technical report of the IAEA inspectors says that Iran is in full compliance with its obligation to the Safeguards Agreement.

http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-3610-the-bush-administration-knows-full-well-that-there-is-no-nuclear.html

[leftchick]

2. I agree

he and al-Baridi have no agenda except the truth.

[bertman]

3. It's not possible that Adm Mullen has an "agenda", is it?

[MadHound]

4. Gee, somebody is finally listening to the science and the experts

Hell, I was screaming this years ago, there's no way, given the extremely slow process of enriching uranium via centrifuges, that Iran is going to have a nuke within a decade.

Yet Dems and 'Pugs have both pumped the false meme that it was imminent that Iran would have a bomb. Nice to see somebody listening to the science and experts on this one.

[bananas]

5. They're both right

Iran has about enough enriched uranium to make a bomb,
but it's reactor-grade low-enriched uranium,
not bomb-grade high-enriched uranium.

They have uranium mines and are going to build lots more centrifuges,
it won't be difficult for them to secretly make a bomb in the future,
or at any point in the future they could kick out the IAEA inspectors
and start building bombs with their civilian facilities.

Nuclear weapons are still the biggest threat to humanity,
even more than global warming: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x185354