This, and not the apocryphal threat to "wipe Israel off the map," is the real reason for concern about the Iranian nuclear program.

However, there is another reason for the string of announcements, not mentioned in the article. Partly in response to the Iranian situation, the nuclear powers have discussed new arrangements under which nuclear fuel would be supplied to second-tier states under safeguards, but those states would not be allowed to have uranium enrichment or other nuclear fuel cycle capabilities.

Iran has shown that by openly declaring your uranium enrichment (and plutonium production reactor) projects, and saying they are for peaceful purposes, you place the world community in a position where your programs can't be blocked legally and the US (or someone) would have to launch an aggressive war to stop you.

Following the Iranian example, if you want to be one of the states that enjoys its full (current) rights under the NPT to enrich uranium, etc., then you'd better declare your interest and get started now, lest you be relegated to second-tier status under a future update to the NPT.

Let Iran have nukes too! Israel has got em.

What took Iran's neighbors so long to get on the nuclear energy band wagon? In the 80's it was Donald Rumsfeld who convinced the Shah of Iran that it made huge economic sense for Iran to develop nuclear power. It makes even more sense now with $130/barrel oil. The oil those countries save by switching to nuclear energy will keep them in $$$$ for many years.
They have the oil and they also have huge natural reserves of plutonium in Iran.
There are no sinister motives afoot. It just makes economic sense for that region .

With so much sunny desert acreage, the countries of the Middle East should invest in Solar energy, instead of nuclear, to resolve their energy needs.

This whole nuclear power scam is out of control. In order to support an industry that should have never existed in the first place, our leaders have gone around the world promoting nuclear power. Iran was given it's start during the Ford administration, but every administration since has gone around the world promoting an insane technology, that would have never gotten a start with out start to finish government subsidies.

It is amazing to me that we are now falling for the propaganda that these welfare industrialists are throwing around. Their line is that "there is no global warming problem, but the problem (that doesn't exist when they are asked to sacrifice) can be solved with "clean, green, safe, nuclear energy"

What a crock. If it is so damn safe lets repeal Price Anderson, the legislation that places the liability for catastrophe on us taxpayers. If its so cheap lets end the subsidies they are so addicted to.

If sunbeams were weapons of war we would have had solar energy eons ago.

The only mention of Israel was their war mongering with the U.S. and acts of war against Syria. No mention of their civilian nuclear program, let alone their secret nuclear weapons arsenal. Or that their attack on the Syrian building was a UN violation as well and Washington's story about it being a "nuclear reactor nearing completion" has been debunked. How convenient. I thought The Guardian/UK was better than this.

And it gets more dangerous with this story from Reuters today: "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed in talks with a U.S. Congressional leader that a naval blockade be imposed on Iran to try to curb its nuclear program, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday. The Haaretz daily quoted Olmert as telling Nancy Pelosi that "the present economic sanctions have exhausted themselves" and the international community needed to take more drastic steps to stop Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.The prime minister's suggestions, Haaretz said, included a naval blockade of Iran using U.S. warships to limit the movement of Iranian merchant vessels. Olmert also said, according to the report, that international restrictions should be placed on Iranian aircraft, business executives and senior officials".

This "drastic step" is nothing short of an act of war against Iran. Perhaps it's time to blockade Israel from American foreign policy.

Having nuclear weapons is the only way to win national respect and attention, and the only way not to be considered a military walkover by nuclear armed states. Since having nuclear weapons and means of delivery by missile is considered a valid invasion deterrent by the west, Russia and China, the same rules also apply to Iran, Korea and any other country under threat from big states like the US of Terror, Extortion and Resource Theft and its allied scum-bag states of the swilling. The nuclear nations have no respect for non-nuclear nations, and will continue to be a threat. What is feared is new members joining the nuclear extortion club, which results in much less of desirable earth real estate around to be a Vampire nations prey. Bring on the nuclear holocaust, since humankind has failed in its stewardship of the earth.

Iran must be stopped!

You can't have a MAD (Mutual Assurance Destruction) doctrine with a religious nut case who believe that if he'll die in a holy war, he will go to heaven and get 72 virgins.

Stopping Iran may be the only way to prevent a nuclear holocaust.

I just hope it can be done peacefully.

The simple fact is, that the only countries to failed to abide by the terms of the NPT (or haven't bothered to sign up to them), are - Israel, North Korea, India and Pakistan.
The next fact is, that nothing has been done to these countries, in the way of UN sanctions (which Israel manages to ignore).
Iran on the other hand, have complied with the NPT, have allowed inspectors in (unlike the US, Israel, India, Pakistan), have constantly stated that they only require Atomic energy for peaceful use, and have never attacked any of it's neighbours.
What the f--- are we doing placing sanctions on Iran, threatening them a naval blockade?
Iran have done very little wrong, apart from annoying the US in 1979, and stopping the West have full control over it's most valuable natural resource.

" KEM PATRICK May 21st, 2008 4:05 pm

If sunbeams were weapons of war we would have had solar energy eons ago."

We had that LONG, very long ago. People were cooking with solar ovens, or solar cookers (or sun ovens, cookers) long ago; and that wouldn't be possible if people hadn't had "solar energy eons ago". Temperature is a measure of energy, and sun melts ice. Similarly, we couldn't cook anything without energy; only the source varying.

Of course you must've already known this, but it also and clearly is not reflected in your post.

We had better hope the large oil suppliers in the Middle East develop nuclear sites for the production of electricity instead of using oil/natural gas to produce electricity. One only needs to look at their population growths over the last 38 years to get an idea of the problem. Domestic oil consumption in these countries is already starting to have an impact on stocks available for export...very much to our disadvantage.

Mike Corbeil -

I think that you're being harsh toward KEM PATRICK. He is alluding to national energy-producing strategies.

Israel knows that if anyone bombs the nuclear plants in Iran not only will there be war out of control but the atomic fallout will reach Israel and all the middle east and whoever bombs Iran will get the blame,

So a deterrent is not just having nuclear weapons but the new reality which Israel knows and now all the countries in the world now know is just having nuclear plants operating is a deterrent as well.

The USA started this and now it is unfolding as it should....
Lotto says "Iran must be stopped"... War is not going to stop anything but make everything you want, impossible unless what you want is Global destruction.

The new Prez will realize that official negotiation with Iran and UN inspections can keep them to their promise of peaceful use of nuke power.

Bush wants the Hawks in Israel to think he is gonna attack Iran because Bush thinks they are the only friends he has left but now even the Zionists don't trust Bush...Why? because any idiot knows Bush is a liar who can't be trusted.

The Zionists like Netanyahu think 9/11 was good for Israel... well, Fuck them!