tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post114011139973583636..comments2024-03-04T04:09:01.839-06:00Comments on And Doctor Biobrain's Response Is...: Thinking Like an IdiotDoctor Biobrainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01641661532899934766noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-1140138065304539612006-02-16T19:01:00.000-06:002006-02-16T19:01:00.000-06:00Here are the known facts about Iran's nuclear prog...Here are the known facts about Iran's nuclear program:<BR/><BR/>1- Iran has a legitimate economic case for nuclear power, which the US (including some of the members of the current Bush administration) encouraged. (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3983-2005Mar26.html and http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH24Ak02.html)<BR/><BR/>2- Iran's enrichment program was not clandestine, and was widely reported in the nuclear industry literature & on Iranian radio. Iran's deals with countries like CHina to make the necessary plants had been reported to the IAEA, and the IAEA had even visited Iran's uranium mines in 1992. (See Le Monde Diplomatique: "Iran Needs Nuclear Energy, Not Weapons" November 2005 - http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:Wv7d_FdiMH0J:mondediplo.com/2005/11/02iran)<BR/><BR/>3- While there were undeclared facilities in Iran, the IAEA reported in Nov 2003 that "to date, there is no evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities referred to above were related to a nuclear weapons program." Several other countries were caught cheating much worse with nuclear experiments than Iran (S. Korea, Bulgaria, Egypt . . .) but they just got a slap on th e wrist & no demands were made of them to totally give up their rights to a civilian nuclear industry.<BR/><BR/>4- In Nov 2004, the IAEA reported that "all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities."<BR/><BR/>5- In Jan 2006, the IAEA reported that "Iran has continued to facilitate access under its Safeguards Agreement as requested by the Agency . . . including by providing in a timely manner the requisite declarations and access to locations."<BR/><BR/>6- Repeated offers of compromise by Iran that would have addressed the risk of proliferation of nukes were simply dismissed without any consideration. Most recently, Iran's Jan 2006 offer to continue the suspension of enrichment for another 2 years of additional negotiations were summarily dismissed, and not even reported in the US press though it was reported in the Iranian press (see<BR/>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HB07Ak01.html )<BR/><BR/>Oh yeah, there's also a "magic laptop" which has literally fallen out of the blue sky, and conveniently provides all the evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran that no one else has found after 3 years of inspections.<BR/><BR/>So, there we have it. Draw your own conclusions. Ask yourself, are nuclear weapons really the issue here or just a pretext? <BR/><BR/>As for the recent efforts to "promot demmocracy" in Iran: <BR/>Iranians don't need Rice's $75 million to see the mess that the US has caused in Iraq -- they have access to satellite TV and the Web and can watch BBC, CNN etc. all day long. And for all his faults, Iran's president has better democratic credentials than practically ALL of the US allies in the Mideast. Why not spend that $75 promoting democracy in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, or Egypt (where voters were recently GUNNED DOWN IN THE STREETS BY THE MILITARY for voting the "wrong" way)? Incidentally, we provide BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in aid and arms to these non-democratic governments whilst pointing fingers at Iran.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494384.post-1140113333235764722006-02-16T12:08:00.000-06:002006-02-16T12:08:00.000-06:00Two weeks after 9/11 I understood that attack on I...Two weeks after 9/11 I understood that attack on Iraq was done deal. <BR/><BR/>I agree that threatening Iran is huffing and puffing and it will not happen. Let's see if that is correct.Bora Zivkovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10763808287050592569noreply@blogger.com