Article

2007-12-18 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

JP: Bush backs nuclear fuel supply to Iran

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by gorb 2007-12-18 07:27|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 Promises... written guarantees... Where's the "Smells like bullshit" graphic?

Posted by M. Murcek">M. Murcek 2007-12-18 10:14|| 2007-12-18 10:14|| Front Page Top

#2 Aside from the strategic point the President is making, does this shipment change the time-table for production of weapons grade uranium in any way?

Posted by Excalibur 2007-12-18 10:25|| 2007-12-18 10:25|| Front Page Top

#3 How's Iran coming with their power distribution?

Posted by eLarson 2007-12-18 10:31|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com] 2007-12-18 10:31|| Front Page Top

#4 I'd like to believe that Bush knows something we don't. I'd like to believe he's not as stupid as this makes him look. I really would.

For instance, maybe the Iranians secretly allowed the Ruskies to conduct inspections and that's how the CIA can claim their weapons program ended in 2003. Letting the Ruskies to do it in secret would be a way to resolve the conflict but would also allow Achmadinutjob to save face. Of course, it would mean we'd have to trust the Ruskies which seems like quite a stretch.

That's just a wild guess, wishful thinking if you will, because there really isn't any reason to believe it. I still think we should bomb the bastards.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-12-18 12:17|| 2007-12-18 12:17|| Front Page Top

#5 May we not live in interesting times.... but I'm pessimistic.

Believe what you will, Ebbang Uluque6305, but I think that Bush is more tired than stupid. He is still trying avoid the inevitable... Question is whether he'll have a choice before his presidency ends.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-12-18 13:40|| 2007-12-18 13:40|| Front Page Top

#6 I said I'd like to believe. I didn't say that I believe.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-12-18 14:00|| 2007-12-18 14:00|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm just trying to understand is all. Because I think it's important. But as I said before, I feel like a mushroom because they keep me in the dark and feed me cow manure.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-12-18 14:04|| 2007-12-18 14:04|| Front Page Top

#8 Methinks you've missed the point. Russia shipping fuel to Iran further hallows Irans claim of needing to enrich it for themselves for civilian power, becuase now they don't. They've gotten it from Russia.

Youse guys is about ready to throw in the towel right as Bush is making his best move. You're missing mate in two.

Never give up on the turn when your hole cards are the USAF and USN.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-12-18 15:01|| 2007-12-18 15:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Key Bush quotes from the article:

US President George W. Bush said on Monday he supported Russian shipments of nuclear fuel to Iran for civilian power, saying they proved that Teheran has no need to enrich uranium.

"If the Russians are willing to do that, which I support, then the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich. If the Iranians accept that uranium for a civilian nuclear power plant, then there's no need for them to learn how to enrich," Bush said.

Bush reiterated his belief that Iran was a danger as long as it continued to enrich uranium, and pointed to the recent US National Intelligence Estimate which determined that Iran had been running a covert nuclear weapons program until 2003.

"If somebody had a weapons program, what's to say they couldn't start it up tomorrow? Since they tried to hide their program before, how would we know?" he said.

Bush said that Iran was heading down a path of isolation, adding that a new round of UN resolutions was approaching. "If they [suspend their enrichment programs], there is a way forward for them that is different from the path they're headed down now," he stated.

That doesn't sound like naivete' or exhausted uncaring to me. Mike N. nailed it.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2007-12-18 15:26|| 2007-12-18 15:26|| Front Page Top

#10 Excalibur: does this shipment change the time-table for production of weapons grade uranium in any way?

My thinking is that they've got a bunch of commercial grade Uranium fuel sitting around waiting to be processed, so what's another kilo or thousand? It just has to get in line and wait. It would certainly be telling if we found a bunch of Russian fuel that was reprocessed though, wouldn't it? In any case, they'd have to be stoopid beyond belief to reprocess it. And if they didn't, then what are they doing with all those centrifuges besides either creating way more commercial fuel than they need, or (way more likely) reprocessing what they have in order to make a bomb? So logically they should shut down their line since they already have all they need. Right? Nah!!!

Iran is one step closer to being burnt toast. Even in the eyes of Europe. Will Iran figure it out?

Posted by gorb 2007-12-18 16:16|| 2007-12-18 16:16|| Front Page Top

#11 Had they truly wanted to bomb Iran they would of done so after they kidnapped our diplomats in the 70's, bombed the marine baraks in Beirut 80's, started the last Israel/Lebanon war and also their contined support of the Iraqi insurgency in killing our troops.
We have many reasons to attack them but why do we not is simply answered by that they have teeth and can bite back. They are not the Iraq that was declawed through the Iraq/Iran war, the first gulf war and finally 13 years of sanctions. They can retaliate by blocking the Hormuz, lets just say temporarily causing a world economic crisis, they can start another Lebanon/Israel war through Hizbollah which would probably draw/drag Syria into a war directly with Israel. Hamas could possibly attack in the south in coordination with Hizbolla in the north. Iraq is currently somewhat stable but that could easily change with the heavily armed Shia militias turing on American troops. Attacking Iran would result in to quote Jack Straw, "the lid coming off the pressure cooker".

Posted by Leah Ashley 2007-12-18 17:26|| 2007-12-18 17:26|| Front Page Top

#12 Leah,

Those doomsday predictions never come. That lid was suposed to come off when we invaded Iraq. Syria has already proven that it will do nothing even when attacked on its own soil. The Hezzies won't amount to much more than a massive headache for Israel unless they drop the ball again. The Shia militias, despite all of the money and influence from Iran, have already proven themselves more interested in Iraq and their own power within it than being an Iranian pawn. You should remember that just because they're Shia doesn't mean they're not proud Iraqis.

Blocking the straits is the only remaining possibility that I can see and I wouldn't count on the U.S. military not having a plan. Everytime they get into a fight in the ME, people make all kinds of predictions of dire results and so far, not a single one has come true.

And Jack Straw doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. This is the wrong site to be quoting him. Unless you intend it as sarcasm, of course.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-12-18 18:42|| 2007-12-18 18:42|| Front Page Top

#13 TOPIX/NEWSDAILY > BUSH: RUSSIAN DELIVERY MEANS IRAN NO LONGER NEEDS ENRICHMENT. SSSSSHHHHHH, unless Radical Iran has a covert/hidden agenda other than peacefiiil domestic energy.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-12-18 19:19|| 2007-12-18 19:19|| Front Page Top

#14 JPOST > FARKASH - NIE HAS OPENED THE WAY/DOOR FOR IRAN TO GET NUKES [bombs/weapons]. Article - Iran pointed SHIHAB-3 at both Tel Aviv and Riyadh [Saudis] during test of same, + Farkash believes Iran is dev the LR missle ability to hit the US EAST COAST AS EARLY AS YEAR 2010.

Also from JPOST > INTERESTING TIMES - ISRAEL IS NOT ALONE. Israel is actually more IRAN-PROOF than Europe is.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-12-18 19:26|| 2007-12-18 19:26|| Front Page Top

#15 Leah, our British Columbia ~~troll~~ philosopher, has been wrong on everything so far that she's posted, so I'd give her points for consistency, which is nice

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-12-18 19:44|| 2007-12-18 19:44|| Front Page Top

#16 Consistent, indeed. The last time Ms. Ashley commented, she quoted General Ramsey Clark, ret. when he was running for president in 2004... as if it were news today.

Just for Ms. Asley' edification, the last time Iran tried to close the Straits of Hormuz, didn't we sink their entire navy or something?

Posted by trailing wife 2007-12-18 20:10|| 2007-12-18 20:10|| Front Page Top

#17 Consistent, indeed. The last time Ms. Ashley commented, she quoted General Ramsey Clark, ret. when he was running for president in 2004... as if it were news today.

Just for Ms. Asley's edification, the last time Iran tried to close the Straits of Hormuz, didn't we sink their entire navy or something?

Posted by trailing wife 2007-12-18 20:10|| 2007-12-18 20:10|| Front Page Top

#18 Whoops! Sorry 'bout the double post.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-12-18 20:12|| 2007-12-18 20:12|| Front Page Top

#19 It was worth saying twice.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-12-18 20:17|| 2007-12-18 20:17|| Front Page Top

#20 TW, Mike N, yes, it would've been a slick move if the president's name was Niccolo Machiavelli. But I am afraid Dubya is not Machiavelli. Color me skeptical. Quite a few times I saw what may have been a brilliant move if properly followed up, and turned out to be attributable to incompetence.

Posted by twobyfour 2007-12-18 20:46|| 2007-12-18 20:46|| Front Page Top

23:44 gorb
23:43 Whomong Guelph4611
23:36 JosephMendiola
23:36 Whomong Guelph4611
23:30 Eric Jablow
23:19 Eric Jablow
23:13 twobyfour
23:11 Eric Jablow
23:11 twobyfour
23:09 twobyfour
23:01 Steve White
22:57 trailing wife
22:50 Anonymoose
22:48 twobyfour
22:41 Abu do you love
22:39 Anonymoose
22:38 gorb
22:33 Abu do you love
22:30 twobyfour
22:27 twobyfour
22:26 OldSpook
22:23 Sock Puppet of Doom
22:21 trailing wife
22:12 3dc