Iran Gets Fuel for Nuclear Reactors

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Skeptik

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Russia ships nuclear fuel to Iran

Russia has delivered its first shipment of nuclear fuel to a reactor it is helping to build at Bushehr in Iran, Russia's foreign ministry has said.

The two sides reached agreement last week on a schedule to finish building the plant after years of delays.

Some Western countries fear Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons but Tehran says its programme is peaceful.

The UN Security Council has already imposed two sets of sanctions on Iran for refusing to stop enriching uranium.

Enriched uranium is used as fuel in nuclear power stations. When it is more highly enriched, it can be used to make nuclear weapons.

There are two pressurised water reactors at the Bushehr site, one of which is reportedly near completion and likely to be the first major Iranian reactor to go on stream.

Russian officials have previously said the plant could be operational within six months of fuel being made available.

Iran first planned a reactor near the south-western port of Bushehr with German assistance in 1974.

Those plans were abandoned after the Islamist revolution in 1979 but the Russians picked up the project in 1992.

The Russian company building the plant, Atomstroiexport, said the containers of fuel had been inspected and sealed before delivery by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Russia's foreign ministry said it had received assurances from Tehran that the fuel would not be used anywhere but at Bushehr.

The foreign ministry statement urged Iran to stop enriching uranium, saying there was no longer any need.

But a senior Iranian official said his country would not halt uranium enrichment under any circumstances, Reuters news agency said.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7147463.stm
There may be a special deal on the table, but the Iranians are not saying.
 
Russia and Iran are probably both feeling emboldened after the latest US NIE, which could explain this, particularly from the Russian side. Slightly o/t but saw an interesting article on that from Kissinger.
 
Syndyre said:
Russia and Iran are probably both feeling emboldened after the latest US NIE, which could explain this, particularly from the Russian side. Slightly o/t but saw an interesting article on that from Kissinger.
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HK is a very good example of a living anachronism.
He's still sadly in the cold war mindset .

The way I see this panning out is a deal with Russia to refine & supply the fuel. That way they can have control over what it is used for.
 
Skeptik said:
HK is a very good example of a living anachronism.
He's still sadly in the cold war mindset .

The way I see this panning out is a deal with Russia to refine & supply the fuel. That way they can have control over what it is used for.
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He is but it often seems the Russian leadership is as well so maybe he's partially justified in having the same mindset? That's the most likely result but the Iranians don't seem to like that option, probably because they want more than nuclear power.
 
Syndyre said:
He is but it often seems the Russian leadership is as well so maybe he's partially justified in having the same mindset? That's the most likely result but the Iranians don't seem to like that option, probably because they want more than nuclear power.
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The old guard still have influence in the Duma, but are slowly being marginised. What the West don't want to understand is that if they don't embrace Putin's reformist policies, the Russian people will see that being democratic doesn't work and they will vote in the communists. Perhaps this is what the USA wants - no competition - which a HUGE capitalist Russia will bring to the world before China even.
 
Skeptik said:
The old guard still have influence in the Duma, but are slowly being marginised. What the West don't want to understand is that if they don't embrace Putin's reformist policies, the Russian people will see that being democratic doesn't work and they will vote in the communists. Perhaps this is what the USA wants - no competition - which a HUGE capitalist Russia will bring to the world before China even.
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The Russian people are already talking about the need for a "strong leader" etc. which isn't very democratic. China is probably more of a threat to the US than Russia, Russia may be huge geographically but its population relative to China's is tiny and declining rapidly. Its economic growth is also mainly fuelled by high commodity prices, particularly oil and gas.
 
russia are trying to get under the US skin :)

you can only poke a giant so much better it crushes you

although russia aint far off a giant
 
Let's hope those nukes get built ASAP, because if I have to read one more speculation story out of America's South African propaganda machine (Media24) and BBC and CNN then I might have to call Putin myself and request a stronger supply of Uranium.... so that we can blast these Western Dictators to Kingdom come;)
 
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