Iran ups its nuclear bid

The Iranian government stunned the world community by announcing a plan to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities—this just after being rebuked for duplicity and non-cooperation by a resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The plan to expand was decided upon in a Cabinet meeting headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad told those at the Cabinet meeting that, “We should be able to produce 250–300 tons of fuel per hour and to attain the goal we need more new modern centrifuges with higher speed.” The Iranian President claimed the Islamic Republic needs the new facilities to produce 500,000 nuclear centrifuges and 20,000 megawatts of electricity within the next 20 years. Iran will commence construction of five uranium enrichment sites within two months and seeks to develop five additional locations to begin shortly thereafter.

The Islamic Republic’s decision to construct ten new enrichment plants is boldly defiant of U.N. demands and is likely to exacerbate tensions between Iran and the United States. Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Iran will continue to permit basic inspections of its nuclear facilities, but may no longer oblige “voluntary gestures.” President Ahmadinejad said, “We welcome friendly ties with the world, in the meantime, we never let them violate the legitimate rights of Iranian nation as little as a needle-head.”

The IAEA condemnation arose from discovery of construction at a newly revealed Iranian nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom. “Fordow”, Iranian’s second known enrichment site, will hold nearly 3,000 centrifuges and is considered to be a small-scale site. The resolution demanded that Iran cease construction of the new facilities and was unexpectedly supported by Russia and China. Grigory Berdennikov, the Russian representative to the Board of Governors of the IAEA said Russia still seeks to clarify, “…all remaining questions about Iran's nuclear program.”

The public first became aware of the second Iranian enrichment plant in September at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh. The plant was seen as proof that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons. Ivan Oelrich and Ivanka Barzashka wrote in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, that Fordow’s size “would make the most sense if it were part of a network of clandestine nuclear facilities.” President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and British Prime Minister Gordon agreed with the findings and said that the “size and configuration” of the underground facilities at Fordow were “inconsistent with that of a peaceful program.”

Fordow’s facilities are located in a mountainside tunnel and are guarded by “passive defense” systems. The stated official purpose of the underground site is to insure continued uranium enrichment in the event of an Israeli or U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Earlier this month the IAEA said that approximately 8,600 centrifuges are housed in Natanz. Only 4,000 of the 8,600 centrifuges are used for uranium enrichment. Ultimately, Natanz will be used to house 54,000 centrifuges.

Iran has rejected the IAEA’s resolution and branding it as “intimidation.” It was this international censure that triggered Iran’s announcement of 10 new industrial-scale enrichment facilities. In further reaction to the resolution, representatives of the Iranian Parliament issued a statement to the government of the Islamic Republic, asking for a lessening in future cooperation with the IAEA. The statement, signed by 226 members of Parliament, described the IAEA resolution as being politically motivated. Ali Larijani, Iranian parliament speaker and former chief Iranian nuclear negotiator, warned this Sunday that, “If you do not stop these ridiculous carrot-and-stick policies, we will in return adopt new policies and seriously decrease cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Larijani also said, “Iranian parliament has warned the US and other members of the five-plus-one group that do not think such kind of outdated games will give you a chance for haggling.”

The outgoing IAEA Director and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Iranian General Mohamed ElBaradei, believes talks between Iran and the UN watchdog have reached a “dead end.”

ElBaradei brokered the recent attempt at an Iranian nuclear compromise that would have required Iran to ship most of its uranium out of the country for enrichment. The collapse of the negotiations has been seen as a sign of disorder within the structure of the Iranian government and marked a disappointing close to ElBaradei’s 12-year career at the IAEA.

Adam Abrams writes for The Cutting Edge News from Tel Aviv.