What Iran Did - And Did Not Do - Today
The media, especially the AP and the New York Times, are driving me up the wall today. Unfortunately, the distortions they are reporting are being repeated in the blogosphere. So let me try to clarify things a bit over what Iran did and did not do today. What they did is open a heavy water production facility. This is in no way - not even a slight bit - itself a nuclear plant or facility. It is an industrial facility to separate out the approximately 1 in 3,200 molecules in naturally occurring water that contains deuterium oxide. Hydrogen contains a proton in the nucleus and a single electron. Deuterium (or heavy hydrogen) has a neutron in the nucleus as well. This occurs naturally in very small quantities in nature.
Heavy water can be used as a moderator in a nuclear reactor - and that is what Iran plans to do. It makes a superior moderator for plutonium production because it contains that extra neutron. It is less likely to absorb a neutron. Therefore more neutrons go to actually producing plutonium (or causing a fission). The Iranians are building a heavy water reactor (the IR-40) and they are being very, very secretive about it's design, but I will be willing to bet it will contain either a uranium shroud or uranium targets to produce additional plutonium.
There can be no doubt that is what Iran plans, but that is not what they did today. There is no doubt this is a weapons program - none at all. But they did not start up a reactor, either.
But they spit in the face of the UN. That they did.
UPDATE: Pay attention here left-wingers. The Associated Press: WRONG. The New York Times: WRONG. Fox News: CORRECT. Completely correct. No conflation, no misinterpretation. They are spot on accurate.
By TC@LeatherPenguin, Sunday, 27 August , 2006 @ 2:21 am
When oh when can we alow the Air Force to just, y’know, fly by and say “Oops!” and drop a MOAB upside their Allah-lovin’ heads?
By Donna, Sunday, 27 August , 2006 @ 6:18 am
Iran has not engaged in an aggressive war in over a century……..this is in sharp contrast with aggressions and pre-emptive wars of other countries. Perhaps, in taking a perspective break from this delicious war fever mentality, you could find a more appropriate country to mis-use as the object of projection of your own negative pleasure hostilities.
Do not speak of ’spitting in the face of the UN’ unless you want to list the examples of other countries who disregard the UN. Can’t have it both ways, eh?
Picking at the mote in another’s eye, ignoring the beam in your own.
By Gaius, Sunday, 27 August , 2006 @ 6:44 am
They have been waging a proxy war for decades. Who do you think directs Hezbollah?
Keep turning a blind eye - they’ll bring the war to you at a time of their choosing.