Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.

Dismiss

@@ Islamic back-scratching? @@

2 views

Skip to first unread message

Arash

unread,

Dec 31, 2005, 10:42:44 AM12/31/05

AntiWar
December 31, 2005

Islamic back-scratching

Dr. James Gordon Prather
Nuclear weapons physicist
Nuclear bomb tester at Lawrence Livermore
Technical director of nuclear bomb testings at Sandia
Chief scientist of the U.S. Army
U.S. Navy veteran

Fifteen years ago – on the eve of the disintegration of the Soviet Union – Congress
authorized financial and technical assistance to the Russians to help them secure,
store and dismantle excess Soviet nuclear weapons and to peacefully dispose of the
excess weapons-grade materials recovered thereby.

Furthermore, under the 1997 U.S.-Russia Trilateral Agreement with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), we are committed to dispose of our excess weapons-grade
plutonium and to pay the Russians to peacefully dispose of theirs.
The Russians intend to dispose of theirs as uranium-plutonium mixed-oxide power plant
fuel (MOX), and to, thereafter, continue making MOX – under IAEA supervision – using
plutonium recovered from "spent fuel".

A nuclear fuel element is typically left in a conventional water-moderated
water-cooled nuclear power plant for four or five years. About 3-5 percent of a new
enriched-uranium fuel element is "fissile" and will "burn". Additionally, in the
"burning" of fissile-uranium, fissile-plutonium is "bred" from the non-fissile
uranium.

Hence, when the typical fuel element is removed from the power plant, about
two-thirds of its uranium-plutonium fissile-material (and virtually all its uranium
non-fissile – but "breed-able" – material) remains "unburned".

Hence, the spent-fuel element is still worth – as fuel – about two-thirds as much as
was the original fuel element.

Hence, in Europe and Russia, spent-fuel elements are chemically reprocessed and
remaining uranium-plutonium fissile material – as well as the very large amount of
breed-able uranium – is recovered and incorporated into new fuel elements.

Since enriched uranium is needed only for the original uranium fuel-element, the need
for uranium-enrichment services – and for new supplies of "yellowcake" – will be
drastically reduced once the MOX fuel cycle is fully implemented.

What has all this got to do with current Israeli and neo-crazy threats to destroy the
Russian-built IAEA Safeguarded nuclear power plant now nearing completion at Bushehr,
Iran? Or to destroy the IAEA Safeguarded uranium-enrichment facility barely under
construction at Natanz, Iran?

Well, the rest of the world – concerned about nuke proliferation – also concluded
long ago that if the Russians are willing to burn up their weapons-grade plutonium as
MOX, then they are willing to help them, financially and technically.

Even though MOX is barely cost-effective now, it undoubtedly will be very
cost-effective in another 20 years or so when the world's current supply of cheap
yellowcake is near exhaustion.

Now, spent fuel contains appreciable fractions of Pu240 and Pu241. The radioactive
properties of these higher plutonium isotopes are such that, (a) the recovery of the
plutonium from the spent fuel, (b) the manufacture of the MOX-fuel elements, and (c)
the installation of the MOX in the power plant needs to be well coordinated, with the
time interval between each step essentially minimized.

So, the Russians intend to build (with international financial assistance) humongous
spent-fuel storage facilities and MOX-fuel fabrication plants. The Russians will then
charge the rest of the world annual fees for storing their spent fuel and for
fabricating new MOX fuel.

The Russians intend to build several dozen reactors – in Russia and elsewhere –
specifically designed to run efficiently on MOX fuel. Meanwhile, existing
water-moderated water-cooled reactors are already operating – with relatively modest
modifications to the plant and to operating procedures – on MOX fuel in Russia, Japan
and elsewhere.

So, what should the Iranian mullahs do, if they're smart?

Forget about enriching uranium.

Have the Russians make – before it begins operation – certain modifications to the
Bushehr power plant so that it can use Russian MOX fuel.

But how can the Iranians be assured of a Russian fuel supply in future?

They can't. The Iranians haven't got anything the Russians need.

But the Iranians do have something the Pakistanis (and the Indians, and the Chinese)
need. And need badly.

Natural gas.

Now, the Pakistanis have uranium-enrichment facilities, and for at least the last 15
years have been offering uranium-enrichment services.

Furthermore, IAEA Safeguarded facilities employ efficient super-sonic
second-generation gas-centrifuges.

However, the uranium-enrichment facility the Iranians had been planning to construct
at Natanz will use unreliable much-less efficient first-generation gas-centrifuges,
essentially obtained second-hand from Pakistan.

So, why doesn't the Islamic state of Iran cut a deal with the neighboring Islamic
state of Pakistan to obtain from them a guaranteed contingent supply of enriched
uranium in return for a guaranteed supply of Iranian natural gas?

Well, recall that Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki did recently meet with his
Pakistani-counterpart "to bolster defense, trade and cultural ties".

They reportedly focused on the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline, but
at a joint press conference afterwards, Foreign Minister Kasuri made it clear that
nuke-armed Pakistan would oppose any use of force against Iran's IAEA Safeguarded
nuclear fuel-cycle programs.

* Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy implementing official for
national security-related technical matters in the Federal Energy Agency, the Energy
Research and Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army. Dr. Prather also served as
legislative assistant for national security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon,
R-Okla. --ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate
Energy Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had earlier worked as a
nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(http://www.llnl.gov) in California and Sandia National Laboratory
(http://www.sandia.gov) in New Mexico. http://www.antiwar.com/prather

West has kept billions of Iran's EURODIF investments for 30 years
In 1975, Iran took a very costly 10% financial participation in EURODIF uranium
enrichment plant being built in France. Iran paid $1 billion towards the purchase of
a 10% share of ownership in EURODIF and agreed to buy a quota from the new plant. But
after the Iranian revolution in 1979, neither was Iran given any enriched uranium nor
did it get back its investment from EURODIF. The U.S. was also paid to deliver new
fuel and upgrade its power in accordance with a contract signed before the
revolution. U.S. gave neither the fuel nor the billions of dollars it had received
for it. Germany was paid for in full, billions of dollars for the two nuclear
facilities in Busher, but after three decades, Germany has refused to export any
equipments or refund the money.
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0540800f7314f7b0

IAEA and Iran
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml

Setting the Record Straight about Iran's Nuclear Program
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/a19f89b941a33707

Iranian nuke warheads
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/9d475a1b45c388d5

AIPAC statement on the U.S. administration's policy on Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0c5663f63d76e5c0?hl=en

IAEA is doing Israel's bidding
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/953912efce75cbd9?hl=en

Without Discrimination
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e2a592e4c4c6fcf8?hl=en

Nuclear terrorism
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7254647c13390f5a

Those Crazy Mullahs
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7a8e501fa56ff9d3

Neo-Crazies Already Planning Beyond Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/470563f4bdf3cb36?hl=en

Authoritative mis-information on Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/66bbad26c0f03d49

"Stolen Iranian Laptop", GLADIO's new campaign of misinformation
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f552c361c6d02dfc
Referring Nuke-Threats to Security Council
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/edd8971f345bb857

New York Times, Nuclear Weapons and Iran:
Stupidity, Laziness or Déjà vu All Over Again?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f2718b3d938eaed2
Iran's transparency
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/b385feaa1916d4d2

'Ahmadinejad's bombmaker' – where are you?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/78343ab2a9b9a3e8

Whoops! There she goes again
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/6f573bd90d5e1ee1

Lump of Coal for Condi
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/d098e8d0fd41745a

Fixing and forging intelligence
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/4c6663c968fd5f6c

Clumsy forgeries, Italian style
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/75bf490e791b0806

Stifling neo-crazy media sycophants
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/8790e709a9a122b4

After 2 years of intrusive go-anywhere see-anything ask-anybody inspections!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/a545047699722ca7

Nobel's peaceful kick to the groin
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/22f9662d106ce9c4

Bolton the Peacemaker
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/de17232f52db3933

Saving Face
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7da8706c13c8a059

West does not seek the elimination of nukes, but rather the establishment of nuclear
monopoly
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/502efbdfaa7622f7

Unratified additional protocol
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1b2b77819b38d9e3

The high price of hounding Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7c854d944d6e061d

Such a Blot
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/43ee2e2149e17310

Weapons of Mass Murder
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0f3f87b645a72fde

Neocrazies Foiled
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/86df9c0e9c38d475

Iran knocks Europe out
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/497a81cb3c315c65

UN opens a Pandora's Box of "Iran exceptionalism"
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/24bfe5a318d9a222?hl=en

There is Nothing to refer to UN Security Council
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/76824d9387903d4a?hl=en

WMD Postmortem
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d02537756cafca8?hl=en

No wonder the West is so mad at Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/83e63797f1a1af3b?hl=en

Bolton in a China Shop
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/9927bb4f65924e34?hl=en

JEW media sycophants & 36% HEU - IRAN told the truth, yet JEW keeps lying
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f90a6eef507f10a0?hl=en

Past Arguments Don't Square With Current Iran Policy
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f53d3a05bc5403c1?hl=en

The fuel behind Iran's nuclear drive
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2fcf81313deb4ae0?hl=en

The U.S. and Iran: Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d0dcf76abbaafb1?hl=en

NO Nuclear double standards
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/8e41f4a8a1a3e04c?hl=en

Backlash Builds Against Cheney's 'Guns of August'
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/8286b2b389247d0a?hl=en

An offer Iran MUST refuse
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/743b96400831f8a1?hl=en

Zero Tolerance
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1641ae424fde5b89?hl=en

Sino-Russian Guarantees?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bd8f5389ab0e8956?hl=en

More neo-crazy media sycophant LIES about Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/d3fe84a9b64d20bc?hl=en

What The Neo-Crazies Knew
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/6b45fabf57726a03?hl=en

EU vs. Iran - Who's Right?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/cbce70a3093360fb?hl=en

Iran should refer U.S. to Security Council for violating UNSCR-984
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d54ef8e41b971bf?hl=en

Castration of NPT - U.S. instantly tore up NPT for India, so why should Iran obey a
torn up agreement!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2c234f4a148cd298?hl=en

U.S. ripped NPT into pieces; Iran must withdraw from this annulled treaty
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/fbf55e939908b2c2?hl=en

U.S. proliferation rhetoric and reality
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7d8c268ee51c07be?hl=en

Ambassador Bolton's Agenda
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1ca916601b7a7bc8?hl=en

Iran's INALIENABLE RIGHT to uranium enrichment
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/245f6081b4e3d019?hl=en

A Palliative for Neo-Crazy Lies
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1b7968f98173938d?hl=en

Inalienable right without discrimination
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/5012a673328fa044?hl=en

U.S. doesn't want to disarm even though it promised to do so
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c0b86cad11cb9413?hl=en

UN Referral – Not
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bddc928154c8c96a?hl=en

What Iranian obligations? What breaches? America's lies, lies, lies...
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/9535c4a90df98471?hl=en

Memo to slimy senators
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7065ffd57b51a959?hl=en

U.S. promised in 2000, to get rid of it's nukes!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1e23bafecdac9e82?hl=en

U.S. has violated Iran's NPT rights!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/02f1f48fafcac2b6?hl=en

Iran's diplomatic masterpiece
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f532352654efee1d?hl=en

Bush to sabotage NPT
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/6386adef83860d3e?hl=en

West's repeated violations of "Article IV & I" against Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0123ceb12dd47321?hl=en

Israel guns for Iran - Why?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2c0274540f3957b7?hl=en

U.S. wants definition of NPT 'noncompliance' changed!!!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2abab5a7b8bce4c5?hl=en

NTP for dummies
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f317bb918ca244da?hl=en

CNN's Wolf Blitzer & David Albright: Jews global campaign against Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/44fcd2a53218eb52?hl=en

The Real Threat From John Bolton
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/16fb61c3cca32703?hl=en

81-mm smoking rockets
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/fb2c580ba00d79a6?hl=en

U.S. plans to destroy NPT
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/760abaff1d8ac7c2?hl=en

Nuts to Bush
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/de936f823b4dfb11?hl=en

Iran's logic proven correct to the entire World
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/a5798de678dad2a9?hl=en

Sandbagging the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group)
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/238000abe8fe032e?hl=en

What Noncompliance?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/32f537772749ecc2?hl=en

Sandbagging the EU
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bb437d1ee00ad1e9?hl=en

Bye-Bye, NPT
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/eb8e9f617d0e0867?hl=en

Jew tells Bush to lie about Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c96849f55f92353e?hl=en

Targeting Non-existent Nukes?
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e25e86754767e3ef?hl=en

Blindly Backing Israel Against Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/ca49370dcc1f41a4?hl=en

Condi Desperate to Stop EU-China-Iran Chain Reaction
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/26e6a24b43339654?hl=en

The Impossible Dream in the State of the Union Address
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/74938ea7958d0764?hl=en

Targeting Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/dbb46af7ff3f0b66?hl=en

Bay of Pigs part 2, CIA-Israeli-MEK
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/b58f2a1d8b2290ff?hl=en

Threatening Iran - despite the evidence
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/ce6e09919da68cbb?hl=en

Virtual Nukes
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c245e595ad17ae57?hl=en

Iran's having the capability to enrich uranium is not even tantamount to having the
capability to produce the essentially pure uranium-235 required to make a nuke
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/303c3ca53b67c0a7?hl=en

Dangerous Delusions About Iran
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/42c57f2ae0cdb3b0?hl=en

Thwarting the Neo-Crazies
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/66c79d721fd588d4?hl=en

Trashing the IAEA Again
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f8c610f6cc9e1fda?hl=en

U.S. keeps lying about Iran again & again
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e9f480b192bd425e?hl=en

Iran's Stealthy Nukes
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e47cc87d2b268368?hl=en

Uranium-Enrichment Myths Busted
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f7ebc6f4bed9d13a?hl=en

Iran Plays by the Rules - No Fair!
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/25be300601cc8984?hl=en

Nuclear Bait and Switch
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0a0dc80ca3b8e98f?hl=en

The myth of Iranian nukes
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bf78503a661673e9?hl=en

North Korea has what Iraq didn't
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/56f613221080276e?hl=en

Iran has absolute right to enrich uranium
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0a8ac2dc599976ba?hl=en

Iran is in full compliance with NPT & IAEA
http://groups.google.com/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/737b74e86ba897cb?hl=en