Iran must be quaking in their boots

[Sarge]

If you don't stop, we're gonna tell you to stop again. And if THAT doesn't work............we're gonna get................the UN:rotflmao:

Glad these guys are on duty

IAEA Warns Iran, Fears Nuclear 'Black Market'

Thu Jan 22, 1:17 PM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Knut Engelmann and Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog told Iran Thursday it faced "serious consequences" unless it cooperated with a probe of its atomic program, which Washington suspects is aimed at building a bomb.

"They (the Iranians) know it's very important for the agency to come to a conclusion that the Iran program is for peaceful purposes," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum (news - web sites).

Amid worries in the West that Iran may be backsliding on its promises to suspend some of its nuclear activities, he said Iran still owed the IAEA some explanations.

"I wouldn't say they (Iran) are not living up to their obligations, but I think that there are issues they still need to clarify," ElBaradei said separately in a BBC TV interview.

Despite Iran's pledge last year to halt all uranium enrichment activity, Western diplomats say they are increasingly concerned that it has continued to acquire centrifuge equipment.

Enriched, or purified, uranium can be used either as fuel for atomic power plants or to make nuclear weapons. Experts say acquiring weapons-grade material is the biggest hurdle that countries seeking to make an atomic bomb must overcome.

"It would obviously have serious implications if they do not continue to cooperate fully with us in investigating the scope, nature, and content of that program," ElBaradei told reporters in Davos.

ElBaradei has previously warned that Iran would be reported to the U.N. Security Council if it did not cooperate with the Vienna-based nuclear agency.

The United States suspects Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb under cover of its atomic energy program, which Tehran insists is purely peaceful and geared only to generating electricity.

In November, foreign ministers from France, Britain and Germany went to Tehran and struck a deal under which Iran agreed to suspend enrichment activities and accept more intrusive, snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities in exchange for a possible exchange of technology.

But now those countries want Iran to suspend more activities related to enriching uranium, diplomats said.

Last week, Western diplomats told Reuters Tehran has been acquiring large amounts of equipment for centrifuges, used to enrich uranium, despite its promise in November to suspend all enrichment-related activities. They said it showed Iran had failed to deliver on its pledge, meant to build confidence.

BLACK MARKET IN WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY

ElBaradei told reporters that efforts to stop more countries from acquiring nuclear arms were under great stress because of what he called a black-market network that was trading in weapons technology.

Nuclear programs in Iran, North Korea (news - web sites) and Libya have all intensified Western concern that one or more new countries could join the "nuclear club," although Libya announced late last year it would cooperate with the United States and Britain in dismantling its weapons programs.

Asked about reports that nuclear know-how and technology may have reached Iran or Libya from Pakistan, ElBaradei said: "I think what we know is that there have been individuals involved. I do not want to jump to conclusions and say a government is involved."

He added: "What we are seeing is a very sophisticated network of black-market proliferators, people who are selling equipment, material underground ... We're still very much in the process of investigating this network."

Pakistan has questioned Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of its atomic bomb, and several of his colleagues in recent weeks after the IAEA started investigating possible links between the Pakistani and Iranian nuclear programs.

ElBaradei said it was clear that international non-proliferation controls must be examined and strengthened in the light of "lessons" from Iran and Libya.

"The regime is under a good deal of stress right now. Absolutely, we need to work fast and hard to strengthen the regime," he said. (Additional reporting by Lou Charbonneau in Vienna)

[Ancalagon the Black]

Sarge, using "Iran" and "quaking" in the same subject heading is in very poor taste.

[luckydevil]

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog told Iran Thursday it faced "serious consequences"

:rotflmao:

What by passing resolutions.

[OaktonSkins/BushFan]

Iran is trying to play this out despite the examples of Iraq, Afghanistan and, most recently, in Libya. Why? They're waiting to see what happens with the election. They know if a Democrat is elected, then it's business as usual. If Bush is re-elected, then it's time to go to the table and work something out with the Bush administration - or else....

[BG]

First I second ATB's post. It doesn't bother me per se, but it's like why kick a man while he's down, even if y'all don't really get along? Anywho, whatever with all of that.

I don't think we'd mount a massive campaign against Iran. Troops right now are spread way too thin across the middle east right now. An invasion of Iran would definitly spark a massive war on the scale of which we have yet to see.

Al Qada may have jumped in on the Iraq bandwagon, but many of the governments in that region just don't give a flying f*ck that Sadaam is gone. Some may be happy about it. They're definitely not happy about our presence there, but not p*ssed enough that they'd rush to fight alongside Iraqi military against the US and GB. The same with Afghanistan.

This is now the time where the rest of the world can step up and the UN can remove the stigma attached to their name. Many countries in Europe do not have embargos against Iran. If Iran doesn't comply fully with international demands, it's time to string up the neuse tight.

[luckydevil]

The student movement in Iran was the most underreported story of 2003.

[gbear]

agreed luckydevil.

What ever happened with out radio station there? I know there was more than a little annoyance when we cut back on substance to go back to playing more pop music. Why did we do that again?