Iran Discovers New Uranium Deposits

[superconnected]

QOM, Iran - Iran said Tuesday it had found uranium ore at three new sites in the center of the country, an announcement that appeared designed as a fresh challenge to the drive by the United States and allies to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran already has considerable uranium resources available for its nuclear program, a fact that called into question the importance of the new discoveries — beyond their propaganda value.

"We have got good news: the discovery of new economically viable deposits of uranium in central Iran," Mohammad Ghannadi, deputy chief for nuclear research and technology, told a conference.

He said the deposits were found in the Khoshoomi region, Charchooleh and Narigan.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060502/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

[simonm]

1. hmm

I wonder if they are telling the truth or really bought the material from another country.

[superconnected]

2. I don't trust any of the news on this anymore.

A lot of the times its from Reuters which I consider American based. But even foreign papers can spread propaganda bought with American money.

Maybe this is true, maybe not. I'll take it with a grain of sand.

[Ghost Dog]

8. Well, the above is an AP report. Reuters isn't running it, so far.

Re. Reuters: http://about.reuters.com/investors/corpinfo/facts/index.asp

* Founded in London in 1851
* Around 330,000 professional users
* Approximately 15,000 staff in 91 countries
* World's largest international multimedia news agency - 2,300 editorial staff, journalists, photographers and camera operators in 196 bureaux serving approximately 130 countries
* In 2004 Reuters filed over two and a half million news items, including 440,000 alerts, from 209 countries around the world published in 18 languages.
* Real-time data provided on 5.5 million financial records
* More than 200 million data records maintained and updated containing over 3,000 billion discrete data points (or record fields)
* Information on 35,000 companies worldwide
* Financial information from over 300 exchanges and OTC markets
* Financial data updated over 8,000 times per second, and at peak time more than 23,000 times per second
* More than 4,000 clients contribute prices, opinions and analysis
* Reuters Group 2004 revenue £2.9 billion *
* Constituent of FTSE100 index
* Listed on the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ exchanges: RTR and RTRSY (respectively)
* Reuters is among the most read news sources on the Internet reaching millions in their offices, homes or on PDAs

* Includes Instinet Group Incorporated

Though, looking in particular at the Board, I guess it's more Anglo-American than it used to be. (I've seen PNACers such as M. Ledeen call it Al-Reuters, however...)

On edit: Reuters is certainly not perfect (they insist on repeating the "wipe State of Israel off the map" meme, for example, when the original speech appeared to refer to an "inevitable fall of the (zionist) regime") - but it's probably one of the best going, imho, especially since the BBC went wobbly, post Dr. David Kelly.

[Zynx]

3. Iran is in a geological area that should have a good deal of uranium.

This isn't surprising.

[Tempest]

4. Although the amount of Iran's uranium deposits are unknown

It is estimated they are in the top ten in the world, some experts place them at number three.

[Tesha]

5. That's okay, the Bushies will still wave Nigerian receipts...

Dearest sir:

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mwanne Mfission and
I am director general of the Nigerian Uranium Consortium,
Nuclear Uses Committee (Nuc Nuc). I have recently come into
possession of several hundred kilograms of weapons grade
material fissile and am very much desiring to remove this
dangerous material from my country as soon as possible,
but in order to do this, I will be needing the help of
an outside citizen such as yourself.

...

So if you would just arrange for the transfer of $4.3 billion
in United States Treasury bonds, I will be happy to transfer
the materials to your designated port-of-entry most hastefully.
I look forward to the satisfactory conclusion of business to
our mutual benefits.

Yours,

M. Mfission

[Tempest]

7. LOL!

Too funny.

Thanks for the laugh.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. They don't need to buy material from anyone

Iran has significant uranium deposits already.

[BR_Parkway]

6. After seeing what happened to Iraq after they gave up everything

I really can understand why Iran is going to loudly call our bluff, or maybe it's try to bluff us into thinking they can do alot more than they can.

Iraq - gave in to US demands and got slammed anyway

N Korea - thumbs nose at US and shows up at the bargaining tables only after winning some other concession.

Who would I try to act like if I were in Iran? Especially knowing that China, Japan, Russia, Spain & France were all very, very interested in making sure that the oil being pumped out of the ground wasn't interrupted for any reason (and that Japan & China own so much of the US economy that they can cripple the US anytime they choose)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Uranium ore was never the problem.

Clean fluorine was.

Follow the fluorine.

[daleo]

11. It doesn't seem like it is all that rare

Although it is awfully tricky to handle (even eats through glass containers).