Reading the Rhetoric on Iran

While President Bush is apparently trying to tone down rhetoric first uttered by journalist Sy Hersh, who claimed the US was preparing for nuclear strikes against Iranian nuclear program targets, we get this:

Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani said Iran has successfully operated 164 centrifuges to enrich uranium, the Kuwaiti News Agency was quoted as saying Tuesday.

How long they've had that capability is left unspoken. It's the billion dollar question that everyone is wondering.

And that matters a great deal, since the longer they've had the capability to process and enrich uranium, the closer they are to their goal of having sufficient weapons' grade material for a nuclear weapon. Or multiple weapons. And Iran refused to back down.

Meanwhile, Iran is trying to gain a seat on the UN's revamped Human Rights Coucil. Atlas Shrugs has the gory details (warning - strong content alert).

UPDATE:
Iran says it has enough low enriched uranium to power a nuclear power plant. The enrichment level is well below what is necessary for a nuclear weapon, but the fact is that the technology to bring the enrichment level to weapons grade is the same. And if you've got a nuclear power plant to supply the energy, a big headache for the enrichment facility is eliminated - a generous supply of electricity to run the separators.

Iran's nuclear chief, Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh, said Iran has produced 110 tons of uranium gas, the feedstock for enrichment.

The amount is nearly twice the 60 tons of uranium hexaflouride, or UF-6, gas that Iran said last year that it had produced.

Aghazadeh made the announcement during a nationally televised speech in the northeastern city of Mashhad, attended by top military commanders and lawmakers. Aghazadeh spoke before the president made his comments.

They've become self sufficient on acquiring enriched uranium, which means deals with Russia are moot - they don't need the Russians to get nuclear materials when they can make it themselves.

UPDATE:
For those wondering what kind of technology is behind the uranium enrichment process, this is a good starting point. Others blogging the Iranian announcement: Stop the ACLU, All Things Beautiful, Ace of Spades, The Sundries Shack, Memeorandum, Gina Cobb, Flopping Aces, and LGF.

UPDATE:
Captain Ed has further thoughts. And he provides a history lesson to those who need to be reminded the price of appeasement.

Technorati: iran, uranium, nuclear proliferation, iaea, us, un.