Iran Claims It's Doubled Its Enrichment Capacity

Iran now claims that it has 6,000 centrifuges spinning away furiously to enrich uranium.

Iran continues to expand its enrichment capacity and capabilities despite months of talks aimed at getting Iran to cease and desist from such activities. The IAEA, which is supposed to deter proliferation is so far behind the curve, that it is once again proven useless.

Ahmadinejad said those nations — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany — have tempered their demands, asking Iran not to freeze enrichment but rather not to expand its current program beyond 6,000 centrifuges, state-run radio reported.

"Today, they have consented that the existing 5,000 or 6,000 centrifuges not be increased and that operation of this number of centrifuges is not a problem," Ahmadinejad said.

In its negotiation with Iran, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany have offered a package of technological, economic and political incentives in return for Iran's cooperation.

A report by the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency delivered to the Security Council in May said Iran had 3,500 centrifuges, although a senior U.N. official said at the time that Iran's goal of 6,000 machines running by the summer was "pretty much plausible."

Meanwhile, the diplomats apparently have caved on their demands for total elimination of Iran's nuclear program and appear content on allowing Iran to maintain some number of centrifuges.

That's a very dangerous and completely asinine position to take since Iran will continue to add centrifuges enabling it to enrich uranium to weapons grade. These talks continue to give Iran time to build new centrifuges and overcome technological hurdles as well as build up a stockpile of enriched materials.

Iran needs time for those centrifuges to run, and the diplomats are more than willing to give it to them. That is one dangerous concession that I'm convinced will blow up in someone's face.