“Nuclear program of Iran” on The Daily Caller

The prospect of a nuclear Iran has long been of great concern to the Western world. Yet, last week, when Iran began fueling its first nuclear reactor, the world blinked. (more)

CAIRO (AP) — Iran’s president offered friendship to the United States but also taunted Washington by saying he does not fear an attack by the U.S. because it could not even defeat a small army in Iraq, according to a television interview with the leader aired Sunday. (more)

Iran’s first nuclear plant is expected to go online within the next few days, and some speculate that Israel will take military action to prevent it. Fifty-one percent (51%) of U.S. voters believe the United States should help Israel if it attacks Iran. (more)

Rod Blagovich’s trial, Snooki’s taxed tan, and Brett Favre’s unretiring are all apparently more newsworthy than Iran’s acquisition of nuclear power. Nice job, media. (more)

Russia will begin loading fuel rods into Iran’s new nuclear reactor on Friday. Ultimately, the Bushehr complex will produce Plutonium (Pu239) much faster than centrifuges can deliver Uranium (U235), and Pu239 is better material for atomic weapons. But unlike attacks on similar reactors in Iraq (1981) and Syria (2007), the Israelis will not attempt to destroy Bushehr in the next two days or, indeed, two months. Why not? (more)

WASHINGTON – Israel has only mere days to launch an attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor if Russia makes good on its plan to deliver fuel there this weekend, former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton warned Tuesday. (more)

Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Iran plans to begin construction of 10 uranium enrichment centers across the country by next year, state-run media is quoting Iran’s nuclear chief as saying. (more)

The retired general also indicated that the return of three American hikers held in Iran for the past year would be an “important gesture”. (more)

Iran has dug mass graves in which to bury U.S. troops in case of any American attack on the country, a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard said today. (more)

A former CIA director says military action against Iran now seems more likely because no matter what the U.S. does diplomatically, Tehran keeps pushing ahead with its suspected nuclear program. (more)

The Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to have been abducted by the CIA was paid more than $5 million to provide intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a published report. (more)

(Reuters) – Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Iran was moving closer to having the potential to create nuclear weapons. (more)

Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it will not allow two of its inspectors to enter the country, state media report. (more)

European Union leaders have approved a new set of sanctions against Iran that go further than the latest United Nations measures. (more)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says a nuclear fuel swap deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey is still on the table, despite the adoption of new UN sanctions last week. (more)

Russia had earlier insisted on its right to carry out the air defense contract. Its rethink underlined how the tolerance of non-Western big powers for Iran’s disputed nuclear activity is fading, and could deny Iran formidable protection against any military attacks on its atomic installations. (more)

In the last few months, Iran has advanced to the brink of having a nuclear weapon. (more)

As Iran moves inexorably toward the creation of a viable nuclear weapons program recent developments continue to prove that alliances can be bought and sold in the world of diplomacy. Unfortunately, the costs of such alliances are often greater than the outcomes they are intended to produce. While United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced the forward movement of multilateral UN backed sanctions against Iran, one must consider what tangible effect these sanctions will ultimately have in deterring Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and equally important the question of at what cost to long-term U.S. security interests such sanctions will be obtained. (more)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top nuclear official says that work on Iran’s first nuclear plant is on schedule and the reactor will start operation by August. (more)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States introduced a United Nations resolution aimed at Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program on Tuesday, having won long-sought and pivotal support from China and Russia for new sanctions against its powerful Revolutionary Guard and new measures to try to curtail Iran’s military, financial and shipping activities. (more)