From the AP:
Iran has started enriching small amounts of uranium gas at its underground plant and is already running more than 1,300 of the machines used in the enrichment process, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency document obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press.
The confidential document  a letter to Iranian officials from a senior IAEA staff member  also protests an Iranian decision to prevent agency inspectors to visit the country’s heavy water reactor that, when built, will produce plutonium. Enriched uranium and plutonium can both be used for the fissile core of nuclear warheads.
Last week, Iran said it had begun operating 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz facility  nearly 10 times the previously known number. The U.S., Britain, France and others criticized the announcement, but experts  and several world powers  expressed skepticism that Iran’s claims were true and diplomats in Vienna familiar with the state of the program told the AP they were greatly exaggerated.
If so, the one-page letter reflected a swift advance in the program. A little more than two weeks ago, those diplomats had said Tehran was running only a little more than 600 centrifuges, and had not introduced any uranium gas into them. And even IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had said last week that Iran was operating only several hundred centrifuges at Natanz.
Hmm. Well, maybe if the international community is unwilling to do anything forceful to prevent Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons—sanctions and blockades are out, and the international left howls every time the suggestion of military force is even broached (though one suspects that many of the less ideologically blind of this contingent is just waiting for the US or Israel to do something!)—perhaps Britain and the EU can step to the plate and offer up a few more hostages.
Such at least might distract Iranian leaders for a bit—at least until they can decide just what concessions to demand from the increasingly impotent West. So many capitulations, so little time!
Me, I’d hold out for Abbey Road—after which I’d get a photo of Achminadinamcartney and 3 mullahs crossing it and make a new national flag out of it. I mean, talk about a propaganda coup! Why, you can almost hear the British tabloids titillated from here!
Me being the ADD type, a reflection of the instant gratification conciliation compromise generation, I would suggest that the EU move directly to having their leaders fly to Tehran, kneel on the airport tarmac and respectfully bare their necks. That picture would make a flag reflecting the greatest truthiness.
Why be symbolic and munching at length on nuance when a raw, visual representation of your collective weak bowels would be more appropriate.
After all, the Iranian parliament doen’t chant “Death to the EU” at the end of their sessions…
Q and O is discussing a new report that an Iranian arms shipment bound for the Taliban in Afghanistan has been intercepted.
Meanwhile the nutroots is up in arms over aggression, the Bush admibnistration’s aggression toward Iran that is.
I guess the Bush adnministration’s unsuccessful attempts to secure an international consensus for sanctioning Iran is just too warmongery and hyper-masculine.
Honestly infidels, it’s not as much fun when most of you are on my side.
“J.G. For P.M.!” Dhimmitude rules!
I’ve been enriching egg-and-onion bagel gas all morning.
I’m going to assume that’s the reason my checking account won’t balance and blame the Jewish lobby and the southern, racist, evangelical, Vidalia onion growing hegemon.
Death to the imperialist onion hegemon!!!
But, but, but…the Taliban boys are Sunni and Iran is Shiite! Y’all hate each other! Just like Saddam and and your fellow jihadis! This is impossible!
Right?
LMC,
Please, please, PLEASE give a “Warning: Hot coffee spewed through the nose will hurt like a son of a gun and will result in the loss of at least two computer peripherals” warning before posting stuff like that.
It’s still funny, an hour after I saw it the first time (and aforementioned warning was needed).
Uranium gas?
I know it’s a peripheral detail and I know what they mean, but I really wish I could count on journalists for a little precision in their writing. It would really reassure me when I read them on subjects I don’t understand well.
OMG. In a centrifuge?
How many science courses do you think the average journalism major takes? I’d bet they get out without taking Chem 101 and Physics 101.
I’d bet they get out without taking either.