Iran in scramble for fresh uranium supplies

Iran in scramble for fresh uranium supplies

www.timesonline.co.uk

Western powers believe that Iran is running short of the raw material required to manufacture nuclear weapons, triggering an international race to prevent it from importing more, The Times has learnt.

Diplomatic sources believe that Iran’s stockpile of yellow cake uranium, produced from uranium ore, is close to running out and could be exhausted within months. Countries including Britain, the US, France and Germany have started intensive diplomatic efforts to dissuade major uranium producers from selling to Iran.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is an interesting period in the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and the Iranian regime's intentions.

Things like this have been done before. In the Falklands War in 1982, when Britain and Argentina were fighting, the British intelligence agency MI6 basically ran around the world buying up stocks of Exocet anti-ship missiles to prevent Argentina from using them against Royal Navy ships.

We seem to find ourselves in a similar situation. The intelligence and security agencies of the US and Western Europe are working together to prevent the Iranians from acquiring more fuel for the nuclear programme. It might actually reduce the chances of a conflict, since it'll slow things down and give the new Obama administration time to start negotiations (perhaps after the Iranian Presidential elections in June, which more moderate elements stand a decent chance of winning).

Who knows.

www.timesonline.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)