The Nuclear Clock Is Ticking Again
If you are old enough to remember, during the height of the Cold War, the concept of the ‘nuclear clock’ was popular. The idea was that when it struck midnight, the world would blow up in a nuclear holocaust, and it was always about three seconds until midnight. Then, when the Soviet Union imploded, all of a sudden the clock moved backwards, and the concept began to die down.
Well, it’s ticking again. And if it’s not three seconds until midnight, it’s getting awfully late:
Since February, when the [I.A.E.A] referred the Iran dossier to the Security Council, Iran has drastically reduced the access of the international inspectors. The decision has limited or blocked inspections of hundreds of the country’s atomic sites, programs and personnel; the result is more uncertainty and less information about Iran’s progress in mastering the basics of uranium and plutonium, the foundations for both producing electricity and building bombs.
Most noteworthy in the report was the discovery of particles of highly enriched uranium on a container at a waste storage facility at Karaj, not far from Tehran.
The particles were taken from the container for testing a year ago, but the agency obtained the result only a few weeks ago because of the limited capacity of its verification laboratory.
In late 2003, the discovery of traces of highly enriched uranium in Iran touched off international concern about the country’s nuclear intentions and raised questions about where the material had originated. Another find of the radioactive material earlier this year redoubled the sense of alarm.
But Thursday’s disclosure was different, diplomats said. “This is the first case with no known linkage,” said one European diplomat who could not be quoted by name because of diplomatic rules. “But we have to be careful because over time these things can be explained away, at least in theory.”
Robert Joseph, the under secretary of state for arms control and international security, was cautious in talking about the new evidence, but said, “We need to be very concerned that Iran may well be undertaking experiments, and may be undertaking the construction of centrifuge machines, out of sight of I.A.E.A. inspectors.”
Highly enriched uranium, containing 80 percent or more of the rare uranium-235 isotope, is considered bomb grade and can be fashioned into the core of a nuclear weapon.
Diplomacy is hopeless – with Iran. It may yet have a chance with Russia and China. We must bring every possible inducement to bear; Russian and Chinese intransigence cannot be allowed to block action.
I have no wish to be an alarmist, yet I can think of few prospects more alarming. A nuclear Iran would be a huge setback for civilization as we know it. This is no-limit hold-’em, and Iran has gone all in…
Recent Comments