Monday April 4, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Iran has recently permitted 30 journalists to visit the place that was their once top-secret nuclear site, the Natanz.

The Natanz is situated about 150 miles south of Teheran. From the accounts of local and foreign journalists who visited the plant, it is surrounded by 10 anti-air batteries and is heavily enfenced. Clearly, Natanz is set up as a top secret and well-protected facility.

The US and the EU have, early on, identified this facility. From the very onset of the conflict with Iran and Iran's continued march towards nuclear proliferation the Natanz plant has been a big agenda item.

The journalist were actually treated to the real plant - not some facade. Why?

Because the Iranians see it as a safe place to showcase.

The work done at the Natanz plant is enriching uranium. It requires centrifuges that quickly spin uranium transforming it into a gas.

What happens after that, however, is that the gas can then be used in a nuclear bomb.

The Iranians are now saying, you saw our facility, now leave us alone.

The problem is that Iran has many, many more facilities