President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony at the enrichment facility at Natanz that Iran was now capable of enriching nuclear fuel "on an industrial scale."
Asked if Iran has begun injecting uranium gas into 3,000 centrifuges for enrichment, top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani replied, "Yes." He did not elaborate. United Nations has demanded Iran halt the expansion of the uranium enrichment program.
The announcement suggests Iran has succeeded in operating a larger number of centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran. The country has said its goal is to install and start working with 3,000 centrifuges.
It wasn't as scary as I feared it might be given the uncertainties of figuring out what their capabilities are, but the main point is that the Iranians continue to march toward a nuclear-armed future. This isn't the announcement that Iran can enrich Uranium to bomb-grade quality but it is one more necessary step to making that announcement.
If we don't act soon, a murderous regime will soon have the tools to carry out their threats against the West and Israel.
And while many here continue to insist that military action must be the last resort, the more the knowledge of nuclear weaponry becomes deeply embedded within Iran. More people acquire the knowledge of how to proceed and unless we kill them all, destroying buildings is the least effective way to slow them down. Iran can rebuild structures if they have the scientists and technicians who take decades to train ready to pick up the pieces. Indeed, Iran could rebuild in other countries and subcontract various stages of the work in locations that may be immune to future attacks.
We make excuses about why we must not act, spinning every news event into a reason not to defend ourselves before it is too late.
And the Iranians keep up their own spinning toward a nuclear-armed future. Yes indeed, lovely decade we're having here.
Have a nice day.
