InfoAnda - Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Kentucky couple win $128M Powerball prize | 7 January 2010
Russia favors keeping up talks with Hamas: foreign minister | International | | 24 May 2009
How the poll on digital abuse was conducted | 3 December 2009

FBI divers recover 7.5 tons cocaine from sunken sub; Haul worth $180 Million | 2 August 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Geraldine Fabrikant Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (5) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our best photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article Images of January Best photos of the year 2011 Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Iran oil ministry denies state media reports on EU oil stop 8:30am EST Special Report: Towns go dark with post office closings | 14 Feb 2012 U.S. carrier crosses Hormuz amid rising Gulf tensions 14 Feb 2012 Strong 6.0 earthquake strikes off Oregon coast 14 Feb 2012 Honduras prison fire kills more than 350 inmates: officials | 11:14am EST Discussed 240 It’s bailout or chaos, PM Papademos tells Greece 241 Obama proposes $800 million in aid for ”Arab Spring” 177 House Speaker Boehner vows to stop Obama contraceptive rule Watched Huge baby shocks parents Tue, Feb 7 2012 Humanoid robot makes storefront debut in Valentine's experiment Fri, Feb 10 2012 USS Abraham Lincoln patrols near Iran Tue, Feb 14 2012 Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Iran's Ahmadinejad loads nuclear fuel rods: state TV 7:49am EST Iran sends letter to EU on new nuclear talks: Al Alam TV 8:04am EST Russia urges "serious" search for compromise with Iran 10:06am EST Analysis & Opinion Tragedy in Fukushima: when can we go back to home again? Betting on Syriaâ€™s Assad staying in power Related Topics World » Israel » A group of scientists are seen near the control room area at the Tehran Research Reactor in Tehran, in this still image taken from video February 15, 2012. Credit: Reuters/IRIB Iranian TV via Reuters TV By Parisa Hafezi TEHRAN | Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:42am EST TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran proclaimed advances in nuclear know-how on Wednesday, including new centrifuges able to enrich uranium much faster, a move that may hasten a drift towards confrontation with the West over suspicions it is seeking the means to make atomic bombs. Tehran was driving home its resolve to pursue a nuclear program its hardline Islamic clerical leaders see as a pillar of power, protection and prestige despite Western sanctions that are inflicting increasing damage on its oil-based economy. Iran also aimed to show that the tightening sanctions noose has failed to stop it making progress in nuclear technology and to firm its hand in any renewed negotiations with world powers. "The era of bullying nations has past. The arrogant powers cannot monopolize nuclear technology. They tried to prevent us by issuing sanctions and resolutions but failed," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a live television broadcast. "Our nuclear path will continue." However, Iran's Arabic-language Al Alam television said the government had handed a letter to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressing readiness to "hold new talks over its nuclear program in a constructive way." An Ashton spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the letter, saying she was evaluating it and would consult with the United States, Russia, China and other partners among the big powers. Iranian officials have long refused to negotiate curbs on its program, saying it aims solely to produce electricity for booming domestic demand in OPEC's No. 2 oil-exporting state. The most recent talks between world powers and Iran collapsed in January 2011 when they could not agree an agenda. The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions are ultimately judged futile in reining in its nuclear activity. IRAN DENIES BANNING OIL EXPORTS TO EU Underlining the high stakes and at times nervous confusion arising from the nuclear stand-off, Iran's Oil Ministry denied a state media report that it had cut off oil exports to six European Union states. Brent crude oil prices jumped up $1 a barrel to $118.35 in reaction to the announcement. "We deny this report ... If such a decision is made, it will be announced by Iran's Supreme National Security Council," a spokesman for the ministry told Reuters. Iran's English language Press TV said Tehran had halted oil deliveries to France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Netherlands and Spain -- its biggest EU customers -- in retaliation for an EU ban on Iranian crude due to take effect in July. "It is not really surprising that we are seeing this chaos as it reflects the fractured political process in Iran," said Nic Brown, head of commodities research at Natixis in London. "You have the oil ministry responsible for revenues while other parts of the government are trying to make political statements. At the end of the day, they need revenues and they will remain dependent on the Europeans if they cannot place their oil elsewhere. Iran remains absolutely dependent on income from its oil exports," Brown told Reuters. The Islamic Republic is the world's No. 5 oil exporter, with 2.6 million barrels going abroad daily, and the EU consumes around a fifth of those volumes. With Western sanctions now spreading to block Iran's oil exports and central bank financing of trade, Tehran has been resorting to barter to import staples like rice, cooking oil and tea, commodities traders say. The most recent talks between world powers and Iran failed in January 2011 because of Tehran's unwillingness to discuss transparent limits on enrichment, as demanded by several U.N. Security Council resolutions passed since 2006. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Map of Iranian oil industry: link.reuters.com/nuh45s Crude imports from Iran: link.reuters.com/dab65s Iran oil exports: link.reuters.com/pyw35s Iran exports to Europe: link.reuters.com/dax35s ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NEW GENERATION OF CENTRIFUGE The nuclear achievements proclaimed by Tehran involved a new line of uranium enrichment centrifuge and the loading of its first domestically produced batch of fuel into a research reactor that is expected to soon run out of imported stocks. Tehran has for some years been developing and testing new generations of centrifuges to replace an outdated, breakdown-prone model. In January it said it had successfully manufactured and tested its own fuel rods for use in nuclear power plants. Ahmadinejad said the "fourth generation" of centrifuge would be able to refine uranium three times as fast as previously. If Iran eventually succeeded in introducing modern centrifuges for production, it could significantly shorten the time needed to stockpile enriched uranium, which can generate electricity or, if refined much more, nuclear explosions. Last year, Iran installed two newer models for large scale testing at a research site near the central town of Natanz. But it remains unclear whether Tehran, under increasingly strict trade sanctions, has the means and components to make the more sophisticated machines in industrial quantity. "We have seen this before. We have seen these announcements and these grand unveilings and it turns out that there was less there than meets the eye. I suspect this is the same case," said Shannon Kile at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). MAJOR THREAT, FRANCE SAYS France said Tehran's latest moves again demonstrated that it would rather ignore international obligations than cooperate. "These statements are an extra concern for the international community," said deputy foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal. "The Iranian military nuclear program constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace not only in the world but in the region. We are convinced that Iran continues to develop this program. (Today's) announcements reinforce that conviction." But Russia said global powers must work harder to win concessions from Iran, warning that Tehran's preparedness for compromise was waning as it makes progress toward the potential capability of building nuclear warheads. Making a case for a renewed dialogue, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said U.N. sanctions and additional measures introduced by Western nations had had "zero" effect on its nuclear program. Iran has threatened retaliation for any attack or effective ban on its oil exports, suggesting it could seal off the main Gulf export shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, used by a third of the world's crude oil tankers. NEW FUEL FOR RESEARCH REACTOR State television aired live footage of Ahmadinejad loading Iranian-made fuel rods into the Tehran Research Reactor and called this "a sign of Iranian scientists' achievements." The Tehran reactor produces radio-isotopes for use in medical treatments and agriculture. Iran says it was forced to manufacture its own fuel for the Tehran reactor after failing to agree terms for a deal to obtain it from the West to replenish imported Argentinean stocks that will run out in the near future. In 2010, Iran alarmed the West by starting to enrich uranium to a fissile purity of 20 percent for the stated purpose of reprocessing into special fuel for the Tehran reactor. In boosting enrichment up from the 3.5 percent level suitable for powering civilian nuclear plants, Iran moved significantly closer to the 90 percent threshold suitable for the fissile core of a nuclear warhead. Analysts remained doubtful that Iran would be able to operate the research reactor with its own special fuel. "As usual, the announcement surely is exaggerated. Producing the fuel plates ... is not so hard. But the plates have to be tested for a considerable period before they can be used safely in the reactor," said Mark Fitzpatrick of London's International Institute for Strategic Studies. "If Iran is really running the reactor with untested fuel plates, then my advice to the residents surrounding the building would be to move somewhere else. It will he unsafe." Spent fuel can be reprocessed into plutonium, the alternative key ingredient in atomic bombs. But Western worries about Iran's nuclear program have focused on its enrichment program, which has accumulated enough material for up to several bombs, in the view of nuclear proliferation experts. Analysts say the fuel rod development itself will not put Iran any closer to producing nuclear weapons, but could be a way of telling Tehran's adversaries that time is running out if they want to find a negotiated solution to the dispute. Iran appears to have overcome one serious recent obstacle to nuclear development by succeeding in neutralizing and purging the "Stuxnet" computer virus from its nuclear machinery, European and U.S. officials and private experts told Reuters. Many believe Israel planted the virus. (Additional reporting by Mitra Amiri, Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran, Fredrik Dahl in Vienna, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, John Irish in Paris and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich) World Israel Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (5) Slowekistan wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Wednesday, 15 February 2012
U.S. carrier crosses Hormuz amid rising Gulf tensions |
Iran to unveil new nuclear fuel advance: report |
Mexico arrests meth trafficker linked to drug lord Guzman |
Chavez allies turn on Venezuelan opposition leader |
Yahoo-Alibaba talks at an impasse: sources |
BlackBerry faces new challenge from U.S. agency |
Senators launch new push for cybersecurity bill |
Amazon's Quidsi mulls more stores, starts Casa.com |
Private funeral planned for Whitney Houston |
Flowers, gifts and a kiss for Streep in Berlin |
Jolie's war film revives Bosnia's divisions |
Syrian forces attack Hama, Homs despite pressure to stop |
Egypt to hold presidential poll in May: report |
Thais find possible bomb link in Thai, India attacks |
Bahrain forces patrol capital on revolt anniversary |
Chavez allies turn on Venezuelan opposition leader |
U.S. captive charged with trying to kill Pakistan's Musharraf |
Turkish opposition blasts new government spy bill |
Yahoo-Alibaba talks falling apart: sources |
Websites of exchanges Nasdaq, BATS hit in online attack |
Samsung Elec says considering spinning off LCD business |
Zynga user growth slows, shares fall |
China's Proview says any ban of iPad exports hard to |
Apple CEO: cash discussions intensifying |
Private funeral planned for Whitney Houston |
Bonnaroo music festival unveils lineup |
Lucille Ball stars in I Love Lucy Facebook game |
Oscar red carpet off limits for Artist dog Uggie |
Iran trumpets nuclear advances, deepening standoff |
Honduras prison fire kills more than 350 inmates: officials |
Taliban says the U.S. to repeat Soviet defeat in Afghanistan |
Vatican paper brands leakers irresponsible wolves |
Italy prosecutors seek 5-year term for Berlusconi |
Is an Arab Spring in the air for Algeria? |
A year on, Libyans enjoy freedoms but anxieties abound |
Apple iPad plant conditions better than the norm: agency |
In Brazil, Google paves Facebook's path to the top |
Apple iPhone market share to slip from Q1: Gartner |
Alibaba Group petitions USTR over piracy list |
Taiwan's Acer Q4 net below forecast |
Flowers, gifts and a kiss for Streep in Berlin |
A Minute With: Reese Witherspoon on going to War |
Lucille Ball stars in I Love Lucy Facebook game |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01