1. 20 nuclear plants far exceeds the needs of any country. 2. It took Iran 20 years to build Bushr, and could only do it with German and then Russian help. So, who in their right mind is going to believe: 1. that Iran seriously intends to build these plants. 2. that Iran is even capable of building them. Obviously Iran is trying to provoke the international community, and lie about it's reasons for continuing enrichment activities. In particular it is lying in order to justify producing massive quantities of enriched uranium. This announcement is intended, plain and simple, to pull one over on Iran's own simple-minded apologists, who will now go around screaming at the top of their lungs that Iran needs to enrich lots and lots of uranium now in order to prepare for these pie-in-the-sky plants. Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. Joseph Goebbels could not have made this seem believable.

Using Bushehr as an example of how long it takes to build a power plant is a very bad example. There were compatibility, economical, and political issues that made its completion so long. 20 plants may seem like a lot, but some nations sell power to their neighbors and it could be a good business and income for the Iranian government. As always, governments usually give vast overestimations on projects. Don't forget, Iran are signatures of the NPT and historical background of non invasion. Of course some people listen to networks like FOX News who mistranslates things on purpose things like 'Wipe Israel Off the Map", in an effort to prove Iran a threat. The reason why US has it in for Iran is they got rid of US during the Islamic Revolution. Apologists for what? Even if Iran were to pursue a nuclear weapon which all cases show they AREN'T. This would be a direct result of USA's own foreign policy. The US works with India, Pakistan, Israel, and doesn't touch N. Korea. They all have nuclear weapons. So anyone in their right mind would want them since it stops US from huffing and puffing. It is more about Imperial rule and controlling other sovereign nations. I am less afraid of Iran then I am of America due to history of America's interventions, overthrown governments, invasions, bombings, and wars. Mention Goebbels, he would be proud to see US perfected defending the undefensable. Interesting a commenter speaks exactly the same points as the US foreign policy... the intended result of propaganda... Iraq was certainly a threat too, they had weapons of mass destruction and harbored Al Qaida... oh the propaganda... Let those war drums keep on beating until there are no more nations for US to invade. After all, the US is the moral authority.

mbach says 20 nuclear plants far exceeds the needs of any country?? How many nuclear plants does America have? How many does Russia have? And Israel? We know the following are facts: Iran does not have nuclear weapons, the IAEA has confirmed this many times during their many inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities. We know that Iran has never attacked another sovereign country. We know that Iran is a signatory to the NPT. The following are also facts; Israel has many nuclear weapons, which they refuse to talk about let alone allow any inspections. Israel invades at least 2 countries every decade. Israel refuses to sign the NPT. Please, let us deal with facts from now on...

There is a lot of nonsense talked about Iran's nuclear weapons program. If Iran builds a nuclear bomb, so will Saudi Arabia , Egypt , etc. And how many of these new nuclear states will aim there bombs at Israel? How many will aim them at Iran? So if Iran does build a nuclear weapon then in a short period of time it will be surrounded by many nuclear states. And Israel will be just one of its nuclear armed and hostile neighbors. What's all the fuss about then? Iran is a powerful state that doesn't take its foreign policy from the USA. It's antagonism to the Israeli state is a true reflection of the will of the vast majority of ordinary people in the Middle East. And as in so many cases(Hamas election) when representative democracy produces outcomes unfavorable to Western elites the results are disparaged by Western leaders as products of 'Tyranny'.

@mbach Where did they say they were going to make 20 nuclear reactors themselves? They determined that for economic growth they would need x amount of power generation capability. That x amount works out at 20 times the capacity of the reactor being completed very soon. I doubt US companies will get a contract to build these new reactors and that Russia will likely benefit. It is most likely a carrot to Russia to say that the economic relationship with Iran is worth 20 times the value of the reactor they are currently building for Iran and of course perhaps with the added benefit of the air defences needed to protect 20 reactors as well. That is a lot of money. What is the west offering? The facts are that Iran has signed the NPT and has the right to access to nuclear electricity generation... that is the only reason to sign such a document. I think the dumbest thing to do for the US is a strike, simply because the Iranians are not stupid... if they do have plans for nuclear weapons then the facilities will not be located any where near the reactor being built by the Russians. A strike will CREATE a nuclear weapon program in Iran and probably accelerate it based on international outrage and sour grapes from the Russian scientists over the Russian scientists that would be killed in the strike on the civilian nuclear reactor. Bushehr is not a breeder reactor. It doesn't produce plutonium or weapons grade uranium... it creates spent fuel rods that need enriching a lot to be used again as fuel and even more to be used as a bomb making material. If they had a weapons program it is exactly the wrong type of reactor to build.

August 17, 2010, 22:47, mbach wrote > 1. 20 nuclear plants far exceeds the needs of any country. > 2. It took Iran 20 years to build Bushr, and could only do it with German and then Russian help. > So, who in their right mind is going to believe: > 1. that Iran seriously intends to build these plants. > 2. that Iran is even capable of building them. > Obviously Iran is trying to provoke the international community, and lie about it's reasons for continuing enrichment activities. In particular it is lying in order to justify producing massive quantities of enriched uranium. > This announcement is intended, plain and simple, to pull one over on Iran's own simple-minded apologists, who will now go around screaming at the top of their lungs that Iran needs to enrich lots and lots of uranium now in order to prepare for these pie-in-the-sky plants. > Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. > Joseph Goebbels could not have made this seem believable.

Since Israel backed down over the newly activated nuclear power plant in Iran, this will motivate Iran to build many other facilities as quickly as possible until they reach parity with Israel in their quest for atomic bombs. Iran is following in the path of North Korea and there apparently is no willing power to stop them. Iran is on course to rule that region, with or without Israel's permission. The more powerful a country becomes, the less liklihood they will be challenged militarily. The powder keg will probably ignite through a mistake or carelessness, not planned war. The genie is out of the bottle and will never be contained until WWIII destroys much of the world.