Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Might be one of the most recognized faces in global politics in the past 3-4 years. After becoming the President on August 5, 2006; Ahmadinejad has led this little known West Asian country into great economical surges. He has brought great economic and social reforms in the conservative society of Iran, and has been the most recognized face of Iran in recent times. He is the most powerful directly elected member of the Majlis-al-Shura, or the Iranian Parliament (eventhough he has far less power than the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini). He has been the vocal supporter of Iran’s Nuclear Programme, which’s purpose is claimed to be of the production of energy.
Let’s take a brief look into Iran’s nuclear programme.
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran’s nuclear program continued until the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the Shah of Iran.
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Iranian government temporarily disbanded elements of the program, and then revived it with less Western assistance than during the pre-revolution era. Iran’s nuclear program has included several research sites, a uranium mine, a nuclear reactor, and uranium processing facilities that include a uranium enrichment plant.
Iran’s first nuclear power plant, Bushehr I, was expected to be operational in March 2008 and delivering its maximum capacity to the nation’s power grid by March 2009. There are no current plans to complete the Bushehr II reactor, although the construction of 19 nuclear power plants is envisaged. Iran has announced that it is working on a new 360 MWe nuclear power plant to be located in Darkhoyen. Iran has also indicated it that it will seek more medium-sized nuclear power plants and uranium mines for the future.
The foundations of the nuclear programme were laid after the CIA performed a coup to depose Prime Minister Mohammed Mosagheh and bring back the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to power.
In March 1974, the Shah envisioned a time when the world’s oil supply would run out, and declared, “Petroleum is a noble material, much too valuable to burn… We envision producing, as soon as possible, 23 000 megawatts of electricity using nuclear plants.” Bushehr would be the first plant, and would supply energy to the inland city of Shiraz. In 1975, the Bonn firm Kraftwerk Union AG, a joint venture of Siemens AG and AEG Telefunken, signed a contract worth $4 to $6 billion to build the pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant. Construction of the two 1,196 MWe nuclear generating units was subcontracted to ThyssenKrupp, and was to have been completed in 1981.
President Gerald Ford signed a directive in 1976 offering Tehran the chance to buy and operate a U.S.-built reprocessing facility for extracting plutonium from nuclear reactor fuel. The deal was for a complete ‘nuclear fuel cycle. At the time, Richard Cheney was the White House Chief of Staff, and Donald Rumsfeld was the Secretary of Defense. The Ford strategy paper said the “introduction of nuclear power will both provide for the growing needs of Iran’s economy and free remaining oil reserves for export or conversion to petrochemicals.”
Iran, a U.S. ally then, had deep pockets and close ties to Washington. U.S. and European companies scrambled to do business there.
After the Islamic Revolution when Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and Ayatollah Khameini was declared Supreme Leader, Iran’s Nuclear Programme was temporarily disbanded. In 1983, Iran informed the IAEA of its nuclear plans and they also agreed to give Iran support to enrich plutonium. However, IAEA was forced to terminate this plan due to US pressure. France also refused to supply uranium to Iran.
Disaster strikes Iran with Alireza Jafarzadeh a spokesman for an Iranian dissident group National Council of Resistance of Iran, revealed the existence of two nuclear sites under-construction: a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz (part of which is underground), and a heavy water facility in Arak. The IAEA immediately sought access to the plant and information thereafter. The EU-3 signed the Paris Pact. On August 30,2006 Ayatollah Khameini claimed “why can’t Iran develop nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes?”
The recent test-firing of the Shabab-III missile might also prove a reminder to United States that Iran can and may attack Israel (which is claimed of possessing 100-200 nuclear weapons); a prominent ally of the United States that Iran may prove to be a serious threat to world peace in the near future.
But may I ask a question to all the world leaders.
Why can’t Iran develop Nuclear Reactors for peaceful purposes? Iran isn’t a nation like North Korea, which is ruled by a dictator. It is a democratic nation, and has been peaceful in all the recent past. Iran maybe supporting or funding Hezbollah, but that until now hasn’t been proved true. Moreover, the Iranian people claim that nuclear weapons are a “no-no” in Islam. And as Iran strictly practices Islam, nothing should be worrying the West.
But what is worrying them now? Or do they just want to attack Iran for the sole purpose of oil, like they did in Iraq?
They are a billion questions to ask to, but there seems to be no one to answer to.
