Report: Iran slows down nuclear program in gesture to West

JB:"And since the Islamic revolution 1 million Iranians died because of a nod and a wink from America to a bloodthirsty and murderous butcher." 1 million Iranians died because of Saddam Hussein. Why blame someone else? He did it all by himself. Nobody forced him to kill a million people. He is responsible for that war, not another country who you believe gave a nod and a wink to him for whatever vague reason. What nonsense.

CJK: "iran has been murdering americans and other westerners since the islamic revolution. they are murdering their own people. they have started two wars through their proxies, hezbollah and hamas." And since the Islamic revolution 1 million Iranians died because of a nod and a wink from America to a bloodthirsty and murderous butcher. Does the American/Israeli death toll even REMOTELY balance that ledger, Cipora? No, it does not, yet you insist on running your myopic little eye down one sigle, solitary and self-absorbed column in that same ledger-book. CJK: "your support for such a regime is shameful." Back 'atcha, Cipora. Since the islamic revolution Iran has started precisely zero wars. In that same time frame Israel has invaded foreign soil on, well, how many times now? And the USA? There have been some very fine South American Adventures by the US Army in that same time frame, not to mention two military occupations in the Middle East.

Apparently you don't believe Iran should stop enriching uranium as required by the IAEA and the UNSC? Apparently you believe Israel should sit tight and say nothing in the face of great threats from a murderous Iran. Apparently you believe the whole world should stop and wait for you and a few expats to organise a revolution via Facebook. Goodluck. I sincerely wish the Iranian people the best possible outcome. But don't expect others to bear the consequences of failure.

...........well?!?

Jon Obama is faced with other challenges and his peace prize has yet to be earned. He is tied to the ideology of the hippies of the 1960,s. In principal it is good but not in real life. We live in an ugly war torn world where proxy war has kept it out of our living rooms. Why send soldiers when Blackwater can fight? How many contractors now work for Nato? Africa is a lost cause. They don't even want Nato anymore. Tinhorn dictators enriching themselves and killing their own people. I want Israel and Palestinians to form a football team. I think it could compete and do well.

Rogue states will sell technology. France is as guilty as the rest. When Somali pirates captured a Russian transport ship it was filled with arms for Sudan. North Korea needs money. I think another preemptive strike should be considered.

Lets sell yellowcake to Iran. God forbid they ever get a nuclear weapon. Myanmar only wants it for medical research and Iran for peaceful purposes like energy and research. Bull. Iran is enemy number one in the world now. We all know it but hope somehow that the opposition can mount a challenge. Forget it. The so-called righteous muslim state showed their true colors. Ayatohhlas who preach to the west about anything have zero credibility. Let the people of Iran decide and the US has no say. We backed the Shah and back Karzai now. The people will win out I hope. The oil rich Emirates will be a footnote in history. America will most likely fail from capitalistic greed. We can make a last stand if we truly embrace freedon and live our words.

"If indeed the nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, they would have continued but let the West verify." - Al The IAEA reports detail the safeguards, inspections and controls that the Iranian program is under. The coverage of the plants is 24/7. Clearly you have not availed yourself of the opportunity to know what is going on Al. Iran HAS failed to completely satisfy the IAEA and has not come back into compliance with the Additional Protocols. Thus the IAEA refuses to declare them in compliance, and this means that the Security Council Resolutions and Sanctions continue. "Who do they think they are fooling. Pathetic!!!!!" - Al It seems that the situation has you fooled Al. The goal of the UN/IAEA is to get Iran back in compliance with the Additional Protocols as well as answer a few questions and allow a few interviews. It is NOT to end any nuclear activity by Iran forever and it is NOT to destroy Iran.

"i would ask Israel if it really means something to them to sign up to the NPT straight away. "HE WHO HAS NOT SINNED MAY CAST THE FIRST STONE" This is required otherwise it is called HYPOCRISY." - Johnathan McAuliffe That Israel is not a signatory to the NPT has nothing to do with the failure of Iran to satisfy the IAEA that it is in total compliance with the NPT. Your 'argument' is just a 'red herring'.

1) Today, any person with 'unlimited funds' could acquire a nuclear weapon within a few months. Soon, it will not require 'unlimited fund'. 2) Iran is a civilized country. Their agenda may not be 'brilliant', and their leadership may be less than fit, but so is the leadership of every other country. 3) The 'dangerousness' of Iran is a subjective, temporary, political game. ["Iran has the potential to be dangerous, therefore it is."] 4) Instead of creating a powerful enemy, we should be creating a powerful friend. Iranians are humans who react predictably. (i.e., they should not be controlled, but their acts can be anticipated). 5) How man monsters should we create? Take a step back and look at the future.

anyone with half a brain knows exactly what they are up to..this is all absurd and the appeasing obama makes as if he really believes iran is willing to unclench their fists..come on..is obama that stupid? certaibnly not...so then, what is he? israelis rightly have him figured out..and it wasn't even hard ..how americans are just starting to figure him out now is mindblowing...I think we can all agree obama is NOT stupid...and given that, one has to ask themselves, ok, why IS he courting iran? oil? grand bargains? he is a charlatan and a dangerous one at that...is he the ONE nostradamus was alluding to? hang on to your hats...long live israel!

Gesture to the west my A--. More like they are having technical problems, as reported elsewhere.

activities. If indeed the nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, they would have continued but let the West verify. Who do they think they are fooling. Pathetic!!!!!

As I read the posts, I realized that I didn't want to stoop that low (at least today) to offer another perspective, one that is the reality taking shape. Reading the posts of Peter Williams and Co isn't just infuriating, it is insulting the intelligence of the sane and the rational. One thing I noted was that while the article mentioned 'suspension' of the enrichment, the header not so subtly replaced it by slowing down and of course PW & Co ALL WENT TO TOWN with it. All this is rather redundent as in 3 weeks' time there's going to be the biggest confrontation between the regime and opposition which could change a lot in the game. There is a LOT going on behind the scenes and whole a lot of different outcomes-all for the better. A lot could be changed in the next few months. Iran WILL CHANGE that is inevitable and I wonder what the likes of Peter Williams will do with their time and hatred then....& To you and your beautiful wish, I say Amen. Thank for for staying true to your humanity

And Israel's daily threats in recent years have provided more. What you should be thankful for is that they have no bomb where it only took 3 years for the US to build its first. Iran has had nuclear incentives for 30 years and hasn't built a bomb. They've had the technology and capability for a decade and still haven't.

Israe is a responsable Nation that never threatned nuclear holocaust even in its wort moments like 1973 war.Iran hasnt got it and is already threatning!!!

I look at the situation and prefer to deal with the reality. You both look and look for ways to make it more surreal through punishment. I look for ways to resolve conflict without killing where you look first to ways to enhance deterrence. And if a few thousand get killed, it's always their fault for not doing things your way.

The iranian's are the pinacale of one's always talking out of the side of their neck, say one thing and do what ever they want. Most importantly in defience of international community, because were iran so the hell with the rest of the world. Well it just doesnt work that way. They wont stop what they are doing they cant be trusted, they cant be trusted, they cant be trusted !!!

Do as you would have others do unto you. Israel is in exactly the same position as Iran On non-declaration of nuclear sites, So what is good for the goose?

Iran has not signed the Addional Protocol, so it is in its right not to abide with that. By a similar logic, Israel has not signed the NPT, so they are allowed to have nuclear weapons. You can't have it both ways. If Israel is not bound by treaties it did not sign, neither is Iran.

Russia and China are just looking for any excuse not to impose sanctions upon Iran. Now they've got one.

....if there's a slow down,it's a sure bet it's because they're having problems or having money trouble. It certainly is not a "gesture" of goodwill or any thing else. However watch Obama try and take some credit,saying it was his persuasiveness that did it.

I don't believe it and if it is true it is only a feint to buy mre time to complete their nuclear weopans program.

It is very sad that we have to listen to this war mongering again. First Afghanistan then Iraq now Iran. It is highly depressing that these people want more innocent dead for the proliferation of the NEW WORLD ORDER. There is an evil that resides on this planet for centuries and has been working to destroy all walks of life, it is time for the majority of this beautiful planet to stand up and be counted because the majority rules , we have been too long been controlled by the few.

I would ask Israel if it really means something to them to sign up to the NPT straight away. "HE WHO HAS NOT SINNED MAY CAST THE FIRST STONE" This is required otherwise it is called HYPOCRISY.

"UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency reported recently that Iran has significantly slowed down the operation of the centrifuges in its nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz." - Yossi Melman Anyone regularly reading the IAEA reports understands that the 24/7 surveillance and rigorous controls/safeguards being used by the IAEA have been tracking the production of UF6, the input to the centrifuges, the output and tails of the process. They are also aware that the Separative Work Units of the current Centrifuge Cascades is way below what would normally be expected even from the relatively crude IR-1 (P-1) centrifuges being used at Natanz. The installation of new centrifuges at Natanz slowed early last summer. Installation of the IR-2 centrifuges touted by Ahmadinejad a few years back has not started. Perhaps a 'gesture' is being made. Or perhaps ongoing problems have brought a temporary halt.

"The report has not been confirmed by any other sources. " - Yossi Melman "UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency reported recently that Iran has significantly slowed down the operation of the centrifuges in its nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz." - Yossi Melman, not confirming

and asks its proxies to cause more trouble at the same time...

just like Israel.

You just un-made your case for trusting Iran as a rational actor. The rhetoric coming out of Tehran is worse than anything that ever came out of Baghdad, yet Baghdad crossed the firebreak and used WMD against Iran and against its own Kurdish population. Can't say Iran never invaded anybody: they run a proxy army in Lebanon and gutted it. MAD won't work with Iran my friend.

I have said many times before that nuclear power is the worst choice for energy production due to the expense, contamination risk, insurmountable problems with waste disposal and proliferation issues. If the Australian government shut down all its uranium mines I would applaud them.

Israel punishes the innocent Palestinian people for the sins of hamas. Israel You are wicked too by fighting evil with evil.

Iran is under 3 sets of sanctions for refusing to STOP enrichment of uranium. It is the IAEA and the UNSC that has requested them to STOP, not me, not the US, not Israel. Why should we offer them something to meet their obligations? Are you joking?

iran is a murderous terror state. iran has been murdering americans and other westerners since the islamic revolution. they are murdering their own people. they have started two wars through their proxies, hezbollah and hamas. your support for such a regime is shameful.

Can you explain why Australia is selling uranium? Once uranium leaves Australia there is no sure way of tracing it... our export frees up the importers own uranium for the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

Many countries around the world have enrichment plants and capabilities. For example, Brazil and Argentina both had former weapons research programs and still have active programs within their countries. Also, other nations have had issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency. For example, both South Korea and Egypt had instances of highly enriched uranium discovered in their country. The Western countries need to tone down the hype on Iran, which happens to be in the Middle East. And why aren't Israel's nuclear weapons any problem?

What are you willing to guarantee to Iran in exchange Peter? Will you guarantee to meet all their future energy needs? Will you guarantee to meed all their future nuclear medical needs? They are a member of NPT and Israel isn't. They have rights in addition to their obligations under the treaty. You want them to give up their rights, what's your offer? They live in a nuclear neighborhood and are under threat from not just Israel. And they did have WMD used on them in the last half century. The US KNEW Saddam had WMD because Cheney still had the receipts. And he'd used them on Iranian cities.

...not slow down.