Iran's nuclear arsenal is not intended for civilians

The country of Iran has been striving to become nuclear since the 1960’s, yet they still have not achieved their goal. In the 1960’s Iran first assembled its nuclear program, the program made very little development, and was eventually deserted in the year 1979. It was not until the 1990’s that Iran began a new attempt to carry on its nuclear program. Since then speculation and distrust surrounds Iran and their nuclear program. Iran claims its utilizing nuclear energy to generate electricity in order to conserve the oil supply Iran sells overseas. Also Iran claims that it needs more fuel for the research reactor that supplies them with nuclear medicine. In order to produce the medical isotopes, it requires highly enriched uranium. The recent increases of Iran’s uranium levels continue to grow closer and closer to the amount necessary to manufacture nuclear weapons.

Turkey and Brazil made a deal with Iran that proposed they would process Iran’s low-grade uranium in Turkey, and the uranium would be returned to Iran as fuel. After the deal among these countries was achieved, Iran was indecisive and kept refusing and then accepting the deal many times. Iran’s disinclination to present a clear and uncomplicated answer was interpreted as a delaying tactic. Iran’s plan of exchanging low-grade uranium for fuel distracts the public from the thought that Iran is producing nuclear weapons. While Iran is trading its low-grade uranium, It is also producing large amounts of high-grade uranium which is what weapons-grade material requires. These amounts are far more than what is necessary for civilian nuclear-energy production.

Iran continues to reassure the United Nations that its work is strictly for peaceful purposes; however the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency reported that Iran has not cooperated entirely throughout the investigation to determine whether or not Iran is also manufacturing nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters, “Every step of the way has demonstrated clearly to the world that Iran is not participating in the international arena in the way that we had asked them to do and that they continued to pursue their nuclear program.”

The United States along with our allies Britain, France, and Germany have been repeatedly pressing the United Nations Security Council to enforce harsher sanctions on Iran for its nuclear objectives. The sanctions that are being introduced to the United Nations Security Council are aimed Iran’s ships and weapons. The sanctions would limit the sales of arms to Iran, and also allow for inspection of cargo ships heading to and from Iran. Also there are sanctions targeting banks in Iran that are financing Iran’s nuclear production. "While we do not welcome sanctions, we do not fear them either," Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York. "We feel that the US government will be damaged more than us by those sanctions."

Iran continues to show dangerous signs that it is producing nuclear weapons, nevertheless persists that its nuclear plans are intended for civilian purposes only. If Iran is being truthful about its intentions, then Iran should be cooperating completely with the desires of the United Nation.