Russia ready to load nuclear fuel rods in Bushehr reactor
How is that Russian reset going? Not too well; indeed it is becoming quite frightening.
While President Barak Obama (D) and his Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton reset the button with Russia, Russian apparently did not reciprocate. Russia certainly did not reset with Iran as they continue their steady course with that country, ignoring the U.S. while adding to Iran's terror capabilities. Russia has almost completed its project of 10 years-- building the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr--and are now ready for one of the final and most frightening phases.
News that Russia will load nuclear fuel rods into an Iranian reactor has touched off a countdown to a point of no return, a deadline by which Israel would have to launch an attack on Iran's Bushehr reactor before it becomes effectively "immune" to any assault, says former Bush administration U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton.Once the fuel rods are loaded, Bolton told Fox News on Friday afternoon, "it makes it essentially immune from attack by Israel. Because once the rods are in the reactor an attack on the reactor risks spreading radiation in the air, and perhaps into the water of the Persian Gulf."
But hey, relax. No problem.
Russian leaders have said the Bushehr reactor project is being closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog group. According to Iran's ISNA news agency, IAEA inspectors will be on hand to observe the fuel-rod loading process that is now scheduled to begin Aug. 21.
According to Russian officials, Iran has promised in writing to send all spent fuel rods from Bushehr back to Russia for reprocessing, to ensure they cannot be used for nuclear weapons.
And Iran can be trusted to keep its written promises of course. As can Russia. And the UN's "nuclear watchdog group," the IAEA, has a scary bark. So Israel, the United States and even Europe have nothing to fear from a nuclear Iran.
If Israel can't touch Iran after the fuel rods are placed neither can the U.S. And neither can Europe, which is well within Iran's missile range.
Will anything happen before August 21 to prevent Iranian acquisition of the nuclear fuel rods?