kierthos: (Default)
kierthos ([personal profile] kierthos) wrote2009-09-24 05:56 am
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Yeah, that's going to happen

Ahmadinejad offers to buy US uranium.

He's offering to buy uranium that is 20% enriched, with the idea that it's to be used to produce nuclear medicines. Nuclear medicines don't directly use uranium; rather they use the fission and decay products of the uranium. In that light, hey, you know, doesn't sound bad, right?

Because, you know, he says that a bomb needs uranium enriched to 99.7%, so we could sell Iran the 20% enriched uranium. Except, of course, that he's wrong. Nuclear weapons typically contain 85% enriched U-235, and a crude, horribly inefficient weapon could be as low as... wait for it... 20% enriched. Huh. (To note, the less uranium is enriched, the more you need for critical mass. At 85% enriched, you need 55 kilograms. At 20% enriched, you need 400 kilograms, and at 15% enriched, you need over 600 kilograms.)

So, yeah, I don't see the U.S. falling for this.

[identity profile] mierandra.livejournal.com 2009-09-24 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
The real kicker? The US would probably be happy to sell him already produced nuclear medicines.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2009-09-24 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, but it's difficult for Iran to threaten Israel with those.

[identity profile] mierandra.livejournal.com 2009-09-24 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. It just shows how thin the argument is.

[identity profile] kierthos.livejournal.com 2009-09-24 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think that keeps Ahmadinejad up nights.