Iran's nuclear power plant: threat or distraction?
(CNN) -- Washington greeted this week's inauguration of Iran's first nuclear power plant with a chorus of concerns about the Iranian threat and the prospects of proliferation across the Middle East. This alarmism is neither unexpected nor unjustified. However in the case of the Bushehr reactor, it is somewhat misdirected.
Bushehr and its tortuous history offer a testament to the past missteps and more recent successes in the long American effort to block Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The notion of oil-rich Iran opting for nuclear energy predates the 1979 revolution that ousted the country's pro-American monarchy and replaced it with a religious regime with deep animosities toward Washington and many of its neighbors. Bushehr's groundbreaking took place in 1975, and its path to completion has been prolonged by revolutions and war, technical and financial challenges, sanctions and sabotage.
For decades, Bushehr has served as the focal point of American anxieties about Iran's nuclear ambitions. The facility itself was not the primary source of suspicion, since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty permits power generation and the light-water reactor bears only limited utility for a weapons program. Rather, Bushehr became the symbol of the world's persistent mistrust in the Iranian leadership.
The almanac
Today is Monday, Sept. 19, the 262nd day of 2011 with 103 to follow.
The moon is waning. The morning stars are Neptune, Venus and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus and Mars.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Virgo. They include Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski in 1905; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell in 1907; author William Golding ("Lord of the Flies") in 1911; writer Roger Angell in 1920; James Lipton, actor and writer and host of "Inside the Actors Studio," in 1926 (age 85) baseball Hall of Fame member Duke Snider, also 1926; singer Brook Benton in 1931; actors Adam West (TV's Batman) in 1928 (age 83) and David McCallum in 1933 (age 78); four-time Olympic gold medal discus thrower Al Oerter in 1936; singer/songwriter Paul Williams and singer Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers, both in 1940 (age 71); singers Mama Cass Elliot in 1941 and Freda Payne in 1942 (age 69); baseball Hall of Fame member Joe Morgan in 1943 (age 68); actors Randolph Mantooth in 1945 (age 66) and Jeremy Irons in 1948 (age 63); model and actor Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Hornby, in 1949 (age 62); television personality Joan Lunden in 1950 (age 61); actor/director Kevin Hooks in 1958 (age 53); country singer Trisha Yearwood in 1964 (age 47); and comedian Jimmy Fallon in 1974 (age 37).
Reuters AfricaIran's nuclear power plant: threat or distraction?Russia will repatriate the spent fuel from the reactor as a hedge against Iranian diversion, and the facility will operate under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and supervision. This does not suggest that Bushehr is totally Iranian Bushehr Nuclear Plant Comes Online, World SurvivesSpying Iran's Nuclear End GameAlarmed West dismisses Iran nuclear "charm offensive"all 87 news articles »
ABC NewsRussian officials said that Iran had signed a pledge to ship all the spent uranium fuel from Bushehr back to Russia for reprocessing, excluding the possibility that any of it could used to make nuclear weapons. Russia has insisted that the Bushehr Alarmed West dismisses Iran nuclear "charm offensive"After Japanese reactor accident, UN agency pledges to restore faith in nuclear Russia says Gazprom to consider Iran oil dealall 1,357 news articles »
