Another response to Ptacek.

  • fullsquare@awful.systems
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    9 hours ago

    There’s a notion that Trump bombed Fordow and Natanz for shits and giggles.

    There are only very limited civilian applications for 20% enriched uranium and none for 60% uranium (above maybe low tens of grams). Iran has been stockpiling 60% enriched uranium (408 kg as of last IAEA report) for the last quarter, using up 20% uranium (fuel for research/medicinal isotope reactors) and 5% (fuel for normal nuclear powerplants). This is all in IAEA reports, which are based on what Iranians reported to them (relevant one). Had been Fordow intact, they could output something between 20-30kg (up to 50ish depending how reconfigurable are their centrifuges) of weapons grade material per week by using up their 60% and 20% stock until they get to something like 270-320 kg, then at much slower rate of something closer to 2.5 kg per week as long as they’re supplied with 5% material. Now, it’s hard to say in what state their entire nuclear program is, but if they can scrape up some cascade, that 60% stockpile still can get them some 200-220kg of material at rate of maybe 2 to 10 kg per week, depending what centrifuges can they get and how many of them. They’re digging up Fordow as we speak, presumably to try and salvage some of that 60% material. This development happened in only the last couple of months, and it’s really not surprising that any american administration would prevent iranian nuclear program from progressing using multiple tools available to them

    No, what is happening is dumber and equally unhinged. It’s more visible considering events near ceasefire: Trump wants to get Nobel peace prize because Obama got one. That’s why he rushed ceasefire announcement so hard and that’s why he made that “peace in Ukraine in a day two weeks” promise. Bombing Fordow would be, outside of being consistent with general american strategic policy, part of “escalate to deescalate”-like negotiation tactic. Considering most recent events I think this ceasefire might fail soon anyway (days from now)