11 Jan

Let’s Hear From People That Fought Alongside Jack Idema

Let’s call on the testimony of people Jack Idema fought alongside in the battle to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. These are the men of the Northern Alliance (properly, the United Front), and to understand how they fit into Jack Idema’s story, it’s necessary to understand a little of their long and honourable history defending Afghanistan from Her enemies.
Much of this success can be attributed to one person, Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Though sneeringly described as a ‘warlord’ by MSM, Massoud was actually a highly educated and moderate man who believed passionately that the future of Afghanistan should be both democratic and free of fanaticism. Fortunately for the Afghan people, Massoud was also a military genius, responsible for inflicting a staggering 60% of the total casualties suffered by the Red Army during the Soviet occupation.
After the Russians were expelled, Massoud set up democratic rule in the regions of Afghanistan his forces controlled, spending the remaining years of his life struggling to remove first the murderous Hekmatyar, then the Taliban, from power.
You can read about Massoud’s life here, but what must be understood about this remarkable man is that he, as well as those who followed him, are exactly the kind of people we need on our side in the WOT.
Here’s Massoud on democracy:

The future government should be formed through elections by the people. Men and women should take part. The only form of government, which can balance the different ethnicities, is democracy.

Here is Massoud’s reaction to the Taliban’s demand that he leave Afghanistan after they seized power:

Is it just that when we were in Kabul leading the country, when we had the people’s consent, we promised to protect them, to defend our independence and to take care of Afghanistan and its people and now that these people are in great danger we would leave them? Is this really justice? I do not think it is justified. I will stay in this country until my last breath and resist. I am convinced that, God willing, Afghanistan one day will be free.

Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Lion of Panjsher, was assassinated by al-Qaeda suicide bombers on 9th September, 2001.
Two weeks after that Jack Idema arrived in Afghanistan. He, and hundreds of other Special Forces soldiers, were under orders from coalition leaders to train and equip Northern Alliance forces in order to remove the Taliban. This, of course, was exactly the sort of work that Idema specialised in — After stints in Haiti, El Salvador, Thailand and Lithuania, he was one of the most capable men in the world at pulling ragged, ill-equipped armies together into crack fighting units. You can read press reports archived at SuperPatriots which detail some of the work Jack did with the Northern Alliance here, here, and here.
See, although MSM were chiefly interested in Idema during 2001, the Northern Alliance troops he trained and served alongside for three years deserve a hearing too. They’re brave soldiers, most of whom have spent their whole adult lives fighting for a free and democratic Afghanistan. What’s more, several of them were tortured, tried and imprisoned alongside Jack, Brent and Ed in September 2004.
One of these men, Major Ezmerai Amin, has this to say about Idema and the state of Afghanistan under Karzai:

Commander Massoud was right. But Massoud told us to follow his way, and I have dedicate my life to follow the way of Massoud because to save my country and the world. And my commander has too. This is why our people follow Jack, because he follow Massoud’s way. One time when I was still in Pulacharke I was very sad, and I said to Jack, fuck Massoud, because we follow Massoud’s way we are in prison. Then Jack remind to me that Massoud would never give up, he would keep to fight to make real freedom not freedom only for the rich people. We talked about how Massoud would not allow a road to be built to his village until all the country had roads. But this government, they buy rich cars and build roads to their villages while people are still starving and with no doctors.

Major Amin, like the other Afghans imprisoned with Jack, was released after their case went to appeal a year ago –Jack, Brent and Ed should have been freed at that point too, but the U.S. State Department and FBI put pressure on the Karzai government to illegally continue their detention. What’s worth noting, though, is that Major Amin pays Jack Idema the highest complement he can — He compares him to Massoud, modern Afghanistan’s greatest hero.
Then there’s Lieutenant ‘Zorro’ Rasuli:

Actually, Jack took me with him for just one month from General Atta, but I don’t know why he trust his life, his power, and everything on me, but I can say one thing; after the death of our leader Commander Massoud he will now be my commander on the rest of my life, and in any place I’m waiting for his orders.

Zorro means this. After he was released along with the other Afghans convicted with Idema, he elected to remain in prison until his three American compatriots are free.
So, question: if Idema were nothing more than a mercenary out to make a quick buck, why is it that he inspires such loyalty among Northern Alliance troops? The answer to this one should be obvious — The Afghan soldiers Idema trained and fought with see, in him, a similar commitment to rid the world of terrorism as the one they feel.
Here’s New Yorker writer, Jon Lee Anderson, offering us an insight into how this camaraderie played out during the war to remove the Taliban from power:

On the way down the mountain, Jack, who was armed and wearing full combat regalia, clambered onto one of the mujahideen tanks with a tin of white paint and a brush. He wrote, “N.Y.P.D.” on the tank’s green steel carapace. The mujahideen smiled obligingly and asked to borrow his paint. In lacy Farsi script they added the words “Dear Massoud, we will follow your way.”

Right now, three of men who fought that war are stuck in prison at the behest of the State Department. Meanwhile, just this week, President Karzai begged Taliban scumbag-in-chief Mullah Omar to ‘get in touch if he wanted peace’.
It’s difficult, not to conclude that something’s going badly wrong with a war in which we offer amnesty to the chief architects of 9/11, while imprisoning the men who risked their lives to bring these animals to justice.

Anyone reading this with their own blog can sign up for the weekly Free Jack Idema Blogburst by emailing Cao or Rottweiler Puppy for details. I’d urge everyone to do this.
If you want to know more about the story, Cao’s Blog has a large section devoted to Jack Idema. There’s also a timeline here, and, of course, a huge amount of information is available over at SuperPatriots, without whose work none of us would have learned about Jack’s story.
Finally, PLEASE NOTE: The SuperPatriots and Jack images on this site are used with WRITTEN COPYRIGHT PERMISSION and any use by any third party is subject to legal action by SuperPatriots.US
* Big Dog’s Weblog
* Cao’s Blog
* Rottweiller Puppy

11 Jan

UPDATES ON: Insane Howard Dean Sunday Morning on CNN’s Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer

US Newswire

“There are no Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, not one, not one single Democrat. Every person named in this scandal is a Republican. Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal. There is no evidence that Jack Abramoff ever gave any Democrat any money and we’ve looked through all of the F.E.C. reports to make sure that’s true…I know the Republican National Committee would like to get the Democrats involved in this. They’re scared. They should be scared. They haven’t told the truth. They have misled the American people, and now it appears they’re stealing from Indian tribes. The Democrats are not involved in this.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Hey Howard, your brain lives in a liberal fairy tale:

Read it and weep Howie!
40 Of The 45 Members Of The Senate Democrat Caucus:
Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) Received At Least – $22,500
Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) Received At Least – $6,500
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) Received At Least – $1,250
Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) Received At Least – $2,000
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Received At Least – $20,250
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Received At Least – $21,765
Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) Received At Least – $7,500
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Received At Least – $12,950
Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) Received At Least – $8,000
Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) Received At Least – $7,500
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) Received At Least – $14,792
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Received At Least – $79,300
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Received At Least – $14,000
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Received At Least – $2,000
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) Received At Least – $1,250
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Received At Least – $45,750
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Received At Least – $9,000
Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) Received At Least – $2,000
Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) Received At Least – $14,250
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) Received At Least – $3,300
Senator John Kerry (D-MA) Received At Least – $98,550
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Received At Least – $28,000
Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT) Received At Least – $4,000
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) Received At Least – $6,000
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) Received At Least – $29,830
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Received At Least – $14,891
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Received At Least – $10,550
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Received At Least – $78,991
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) Received At Least – $20,168
Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Received At Least – $5,200
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Received At Least – $7,500
Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) Received At Least – $2,300
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) Received At Least – $3,500
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) Received At Least – $68,941
Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) Received At Least – $4,000
Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) Received At Least – $4,500
Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) Received At Least – $4,300
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Received At Least – $29,550
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Received At Least – $6,250
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Received At Least – $6,250
UPDATE………January 11,2006
The Washington Times
Dean denies party ties to Abramoff
By Donald Lambro
THE WASHINGTON

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says that Democrats took no money from Jack Abramoff in the lobbying scandal, but a public-interest group official said yesterday that they did accept contributions from the lobbyist’s clients, who were trying to buy influence.
Mr. Dean has stepped up attacks on Republicans, charging, “Every person named in this scandal is a Republican.”
“Every person under investigation is a Republican. Every person indicted is a Republican. This is a Republican finance scandal,” Mr. Dean said Sunday on CNN’s “Late Edition.”
But Republican officials and a major public-integrity group counter his assertion with a growing list of Democrats who have received contributions from American Indian tribes represented by Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to tax evasion and fraud in connection with his lobbying activities.
“What our list shows is that both Republicans and Democrats received contributions from Indian tribes that were represented at one time by Jack Abramoff,” said Lawrence Noble, executive director and general counsel for the Center for Responsive Politics.
“So the answer to Dean depends on how you define scandal,” Mr. Noble said. “I would say, broadly defined as a question of the tribes’ buying influence in Washington, it includes Democrats.”
The political news wire the Hotline has compiled a list of nearly three dozen Democrats who have received campaign contributions from Abramoff-related tribes. More than a dozen of them to date have refused to give back the money, saying that the contributions were legal.
Leading the list of Democrats is Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who has received $61,000 in campaign contributions from various donors with links to Abramoff. His office has said he will not return any of the funds because they “were part of lawful fundraising.”
Other Democrats listed who have refused to return Abramoff-linked money include Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Patty Murray of Washington and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
Some of the Democratic senators who have returned a portion of the money from Abramoff clients or donated it to charity include Max Baucus of Montana, Maria Cantwell of Washington, and Kent Conrad and Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota.
A top aide to Mr. Dean defended the assertion that “as far as we know,” no Democrats were directly or indirectly part of the influence-buying scandal that is under a Justice Department investigation.
“Indian tribes are not criminals. Jack Abramoff is a criminal who did not give any money to Democrats,” said Karen Finney, the DNC’s spokeswoman.
But Mr. Noble said Abramoff may have had a hand in who received money from the tribes he represented.
“We assume that Abramoff gave the tribes a list of names of members [of Congress] who should receive contributions,” Mr. Noble said.

And take a gander at these :
An NRSC Report Shows That Nearly 90 Percent Of Senate “Democrats Have Taken Abramoff-Related Money.” “The NRSC has begun circulating among fellow Republicans new reports showing that all but five of the chamber’s 44 Democrats have taken Abramoff-related money. In addition, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have taken more than $1.2 million, according to records provided to The Washington Times.” (Charles Hurt, “Dorgan Returns Abramoff Money,” The Washington Times, December 14, 2005)
“If The Democrats Are Alleging That Republicans Are Guilty Of Any Wrongdoing, They’re Sitting In The Same Boat.” “Democrats have run two television advertisements in Montana, castigating Burns for his activities on behalf of Abramoff, but as the lobbyist’s taint spreads, its political impact may dissipate, said Brian Nick, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ‘If the Democrats are alleging that Republicans are guilty of any wrongdoing, they’re sitting in the same boat,’ he said. ‘It just becomes a nonstarter.’” (Jonathan Weisman and Derek Willis “Democrat On Panel Probing Abramoff To Return Tribal Donations,” The Washington Post, December 14, 2005)
Tribal Clients And Associates Of Jack Abramoff Have Contributed Over $3.1 Million To Democrat Party Interests Between 1997 And 2004. (Campaign Finance Analysis Project Website, www.campaignfinanceanalysisproject.com, Accessed December 2005; Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed December 2005)
National Democrat Party Affiliated Committees Received Over $1.2 Million From Indian Tribe Clients And Lobbying Associates Of Jack Abramoff. (Campaign Finance Analysis Project Website, www.campaignfinanceanalysisproject.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Internal Revenue Service Website, www.irs.gov, Accessed April 21, 2005)
The Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Received Over – $430,000
The Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Received Over – $629,000
The Democrat National Committee (DNC) Received Over – $177,000
Incumbent Senate Democrat-Affiliated Campaign And Leadership Committees Received Over $729,000 From Indian Tribe Clients And Lobbying Associates Of Jack Abramoff*. (Campaign Finance Analysis Project Website, www.campaignfinanceanalysisproject.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed December 7, 2005; Internal Revenue Service Website, www.irs.gov, Accessed April 21, 2005)

10 Jan

Coffee An Aphrodisiac

Caffeine May Boost Female Sex Drive
By LiveScience Staff
posted: 09 January 2006
08:04 am ET

Caffeine motivates female rats to have more frequent sex, a new study suggests. But don’t start guzzling more coffee just yet.
Scientists gave 108 female rats a moderate dose of caffeine. The caffeine shortened the amount of time it took the females to return to males after a first romp, indicating they were more motivated to do it again.
Loading up on more caffeine is not expected to improve human sex drive in most cases, however.
“These rats had never had caffeine before,” said study leader Fay Guarraci, an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern University. “In humans, it might enhance the sexual experience only among people who are not habitual users.”
The research could help scientists better understand sexual motivation, however.
“Understanding the circuits that control this behavior will help us understand how the brain works and what part of the brain mediates motivation because sexual behavior is a motivative behavior,” Guarraci said.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Well now I never knew this, but it is ok with me. haha I do love getting a Carmel Frappacino Venti. YUM.

10 Jan

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R.-Ala.) Took Kennedy To Task

Kennedy Asserts Alito Is Racist….from Human Events Online

Among Sen. Teddy Kennedy’s many complaints about Samuel Alito, the one that caught the attention of Republicans today was his assertion that Alito is a racist.
“In Alito’s 15-years on the bench, Judge Alito has not written one single opinion on the merits in favor of a person of color who alleged race discrimination in the workplace.”
Moments later, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R.-Ala.) took Kennedy to task, leaving the liberal Massachusetts senator shaking his head.
Sessions cited three cases in which Alito demonstrated that “all Americans receive equal protection of the laws, regardless of race.”
Among them:
U.S. v. Kithcart: In this case, Alito said the Constitution doesn’t allow police officers to racially profile black drivers. His opinion, citing a violation of the 4th Amendment, stated: “The mere fact that Kithcart is black and the perpetrators had been described as two black males is plainly insufficient. … Officer Nelson could not justifiably arrest any African-American man who happened to drive by in any type of black sports car.”
Brinson v. Vaughn: Alito ruled that the Constitution don’t allow prosecutors to exclude black jurors. In his ruling, Alito granted the prisoner’s habeas petition. He said the Constitution guarantees “that a state does not use peremptory challenges to remove any black juror because of his race. Thus, a prosecutor’s decision to refrain from discrimination against some African-American jurors does not cure discrimination against others.”
Zubi v. AT&T: Alito authored the lone dissent in which he called for an expansive view of civil rights laws. In this case, the plaintiff sued his employer for firing him on the basis of race. While the majority ruled against the plaintiff’s claim based on the time it had taken him to bring his case, Alito rejected that argument. The Supreme Court later vindicated Alito’s view in a unanimous decision.
Mr. Bluey is editor of Human Events Online.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Acutally Kennedy asserted that a Mr. Alioto was a racist. The numbnut can’t even get his name right. Not only is Alito not a racist, but he wouldn’t leave a woman to drown so he could salvage a political career. love it when Sessions hands Kennedy his a$$ like this. Tah dah!
Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.

10 Jan

Money Connected To Harry Reid

From the Las Vegas Review Journal………….
Senator arranged for grant now involved in indictment of pastors

WASHINGTON — The money that led to the indictment this week of two Las Vegas pastors and the wife of one of them came from federal grants arranged by Sen. Harry Reid in September 2001, a Reid spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Moving to distance Reid from a possible scandal, aide Tessa Hafen said the senator sought the money on behalf of a nonprofit social services agency and not for the churches or persons who have been accused of mishandling the money.
“The money was administered by the Department of Justice, and it went to the agency in Nevada (Alliance Collegiums Association of Nevada),” Hafen said.
The Rev. Willie Davis, the longtime pastor of Second Baptist Church, and his wife, Emma, were indicted Tuesday on fraud charges with an associate minister, the Rev. McTheron Jones.
They are accused of spending $330,000 from federal grants on themselves although the money was intended for halfway houses for prison inmates in Southern Nevada.
The indictment identifies Willie Davis as president of the Alliance Collegiums Association of Nevada board of directors.
In late 2002, Emma Davis became executive director, and Jones was assistant director.
According to the indictment, a grant of $423,000 was approved for the alliance in September 2002.
The indictment charges the defendants of using the grant money to benefit themselves.
A Reid relationship with the Second Baptist Church surfaced in 1997, when the senator donated $250 to the church where Davis was and still is pastor.
The money came from John Huang, who was convicted of making illegal contributions to the 1996 re-election campaign of President Clinton.


hmmmm isn’t this MONEY laundrying?

At about the same time, Reid donated another $250 from Huang to the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Las Vegas.
Reid said he made the contributions to the churches instead of returning the money to Huang because he did not think Huang deserved it.
Hafen said Reid has not made contributions to Davis or his church since 1997.
Reid has attended services at the Second Baptist Church “about three or four times” since 1997, Hafen said.
“He says hello to the pastor (Davis) when he goes to the church, but apart from that, the only other time he has seen him was in May when he met with about 30 or 40 ministers to organize a faith-based summit,” Hafen said.

Update from the Las Vegas Review Journal…. I am not going to post untruth’s abut keep it factual at all times..………..
CORRECTION ON 09/30/05 — A story in Thursday’s paper incorrectly said that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had not contributed money to the Second Baptist Church in Las Vegas since 1997. Reid gave the church $100 in December 1999, $500 in November 2002, $200 in September 2002 and $500 in February of this year from his campaign and political funds, as allowed by Senate rules. The story also mischaracterized the actions of a Reid staff member who discussed a federal grant that was tied to an indictment of church officials this week. Spokeswoman Tessa Hafen gave information about the grants in response to questions.

Wild Thing’s comment……
When Harry Reid goes to churches he does not contribute his own money. He contributes John Huang’s money.
Most folks I know contribute their OWN money. In some cases 10% of their income as the Bible asks. I guess the Dems just do everything different. Naw ya think? haha
Now let’s see it kind of breaks down like this………..
Republican money fraud=bad
Democrat money fraud=good
How to be a good A Democrat for Dummies 101 shall we say. sheesh!
And let me just for fun point this part out again. haha
The money came from John Huang, who was convicted of making illegal contributions to the 1996 re-election campaign of President Clinton.
Oh this is just to good to be true .. LOL!!

09 Jan

Military Wife Speaks Out To Cindy Sheehan

Taken from National Military Family Association Please look further down in this post at “Continued” for the entire writing or go to the link to read the entire statement.

The fact that my husband is on military deployment in Iraq does not make me unfortunate…….. there is a misconception that having my husband away on a military deployment makes me unfortunate. Please do not consider me unfortunate! Consider, just for a moment, that I might be incredibly blessed.
……….I’m on a journey that is unveiling a beautiful level of self-confidence. I believe that I am at a time in my life where God has my full attention to teach me what he feels I need to learn.
My circumstances may be demanding from time to time, yet I have never fallen from grace into a forgotten, subpar state of being. I, most definitely, am not unfortunate.

Wild Thing’s comments…………
There are wives and there are a-hem wives, and there are mothers and then there are breeders. Cindy Sheehan is a breeder. She shows no respect for her son. And I would bet she did not show him respect when he was alive.
This is so wonderful what this Military wife wrote. A woman like this stands along side her husband and knows he is making a difference in this world. He is a part of history, and she in being supportive makes the hardship of sacrifice a little bit easier for her husband. Cindy Sheehan will never understand that. She USES our Military to get her 15 minutes of fame. She uses her son’s service and death to draw attention to herself. Cindy is aiding the enemy with each breath she takes and every word she utters. What a difference in these two women.

(more…)

09 Jan

Vice President Cheney Handling The Press

Vice President Dick Cheney uses a cane during a tour of the Harley Davidson plant in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, Jan. 6, 2006. Jim Ziemer, right, CEO of Harley Davidson and Karl Eberle, middle, vice president and general manager host the tour.

Vice President Dick Cheney gets a round of applause after addressing troops at a rally at Fort Leavenworth Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, in Leavenworth, Kan.

“I’m using a cane today, and it’s driving the press nuts. (Laughter.) They keep asking my staff what happened to the Vice President, is it serious? And so I said, no, Secretary Rumsfeld bit me in the ankle. (Laughter.) Not to worry. (Laughter.) But don’t tell him I said that. (Laughter.) “

Wild Thing’s comment……..
I love Cheney’s sense of humor. And also President Bush’s sense of humor. With all the stress aimed at them and then to hear them joke like this makes my day. In a way it is like a little slap to the Dems. hahahaha

08 Jan

Vietnam Veteran Speaks Out at Town Hall Meeting Held By Traitors to America

Vietnam veteran, General Wagner, stepped up to the microphone and confronted Democrat Reps. Jim Moran and John Murtha at a town hall meeting in Arlington, Va., earlier this week.

 

General Wagner….click image to see the video and then applaud and cheer for this man!

I visit Walter Reed [Army Hospital] and talk to the young soldiers with their legs blown off. I know you do, too. I can’t find one in a dozen that don’t believe that they are fighting for a noble cause and are fighting to go back. And I think it’s a disgrace when members of our Congress –just as they did in 1975 when they sold out the south Vietnamese–are selling out our soldiers today in Iraq!


Wild Thing’s comment……….
General Wagner has served this country and it makes me furious that years later he still has to stand up to the left, to the traitors to America and defend our Troops and our Nation. He deserves better then that, he deserves to have an America that supports our troops, that supports the War against terrorists and the war to bring Freedom to others. He deserves to be applauded NOT applause going to Moronic Moran as you have seen in the video. He deserves for every person in that audience to stand up and cheer HIM, and thank him and welcome him home. I have zero tolerance for the left and have no intention of weakening in any way about how I feel about them. Thank you General Wagner, and Welcome Home!


* Michelle Malkin
* Mudville Gazette has the full transcript.

08 Jan

Iran Removing U.N. seals At Atomic Research Sites

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran said on Sunday it was preparing to remove U.N. seals at some nuclear research and development sites, despite strong Western opposition to its decision to resume atomic research halted over two years ago.
It would be the second time in five months that Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, removed some seals put in place by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
European Union and U.S. officials have said the move, which follows Iran’s resumption of uranium processing at its Isfahan plant in August, will jeopardize efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Iran’s atomic ambitions and could accelerate calls for its case to be sent to the U.N. Security Council.
“We will remove the seals and we have announced that we are ready to start research from tomorrow,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference.
“It depends on the IAEA to announce its readiness as this will take place under the agency’s supervision,” he added.
A resumption of atomic research and development would mean that all of Iran’s nuclear programme, much of which was put on hold as part of negotiations with the EU that started in late 2003, was active once again apart from the actual enrichment of uranium at its unfinished Natanz facility.
Uranium enrichment is the most sensitive part of the nuclear fuel cycle since it can be used to produce bomb-grade material as well as nuclear reactor fuel.
Iran has not publicly disclosed what activities it plans to resume on Monday. Diplomats and analysts say atomic research and development could involve some laboratory tests of uranium enrichment and the assembly of enrichment centrifuges.