Sunday, August 27, 2006

Question to Which I Probably Know the Answer

Iran has just opened a heavy water nuclear reactor. They have also been enriching unranium for the past several months.

According to the story linked above, light water reactors use regular water and require enriched uranium (though not so highly enriched as weapons-grade uranium) in order for the fission reaction to work. Heavy water reactors use water formed using a heavier hydrogen isotope (i.e. hydrogen with one or more neutrons in the nucleus) and do not require enriched uranium for for the fission reaction to proceed. However, it is possible to obtain plutonium from the uranium rods once the uranium can no longer be used as nuclear fuel. This plutonium can then be used to make nuclear weapons.

If Iran's nuclear program is merely directed toward the production of nuclear energy and not nuclear weapons, why should Iran be engaged in both the building of a heavy water nuclear reactor and the enrichment of uranium?

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