An Iranian firm closely linked to Tehran's nuclear program acquired special hardware for enriching uranium, despite sanctions intended to keep such equipment out of Iran, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

In recent weeks, the officials said, an Iranian procurement firm obtained critical valves and vacuum gauges made by a French company that until December was owned by U.S. industrial conglomerate Tyco International. The French and U.S. firms said they knew nothing of the case.

Western authorities are still struggling to understand precisely how the valves and gauges in question reached Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating the matter, according to a Vienna-based diplomat, and Western intelligence agencies also are investigating, The Wall Street Journal has learned.

A Jan. 14 e-mail that triggered the IAEA investigation alleged that the valves moved through an intermediary representing a Chinese company based near Shanghai.

The hardware is part of a high-stakes game of cat and mouse played out on a daily basis between Iran and Western authorities determined to frustrate Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

An investigator familiar with the IAEA probe said Iran has made about 10 attempts to acquire valves used in uranium enrichment in the last two years. "Some deliveries got through, others didn't," he said. Other officials said it isn't uncommon for manufacturers' products to land in Iran without the makers' knowledge.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/02/iran-nuclear-ring-probed/

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran!

Delusional genocidal theocracies probably should not be encouraged to acquire and maintain a stockpile of nuclear weapons.

The U.N. should take FORCEFUL action on this!

They should pass a SCATHING non-binding resolution about it...and...
make the language devastating. Make the words really STING!



And if they do it again, there will be MORE resolutions!!

Tell me which country has used nuclear weapons as a collective punishment on an entire country and remind me the last time Iran attacked another country with a pre-emptive strike. Thanks!

No country has ever used nuclear weapons as a form of collective punishment. They have been used twice to end a world war. They
should never have been used but they ended the war.

Iran on the other hand is one of the world's leading state sponsors of terrorism!



http://www.cfr.org/publication/9362/

the US used nukes. not as punishment but to end a bloody vicious war.

Truman was against using the nukes until after the battle for Okinawa. The Japanese considered surrender to be cowardly and fought to the very last man. When the US forces finally had them backed up to the sea, the Japanese calmly jumped off the cliffs to their death.

In the Battle for Okinawa Japan lost over 100,000 troops and the Americans lost over 50,000. That was for one island. The Generals estimated that taking Japan island by island would cost over 500,000 American lives

Truman was not willing to lose that many Americans so he gave Japan an ultimatum. Surrender or we would drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. And they refused so we did.

Then he gave them another ultimatum. Surrender or we would drop one on Nagasaki. Still they refused

After Nagasaki they surrendered unconditionally and that terrible bloody war was over.

Some people try to make it sound like we capriciously nuked Japan for the fun of it but that is far from the truth. Truman resisted it until there was no other choice

id be more worried about terrorists with back-pack nukes..
how can you block something like that from happening?>

Honestly a Nuclear Iran and a Nuclear N. Korea is just as scary.