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Good Job UNSC, it's about time to figure out that Iran is standing it's ground, no matter how much time you give it.

Iranian President Confirms Uranium Enrichment

Iran has enriched uranium, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Tuesday.
"I'm announcing officially that Iran has now joined the countries that have nuclear technology," Ahmadinejad said in a carefully staged speech carried live across Iran. "This is a very historic moment, and this is because of the Iranian people and their belief. And this is the start of the progress of this country." Standing before a sweeping backdrop featuring doves around an Iranian flag, Ahmadinejad said the country was moving toward enrichment on an industrial scale for power plants, not the weapons that the Bush administration and other governments say are Tehran's real goal.
"We are saying again that the nuclear technology is only for the purpose of peace and nothing else," Ahmadinejad said.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan, traveling with President Bush to Missouri today, told reporters that the news suggests Iran is "moving in the wrong direction." If it continues down that path, he said, the United States will consult with other allies about how to respond.
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said the breakthrough came Monday at the pilot enrichment plant located in Natanz, in the desert south of Tehran.
"I am proud to announce that we have started enriching uranium to the 3.5 percent level," Gholamreza Aghazadeh said, specifying the low level used to generate electricity. "This achievement has paved the way for Iran to start its industrial-scale production and, to enter this stage, we are trying to put in operation a complex of 3,000 centrifuges" by mid-March of next year, Aghazadeh said.
More at The Washington Post

Iran Sunni rebels video shows killing of officer

An Iranian Sunni rebel group video broadcast on Arab satellite television on Tuesday showed the killing by firing squad of a man identified as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer.
The Jundollah (God's Soldiers) video broadcast by Al Arabiya television showed militants kill the man. They displayed his identification card bearing the name Zahed Shaykhi.
The video also showed the Baluchi group's leader Abdolmalek Rigi despite official media reports that Iranian forces had killed him.
"These are falsehoods aimed at playing with the emotions of people," a militant reading a statement said.
Iranian officials have said Rigi is the leader of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network in the Islamic Republic.
Rigi appeared on the tape speaking to the Iranian officer who sat nearby with a gunman pointing his rifle at his head and another standing by. The two militants later fired rounds at the officer who was sitting on the ground wearing white robes.
The group has kidnapped Iranian soldiers in the past to try to force the release of detained members.
More at Reuters

Rumsfeld Dismisses Reports of Military Plan on Iran

Secretary Rumsfeld made it clear to reporters he had nothing to say about Tuesday's announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran has enriched uranium to a level used in nuclear power plants. "I'd rather wait and see what our experts say about it. I've not seen the statement, I've not had a chance to analyze anything that they've said and nor have I had a chance to talk to the people who have the responsibility in the United States government for making judgments and assessments with respect to things like that," he said.
Iran insists its nuclear intentions are peaceful and its program is only for making electricity.
As for published media reports saying the Pentagon has been working on contingency plans for possible military strikes to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear program, Secretary Rumsfeld said he had nothing to add to comments already made by President Bush. "I think the president handled it properly. The United States of America is on a diplomatic track. That is the president's decision, that is where our European allies are. There is obviously concern about Iran. It's a country that supports terrorists. It's a country that has indicated an interest in having weapons of mass destruction. So, obviously the president has indicated his concern about the country. But it is simply not useful to get into fantasy land," he said.
More at Voice of America

Russia hopes Iran to cooperate with IAEA

Iran should fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said here Tuesday at a meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Abdel Ilah al-Khatib.
"We regard it very important that Iran should fully cooperate with the IAEA to clarify all the remaining questions in compliance with decisions of the agency's board of governors," Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
"Russia and Jordan are convinced of the need for a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear problem," he said.
The head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, is due in Iran on Wednesday to discuss Tehran's nuclear program amid a tense standoff with the West.
More at Xinhua