"Historic Mistake"

Iran has reached an interim agreement with world powers over its nuclear program after days of negotiations in Geneva. (Refer to my last post)

Under the deal, Tehran has promised to reduce its stockpiles of enriched uranium, which can be used to build nuclear weapons; in return, some sanctions will be relaxed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the agreement a "historic mistake".

This video shows us Israeli's view on the matter and how strongly they are against Iran nuclear program agreement. He talks about how important factors are left out of agreement and how Israeli is "not bound by this agreement." 

After I watched the video and analyzed it, I started to read the comments. If you have time give them a look. People from all over the world with different view and beliefs chime in on what they think. Some are useless and prejudiced, but most really very interesting. 

Iranian Nuclear Program Grows by 74% Since Obama Took Office

This video is a clip from Fox News discussing a statement made by John Carry. Carry had stated that if the former administration would have done the right thing when Iran had made an offer when they only had 164 nuclear centrifuges than they might not have had advanced so much. Carry was referring to George W Bush in his time in office. The statistics from this clip show that advancements have made more of an increase in Obama’s administration. At the end of Bush’s administration there were 5,000 centrifuges but as of now there are 19,000 centrifuges, which proves that more centrifuges were built during Obama’s time in office then when Bush was in office. Iran’s nuclear power program had grown by 74% since Obama took office. Is it really necessary to bring Bush into this issue, he is no longer in office or can make decisions to prevent any more advancements from happening. Obama is our leader now and I feel as if we should focus on the present and the future of the situation.

Refer to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GHwuw9oV4Y

Iran to Build New Nuclear Power Plants Video

This is a video that I had found on Youtube and it is a news report translating the major ideas of a meeting of Iran's Nuclear Industry managers that was held about Iran's plan to build 16 new nuclear power plants in Iran. The men of the meeting reported that Iran has already identified and designated these new locations. Their long-term objectives are to build their new nuclear power plants along the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the north western regions. These managers claimed that Iran has installed hundreds of advanced centrifuge machines for the purpose of enriching Uranium, not for nuclear weapons reasons. With this nuclear power they are able to supply other countries with fuel. One man by the name of Fereydoun Abbasi bluntly stated that they are using advanced centrifuges and for those who are unhappy about this should get in line with the new realities.

Refer to this link for the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwVmGYVuBY0

Zarif Speaks to the Students of University of Tehran

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javid Zarif delivered a speak to the students at the University of Tehran to tell them about the nuclear program that their country is evolving. The nuclear agreement between Iran and six other world powers (US, Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany) understands Iran's right to enrich uranium.  He explained to the students that without the enrichment program, there will be no solution to the nuclear issue.  Again, the article states that Iran seeks no interest in nuclear weapons. They believe that the weapons will be detrimental to their security.  

I found this article to be interesting, given that we are all college students.  For the foreign minister to come give a speech to the student population of University of Tehran is compelling.  Although as a student in the US, hearing about another country wanting to create this huge nuclear program is questionable.  I think it would be very interesting to hear what the students of Iran's opinions are on this matter.  

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/12/03/338090/iran-to-maintain-enrichment-program/

Historic nuclear deal: The art of delicate Iranian diplomacy

    After the recent Geneva deal, this opinion piece was published on the Tehran Times website.  For the first part of the article the author summarizes the details of the deal but in the later part he talks about what this means for Iran.  From the author's standpoint it seems that this deal was a great success for Iran.  Their nuclear program is still intact and some of the sanctions will be lifted.  He also says that this is a good first step for future agreements.  One thing that I noticed from reading this article is that people's view on the Geneva deal is dependent on if they believe Iran intends to build nuclear weapons.  From the US and European standpoint the deal did not go far enough to stop Iran's nuclear capabilities.  This worries them because they are afraid Iran could still make progress towards building a weapon.  From the Iranian standpoint this deal is great because some sanctions are removed and they still have the possibility to create nuclear energy.  By the end of the article I was left with the question, "why would a country that wants to develop nuclear weapons be so willing to give concessions?"

Link to article: http://www.tehrantimes.com/component/content/article/52-guests/112363-historic-nuclear-deal-the-art-of-delicate-iranian-diplomacy   

The Write UP!!!!

For the reflective write up I would like each of you to analyze what happened within the blog as a whole. This analysis should include 2-4 ‘themes’ or ‘categories’--preferably, though not necessarily exclusively, themes from class. Trace your chosen themes through the posts on the blog. You can quote from the posts, or the media itself, but please cite it in the paper. Please discuss posts that are not just your own! Using comments as well as primary posts to support your themes is encouraged. In many ways I picture this project as a research paper without the final product. What I mean by this is that online you are discovering and interrogating sources—analyzing them as raw pieces of data. In this written (and more formal) portion, I want you to create/impose order on the chaos that is data collection. This write up is just the analysis or discussion portion of a ‘normal’ paper, with some ‘conclusionary’ remarks for good measure. This essay may include personal observations and will definitely show what you thought most interesting. The essays should be between 3-5pages long and are due on BB by 5pm on December 16, 2013 (our final period). If you need some help likely categories might include geopolitics, individual perspectives, Al-Jazeera vs BBC, how the US is involved, role of oil, regime change..... These are *just examples* you do NOT need to use these!!! I wanted to give you some clues as to the possibilities so it would be easier to see the themes for yourselves.

World Powers Reach Nuclear Deal With Iran After Grueling Talks

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/world-powers-reach-nuclear-deal-with-iran-after-grueling-tal

       I found this article while I am browsing through one of my favorite websites. It talks about the agreement came to in Geneva between six world powers. They reached an interim deal with Iran on its nuclear program. Iranians agreed to cease uranium enrichment beyond five percent. Iran will be required to dilute or convert to oxide its stock of 20-percent enriched uranium and is not allowed to install new centrifuges. 
       The article says that in a press conference taking place after negotiating parties signed the agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that the deal would result in the “removal of any doubts about the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.” 
I don't understand how any nuclear program could be "peaceful" or how peace is associated with nuclear power.
      Thoughts??