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January 2nd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Also test fires medium-range missile in naval exercises
By
David Richards
Last updated at 3:43 PM on 1st January 2012
Iranian scientists have produced the nation’s first nuclear fuel rod, a feat of engineering the West has doubted Tehran capable of, the country’s nuclear agency said today.
The announcement marks another step in Tehran’s efforts to achieve proficiency in the entire nuclear fuel cycle – from exploring uranium ore to producing nuclear fuel.
This is despite U.N. sanctions and measures by the U.S. and others to get it to halt aspects of its atomic work that could provide a possible pathway to weapons production.
An Iranian warship launches an unknown missile type in this still image taken from footage released by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) today. Iran announced today it had test-fired a new medium-range missile during the last days of its naval drill in the Gulf.
MEDIUM-RANGE MISSILE TEST-FIRED DURING FINAL DAYS OF NAVAL DRILL
Iran test-fired a new medium-range missile, designed to evade radars today during the last days of its naval drill in the Gulf.
The 10-day naval exercise coincided with increased tension in Iran’s nuclear row with Western powers, after the European Union said it was considering a ban – already in place in the U.S. – on imports of Iranian oil.
‘The mid-range surface to air missile which is equipped with the latest sophisticated anti-radar technologies has been successfully test-fired,’ said Deputy Navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi.
Iran delayed testing its long-range missiles during the drill, saying the weapons would be launched in the next few days.
The United States and Israel say they have not ruled out military action against Iran if diplomacy fails to resolve a dispute over the country’s nuclear programme, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West says is a cover to build bomb.
Iran has long-range missile systems including the Shahab-3, which could reach Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East.
In the past week Iran has threatened to stop ships moving through the strategic Strait of Hormuz if sanctions are imposed on its oil exports.
The threat has heightened tension between Iran and the West. The U.S. Fifth Fleet said it will not allow any disruption of traffic in the vital oil shipping route.
Tehran has long said it is forced to seek a way to manufacture the fuel rods on its own, since the sanctions ban it from buying them on foreign markets.
Nuclear fuel rods are tubes containing pellets of enriched uranium that provide fuel for nuclear reactors.
Iran’s atomic energy agency’s website said the first domestically made rod has already been inserted into the core of Tehran’s research nuclear reactor.
But it was unclear if the rod contained pellets or was inserted empty, as part of a test.
‘Scientists and researchers at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran have succeeded in producing and testing the first sample of a nuclear fuel rod,’ said the announcement.
The U.S. and some of its European allies accuse Iran of using its nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons. Iran denies the charge, saying the programme is for peaceful purposes only and is geared toward generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.
Although the rods are easier to make, Iran is also seeking to produce the pellets with enriched uranium. But so far it is not known whether Iranian nuclear scientists have been able to overcome the technical hurdles to do so.
Tehran focused on domestic production of nuclear fuel rods and pellets in 2010, after talks with the West on a nuclear fuel swap deal ended in failure as Iran backed down on shipping a major part of its stock of enriched uranium abroad in return for fuel.
The announcement on the fuel rod came just a day after Tehran proposed a new round of talks on its nuclear program with six world powers. The last round of negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany was held in January in Istanbul, Turkey, but it ended in failure.
The U.N. has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can lead to making a nuclear weapon. Separately, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed their own tough economic and financial penalties.
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