And really I'm tired of hearing about Iran. They have the recognized right, under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to which they are party, to enrich uranium and/or plutonium for use in generating electricity. Yet the U.S., Russia and other nations continue to insist Iran surrender this right because it is one of many necassary steps to develope nuclear weapons. It's like saying you can't have wood because you might make gun stocks out of it.
One reason nuclear weapons are not more prolific is that they are quite difficult to build. They require a level of precision most nations can not accomplish. Not only must the fuel (uranium) be concentrated much further even then that for fuel for nuclear reactors(reactors require enrichment to around 2-3% U235, weapons use 85+% enriched U235), but it must be formed into the proper shape and have a primary charge with the right force arranged to detonate in a perfectly uniform manner all at once. In fact it was getting the primary charge to detonate effectively that was the biggest hinderence to even the U.S. nuclear project. If the fuel is not handled just right, the weapon just doesn't work. There are plenty of ways we can prevent then from getting and using nuclear weapons without worrying if they have energy-grade fissile material.
Add to this the fact that all this must be done entirely by mathematical calculation. You can't just put some together and see if it works. First, the materials are very expensive. Second, if you succeed nuclear tests are detectible by satallite (above ground and under-sea tests) or by seismagraphs (underground) and believe me the U.S. is listening. One verifiable test and the world would be at war over it.
Therefore, you have no real tests, and no certainty on their part that the weapon they made even works. The calculations are complex and there are few enough who understand nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, pyrotechnics and ballistics well enough to make a practical working weapon.
If you want to worry about nukes there's a whole list of nations who've got 'em already.
(U.S.A. United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan)
countries that most likely have them, but have not publicly demonstrated it.
(Israel, North Korea)
Iran may after all be trying to make nuclear weapons. Most of the info comes from the CIA, and frankly, considering their inflated reports of WMD's many based on false sources with vested interest in a war against Iraq, how much can we really continue to trust them?
Much better evidence exists against Israel, who has a known nuclear test reactor that they claim is for non-weapons related research....only no data has ever been released and no scientific papers have ever been published from this facility.
Even in the U.S. top secret labs, scientists do studies that are regularly published in scientific journals, as they're doing legitimate research to increase human understanding of the universe.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are believed to have secret programs to try and develop weapons. It's interesting that we don't as a nation, practice our own beliefs. One of the most important rights we keep requires solid evidence before someone can be punished for a crime, yet there are those who'd go to war again, killing thousands, with no evidence of any wrong doing.
Let's face it Iraq was a bad idea. Iran would be far far worse.
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