Iran has announced that it has resumed building nuclear centrifuges despite pressure from the International Atomic Energy Agency and threats from Israel to destroy the plants before they are operational.

Iran’s decision backtracks from a pledge in October to the European Union (news - web sites)’s “big three” members — Britain, France and Germany — to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities.

“We have started building centrifuges,” Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told a news conference.

However he insisted Iran had not resumed enriching uranium, the key part of the process which can either produce fuel for power stations or bomb material.

Iran had previously said it would restart making centrifuges to retaliate against a resolution from the U.N. nuclear watchdog last month deploring Tehran’s failure to co-operate fully with inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Diplomats say Iran has also restarted work at a uranium conversion facility near the central city of Isfahan. The plant turns processed ore, or yellowcake, into uranium hexafluoride gas which is pumped into centrifuges to form enriched uranium.

- Parinoosh Arami, Reuters

This news comes on the the heels of the 9/11 Commission report that indicates strong ties between Iran and terrorism activity and involvement with 9/11.

With this threat of nuclear weapons in a regime that already supports terrorist groups Hezbollah and possibly Al Qaeda, the world must step in and either disable the plants and/or negotiate heavily with Iran. North Korea can be put on the side to curb Iran’s refusal to hold up to their earlier agreement and threat facing the world. Iran is a bigger threat to not only the United States, it’s sworn enemy since the Jimmy Carter years, but the entire civilized world.

Unfortunately the public support in the United States will not allow anything to be done to Iran’s regime other than negotiations. In a political season, the Democrats have played their appeasement card too well to allow any type of military action to stop the process. This includes special operations groups as well unless they are cloaked in absolute secrecy. If Bush were to allow military operations against these nuclear facilities in Iran and the public found out, he would lose office. If he doesn’t and a nuclear weapon ends up in terrorists hands and lands in America, the Democrats would cry that Bush didn’t do anything. It’s a fine world we live in today with the political culture of the Democratic Left will not allow anything to get done to make the world safer. The error in the Democratic philosophy is in the politicization of national security.

Hat tip: California Yankee