Resolved: Iran is not developing nuclear weapons

It is probable that Iran is building its capacity for a nuclear military program. First, the Iranian government has failed to be fully transparent with IAEA inspections to its military sites where it has been suspected that uranium is being enriched for military use. Second, Iran has enriched enough uranium to develop two atomic weapons and it has begun enriching uranium at higher levels of efficiency, which may speed the conversion of uranium to weapon-grades purity. Third, there are more cost-effective methods that Iran could adopt to improve its energy infrastructure, and Iran has already relied on other nations to supply its nuclear energy.In November 2011, the IAEA reported that Iran had failed to address its concerns about the prospect of using uranium enrichment for military purposes. Iran has failed to demonstrate why it is conducting activities that are consistent with the development of a nuclear weapon. In particular, Iran has failed to account for why it has acquired information on nuclear weapons development and documentation from a clandestine nuclear supply network. In addition, Iran has, in some fashion, worked on an indigenous design of a nuclear weapon including testing of some of these components as noted in the IAEA report. The Islamic Republic continues to deny entry into key military sites where military nuclear activity is suspected to take place.Centrifuges spin gases and raise uranium to a level of purity to about 5%, which is the minimum required level of purification to generate nuclear energy. In order to develop a nuclear weapon, a facility must enrich uranium to 90%. Once a facility has enriched uranium to 20%, the ease with which it can increase the purity of uranium has greatly increased. Iran has purified uranium to 20%. Iran continues to increase the efficiency of its uranium enrichment, which in conjunction with other evidence, suggests its ambition to develop a nuclear program for military purposes.Iran has contracted with Russia to build nuclear power plants throughout the country, and to supply the country with enriched uranium. Iran has compacted agreements with countries such as Brazil and Turkey to exchange low-enriched uranium with more efficient forms of uranium. Iran doggedly asserts its nuclear independence, when it is not necessary to Iran’s energy program. Furthermore, the amount of wastage that Iran incurs is nearly six to seven billion dollars a year. Iran recycles oil and gas at 28%, whereas most other countries recycle petroleum based products at about 60%. Iran’s energy consumption is extremely inefficient. If Iran were to be truly concerned about its energy programs, it would make low-cost investments into refining its current energy infrastructure--a venture cheaper than nuclear energy. Iran continues to overlook opportunities into refining the current energy infrastructre, investing into easily attainable renewable energy such as hydroelectricity, and relying on other countries to maintain uranium enrichment. Iran’s investment into nuclear energy only addresses one aspect of its energy program; it does not address the need of hydrocarbons for transportation. Iran has expressed its realization of political and military power is to become an energy powerhouse, which with the demands of its population it is quickly becoming. However, Iran has neglected several key components of its energy policy, which could aids in its overall sustainability, providing evidence that Iran sees the development of nuclear energy as a pathway to the development of nuclear weapons.