Bash Wonders…Iranian Iodine Mines A Cover For Nuke Weps Testing?
This is just a theory from amateur me, I’m just thinking out loud over here…feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
Okay, back on January 26th I was perusing the web at all of my usual spots to check for all of that world news stuff and I hit the Iranian State mouthpiece FARS.
Lo and behold I found an article that on the surface, is seemingly harmless…perhaps even a nice breakthrough for Iranian economics. The headline read:
“Iran Joins Iodine Producing Countries ”
Hey! Iranian Iodine mines. Cool…according to the article it says that Iran has now joined Japan, Chile, Azerbaijan, the United States, China, Indonesia, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in helping supply the world with Iodine.
(Inside an Iranian Iodine mine)
Iodone can be used in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the chemical industry, and in antiseptic production.
Big fucking deal. So what? Japan and Chile supply 90%, while the rest provide the remaining 10%. Which means Iran’s contributions to the “Iodine Industry” are nice, but hardly newsworthy.
So why mention it publicly?
Louie started squealing at me and so I did some probing and research.
Ever heard of Iodine 131? It is what is leftover after uranium enrichment or nuclear explosions. Back in the 50’s, when they were testing nukes in the deserts of Nevada et al, the Iodine 131 produced by those tests got into the cows, which got into their milk, which made lots of Americans sick.
When Iodine is mined, it is in deep tunnels.
Now there is a difference between the iodine mentioned in the article that is used for lots of good things, and Iodine 131 which is radioactive.
However, if there were to be a “horrible explosion during mining operations” in Iran, which seismic monitors would pick up and could be translated as underground nuclear testing. Iran could explain away the seismic activity as mining explosions gone awry, and the measurements of Iodine 131 that would inevitably be detected by the IAEA, as simply the product of their normal enrichment process, and the mine explosion, combined.
This is from an Iodine article on iodine health uses:
The iodine story as related to human health took an interesting turn when Uranium was used to cause nuclear fission: one of the decay products of nuclear explosions is Iodine 131. That means not only nuclear weapons, bombs, but also, all of the controlled nuclear events in Nuclear reactor fuel rods. ALL NUCLEAR FACILITIES release radioactive Iodine 131 into the atmosphere. Hundreds of them are licensed to do so.
So what is going on here (I believe), is that Iran is publicly stating that they are enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, and now publicly proclaiming they are in the Iodine mining business, so that the increased and unusual measurements of Iodine 131 that will no doubt be detected when they decide to test their nuclear weapon, can be explained away by the “peaceful” enrichment procedures occurring in Iran being supplemented by the “Iodine mine explosion incident”.
And if they were to test a nuclear bomb, too much Iodine 131 would be detected to be explained away by the amounts that a small plant (like those in Iran) would produce UNLESS Iran’s iodine mines suffered a horrible accident. Like a big explosion.
Which, of course, would be conducted deep inside the iodine mines of Iran.
It’s called CYA, Covering Your Ass.
Now I’m no chemist, so please feel free to add to this story, debunk it, or whatever.
I’m not sayin’…I’m just sayin’…
Iodine mining in Iran for the good of the world? My ass.
What do you think?
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Bash way to be on your toes…I don’t have a clue but it’s worth throwing out there
BTW, We lost 2 seals out of Little Creek … so if you see any news
February 6th, 2008 at 6:34 pmSorry Bash, this dog won’t hunt.
Natural iodine, like in a mine, is Iodine 127: 53 protons, 74 neutrons. It is the only iodine isotope found in nature. Iodine 131 has 4 extra neutrons and is highly radioactive so it is easy to detect. Iodine 127 is not radioactive, and it is almost impossible to detect because you need concentrations in the parts per million for the detector to measure it. Almost any release from a mining accident would dilute in the atmosphere quickly below that concentration.
So, if the pudding-heads who run Iran think this will hide a nuke test, they are really mistaken. This wouldn’t fool anyone.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:24 pmWell, I was bored and had been mulling this over in my head and I figured if I put it out here, someone who knew something might be able to shed more light on it.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:55 pmHey Bash,
Not bad. CnChess already mentioned the issue with the two types of iodine. Something else has to do with the seismic structure that nuclear detonations generate.
All around the world we have these awesome detectors that look like fine piano wire going down deep into the earth. When a nuke goes off those vibrations are picked up and amplified. Nukes have a very particular “look”. I’m pretty sure we can distinguish an accident from even a low low yield nuke.
Now I wouldn’t be surprised that the mine is a front for a place to test.. Just not a place to hide the test.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:03 pmBash,
Good eye and good article.
I am a former NBC officer at a Battalion or S2 level. One of the issued items, for anyone around any nuclear materials; such as weapons, production, or medial operations, is “Iodine Tablets.” (They were also issued items, during the Cold War, to troops in the field who might be exposed to a nuclear blast) Radiation exposure settles in the Thyroid Gland, iodine combats the exposure, in the Thyroid, and can be life saving, if taken soon after exposure and taken properly.
Now, wouldn’t if be quite a coincidence, if the Iranian iodine production was for their own use, medicinally or prophylactically. Mining their own iodine means they do not have to rely on the drug from the rest of the world and no one would know how much they were using or giving out, in advance, to the populace.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:41 am