Yesterday, France, Britain and Germany were considering giving Iran a light water reactor (LWR) in exchange for Iran's assurance not to continue enriching uranium. A LWR is considered less proliferation-worthy since it's byproducts/waste aren't as usable in further refining processes, such as a heavy water reactor's (HWR) plutonium waste product. All this and LWR's are considered a-ok under the NPT by the IAEA. Iran's in the process of building a HWR in Arak, Iran.

I find all of this rather curious, as if that whole "doomed to repeat it" business about history's excluded from the IAEA's thinking. Let's review:

  • 1956: The British, US, and Canadians, in good faith, give India nuclear technology, ostensibly for peaceful, domestic purposes, as specified in the contract for the Cirus HWR and heavy water supply. May, 1974: India has a nuclear bomb and tests it. India's latest 2006 agreement with the United States excludes their military nuclear reactors from oversight. The US agrees.
  • 1994/1997: The United States, in good faith, offers LWRs (and oil) to DPRK in order to have Kim Jong Il retreat from pursuing nuclear weapons, KJI's stated goal. A few years later, sometime after 2002, the addition of LWR technology helps DPRK become a nuclear power.
In the words of our silver tongued, esteemed President from 2002 "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

That's right, no third time, and even the second time was a flub. You heard it. Additionally, Washington officials asked to comment on this plan have stated that they'd oppose such an offering.

Apparently, the European nations who're mulling over offering Iran a LWR aren't big history buffs. My favorite quote out of the supposedly tentative and secret discussions is from a French official:

"We are not going to offer them a finished reactor," he told the AP.
Mademoiselle, of course you're not. Rich, so rich. June 7, 1981 Israel bombs the French-made nuclear reactor given to Iraq. This reactor was delivered unfinished. Prior to its destruction, there were claims that the French delivered the reactor with a massive crack in its side - i.e. inoperable. The French are apparently either completely unaware of history or fully cognizent of their disengenuousness.

My advice to Iran would be to reject any offer like this and save the world the embarassment of this post.

As of this writing, Iran has. In the words of Iran's silver tongued, esteemed president "They say we want to give Iranians incentives, but they think they are dealing with a four-year-old, telling him they will give him candies or walnuts and take gold from him in return."