“Two Named in Iran Uranium Export Scheme”
That was the headline at the Washington Times, leading the person who didn’t read any further to believe Iran was involved in an export scheme for uranium. Others termed it a “nuclear smuggling case,” or a “nuclear export plot.”
Scared yet? That’s the idea.
A cursory look at the actual articles reveals that two guys, one Chinese and one Iranian, managed to “illegally” export lathes to Iran, and failed at a second attempt to acquire some steel.
The steel in question was “maraging steel,” which can be used for nuclear centrifuges. Sure, it can be used for countless other things from engine equipment to surgical components. But that wouldn’t make nearly as good a headline.
A little honesty about what we know, what we have credible reason to suspect, and what is just random hype could spare us a lot of war hysteria.
In this case, we know lathes are for metalworking and whatnot. We know maraging steel can be used for gears and dies. Sounds like a manufacturing was the order of the day.
Instead, we see the almost mystical reasoning by which steel becomes uranium and then becomes nuclear weapons in just a few easy steps and are left shaking our heads at yet another headline that doesn’t match the story.
