Iran's Medical Uranium

Next week Iran will meet with US, Russia, and France to discuss providing Iran with Uranium enriched to 20% for medical use. Iran currently enriches to a few percent as would be needed for power reactors. 80% is needed to build a decent bomb, although a crude weapon can be made with much lower percentages.

The negotiations should be interesting. The medical use is a total red herring. If the fuel is not provided, they would have a moral right to enrich to 20%, but the capacity to enrich to that level brings them closer to their admitted goal of becoming a 'virtual' nuclear weapons state.

So the west wants to provide the fuel, and Iran wants the talks to fail. Here's how the private conversation might go:

Iran: Can we get the fuel?
West: What concessions can we get?
Iran: We will only require you to agree to allow us to build our [bomb factory] under the mountains at Qom.
West: Ummm, how about we just provide the fuel with no strings attached?
Iran: No, your conditions are unreasonable. We will make a public statement that you hold our children's health hostage to make us give up our rights under the NPT. Then we will start enriching to 20%.

If western leaders had any sense at all, they would make public statements before the talks even start that they will provide the fuel with no strings attached. But I suspect they will fat finger this one.