ANYONE IN WASHINGTON INTERESTED? – AT 9:13 A.M. ET:  Reuters is one of the few news organizations that has shown an interest in this critically important story:

(Reuters) - Iran is installing new uranium enrichment machines to speed progress in its nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, a development that may increase Western concern about Tehran's aims.

May?  MAY?

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast appeared to confirm a Reuters story last week that Iran was installing two newer and more advanced models of the centrifuges used to refine uranium for large-scale testing at a research site.

If Iran eventually succeeds in introducing the more modern centrifuges for production, it could significantly shorten the time needed to stockpile material which can have civilian as well as military purposes, if processed much further.

"By installing the new centrifuges progress is being made with more speed and better quality," Mehmanparast said, adding the move showed Iran was being successful in its "peaceful nuclear activity."

COMMENT:  They are going for a bomb.  Otherwise, why are so many of their nuke facilities underground, in hardened sites?  You don't do that if you're just building nuclear plants to recharge iPods.  And yet, we've taken our eye off the ball.  Iran hardly rates mention these days, and its internal revolution, which our president tried to ignore for days when it broke out in 2009, is off the front pages.

We will be reminded later, and it will be too late. 

July 19, 2011