First, let me say I know I promised a more detailed look at the pirates and a historical perspective on the issue - but what started out as a short post, ended up being nearly six pages long. I decided not to post it at this time - but will at some point polish it up a bit and post it as a PDF for anyone who is interested.

So - yesterday, the US Navy rescued Maersk Captain Phillips from his four Somali pirate-captors. It seems it went something like this:

Phillips was being held captive in a lifeboat from the Maersk vessel. The lifeboat had long since run out of fuel. At some point on Sunday, the sea conditions were worsening and the lifeboat was "floundering". The pirates acknowledged that by establishing a tow, it would be a smoother ride.Tthe pirates and the Navy agreed to tow the lifeboat while negotiations were underway for Phillips' release. The USS Bainbridge hooked up a tow line to the life boat. Three captors were onboard the lifeboat with Phillips, all armed with AK-47s and small arms, while the fourth pirate went aboard the USS Bainbridge to conduct negotiations.

The White House had issued a standing order for the military to move in an rescue Phillips if his life was in imminent danger.

Shortly after the USS Bainbridge began towing the lifeboat, the situation escalated. It became increasingly clear to the pirates that they were not going to get the cash ransom they were looking for - as the officers of the USS Bainnridge made it very clear they were not in a position to provide any cash ransom. Shots were fired from the lifeboat and the pirates were seen holding a gun to Captain Phillips back. Acting on the standing order from the White House, the snipers, positioned on the fantail of the USS Bainbridge, were ordered to fire.

They established clear head shots on all three pirates. One of the pirates was visible through the front window, and the heads of the other two were visible above the hatch. Shots were fired, and all three pirates were hit. Navy Seals traversed the tow line attached to the lifeboat, and were the first to get to Phillips. They surveyed the scene and found three dead pirates. Phillips was alive, although tied up. The fourth pirate was taken into custody on the USS Bainbrdge.

Moments after the Seals reached Phillips, a Navy RIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) approached the life boat and safely escorted Phillips back to the Bainbridge. He has since undergone a medical exam and had the chance to take a shower.

According to Admiral Gortney, commander of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, Phillips is healthy and unharmed.

Okay - today on CNN Admiral Mike Mullen (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) stated that Iran has enough material to make a nuclear weapon.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff

Let's take a quick look at the statement - while it is very likely true - it is also very misleading.

There are a number of different types of nuclear weapons - but when we are talking about states trying to get the Bomb - we are generally speaking about weapons made from high enriched uranium (Uranium enriched in its U235 content to over at least 80%).

Now, according to the IAEA, Iran has managed to enrich about 1000KGs of UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) to the low-enriched state of less than 5% U235 (the enrichment level that is used in commercial power production). So - what this technically means is that Iran has enough Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) that if they could get the technology working right - and given sufficient time, they could eventually take that LEU and probably produce a sufficient quantity of HEU (High Enriched Uranium) from it. What this doesn't mean is that they actually have high enriched uranium on hand for a bomb.

A quick bit about Uranium. Uranium is mined all over the world. In its natural state, it is primarily made up of U238 (roughly 99.284%) and U235 (roughly 0.711%) - with U235 being the fissile isotope.

Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Once the uranium is mined and milled, it is shipped in U3O8 (Yellowcake) form to a conversion facility. This conversion facility takes the U3O8 and converts it to UF6 (Uranium Hexafluoride). Due to its properties, this is the form that is used in the enrichment process. So - the natural UF6 then goes to an enrichment facility. There are two major enriching technologies - the Gas Diffusion Enrichment technology (which has been used in the US for decades) and the Centrifuge technology - which the Europeans and Russians have been using (as a side note, the US is now investigating the use of enriching material in centrifuges). At the enrichment plants, the uranium is enriched from its natural state of about 0.711% U235 to typically between 2% and 5% U235 - the range used in commercial power plants. From here, the enriched UF6 typically goes to a fabricator which takes the enriched UF6 and converts it to UO2 (uranium dioxide) which is subsequently pressed into pellets which are then put into fuel rods which are grouped into Fuel assemblies to power nuclear reactors.

So - when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs states that Iran has enough material for a bomb - it's true - but it is also true that they don't have uranium in the correct form - and, at present, it doesn't look likely that they can produce this material in the near term.