Iran agrees to send some uranium to Russia and France for enrichment

As reported by the NYT.

The uranium would then be returned, enriched, to Iran, which could use it for medical applications.

Tehran also agreed to open its new facility to inspectors within 2 weeks.

Iran’s uranium is enriched to about 3.5 to 5 percent, the officials said; the Tehran reactor for making medical isotopes, last powered by Argentine-made fuel in 1993, needs uranium enriched to 19.75 percent, still far below weapons grade. And that uranium must then be fabricated into metal rods for the reactor.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is justifying a West Coast missile defense against Iranian missiles--which in no way can reach the US.

Pentagon policy chief Michele Flournoy, appearing before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said the 30 ground-based interceptor missiles to be deployed in Alaska and California by the end of 2010 will "provide the United States with full protection of the homeland against an Iranian ICBM threat."