Cloning ain’t rocket science: The Associated Press is reporting that Iranian scientists have completed the country’s first animal cloning. The medical team said the fact that the cloned lamb died just minutes after birth was not a reflection on how well Iran could handle complex nuclear fusion techniques. The doctors said they plan future experiments in genetics and stem cell research, and noted, defensively, that the Scottish cloned sheep Dolly only lived to be six years old.
— Condi Rice
Iran’s cloning program is just part of the Islamic regime’s ambitions to become a regional center for medical, aerospace and nuclear technology, which has led to an international showdown over Western claims that Tehran also seeks atomic weapons.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice reiterated the West’s trepidations about Tehran developing nuclear weapons: “If this is the best they can do cloning sheep, how well do you think they are going to handle yellow cake uranium?”
“We learned a lot about cloning during the experiment. It made us more hopeful about further cases,” said Dr. Morteza Hosseini, a member of cloning team at Isfahan Royan Institute in central Iran.
Hosseini said the cloned sheep died five minutes after birth Aug. 2 due to respiratory problems. The female sheep implanted with the cloned embryo gave birth a week ahead of schedule and was healthy, he said. Hosseini said the ragout of cloned lamb with carrots over pilaf was indistinguishable in flavor or texture to ragout made with conventionally bred lamb.
Hosseini said Iranian researchers in Tehran and Isfahan expect to carry out more cloning experiments and test more recipes over the coming months.
