The
director of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Fereydoon Abbasi, wrote
in an article published Thursday by pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat that Iran had sometimes provided false information to IAEA
to protect its nuclear program from foreign espionage. Abbasi did not specify
the nature of the false information. (The New York Times, 21
September)
“We presented false information sometimes in order to protect our
nuclear position and our achievements, as there is no other choice but to
mislead foreign intelligence,” Abbasi wrote. “Sometimes we present a weakness
that we do not in fact really have, and sometimes we appear to have power
without having it.”
Iran has also refused IAEA demands to provide unfettered access to its
inspectors to investigate suspicions about the existence of of the existence of
a nuclear weapons research program.
“Others accuse us, and the agency (IAEA) seeks to establish these
accusations, like what happened with the regime of Saddam Hussein, wanting a
legal framework by which to isolate Iran and toughen sanctions on it,” Abbasi
said.
On Monday, Mr. Abbasi said at an IAEA meeting that the agency had
been infiltrated by “terrorists and saboteurs.” He also linked a previously
unreported explosion of power lines to the country’s Fordo uranium enrichment
facility to information gained by saboteurs through compromised security within
the IAEA.
It is still unclear why Iran should admit to having issued false
information on its nuclear program during a tense period in its relations with
the West and Israel. It could be that some of the information was to come up in the open and Iran wanted to preempt its impact. Very strange nonetheless!
5 comments:
Why is this news?... it's expected of Iran to lie!
very likely a pre-emptive disclosure...and there will be more to come about this
It is their way of announcing that they have achieved all their 'peaceful' goals in their nuclear development despite western efforts. There is no longer any fear of anyone or anything. I believe Khamenei recently said that they will not heed to anymore demands from the superpowers during any negotiations...
See also the counter-threats to Israel about "wiping them out" by various generals, if they dare attack Iran. This train left the station a long time ago for there are many ways to build a Bomb. What's on top has nothing to do with what's below. Realize that Iran has been mimicking Israeli nuclear development and ambiguity that's why 'Yahoo is about to blow a gasket.
This latest poke in the eye is in direct response to the sabotage of the power line that feeds Fordo. Abbasi also made another cryptic comment about "we pretend to have a weakness we really do not have." I believe this is a direct response to 'Yahoo's specific claim that Iran is 6-7 months away from the bomb which is way off.
If you have carefully followed Iranian nuclear progress, like I have, something odd happened two years ago. Iran began R&D on IR-2 in 2006; announced mass production on 4/11/10; ever since they have been quiet. Coincidentally, North Korea invited Stanford professor Siegfried S. Hecker to a small factory near Yongbyon complex, where they had 2,000 P-2 enriching U-235 exactly 7 months later (11/12/10). Whether you call them IR-2 (same diameter/HALF the height-SIZE) or P-2 (1996), they are second generation centrifuges that spin 3x faster than IR-1 or P-1 (1987). At this time FT.com had an interesting article about USA concerns, but because it is 2 years removed most have 'forgotten.'
On 2/11/10, Iran told the world that it possessed laser enrichment technology. Again, it said nothing further.
Fast forward to the latest IAEA report. At Natanz, there are two cascades of 162 IR-2m & 133 IR-4, in addition to 35 cascades of 164 P-1s. Iran has yet to install 3 new types of centrifuge (IR-5, IR-6 and IR-6s) as planned (see GOV/2012/23, ¶20). Any one of these centrifuges can speed up 'dash time' to the bomb by 3x or more. Here, also, Iran told IAEA that it will only install advanced centrifuges at Fordo, but so far all the centrifuges are IR-1. So, where are these newer operational IR-2, -2m, -4, -5, -6 & -6s centrifuges installed? Are they in Sudan, North Korea, NAM, etc.? The futility is comical if you're waiting to see them at Natanz or Qom when they can easily be anywhere.
At page 8, ¶ 38-42, of the Director General's GOV/2012/37 August 30 report, it reasserts his suspicions that Iran is a nuclear state by concluding that information “indicating that Iran has carried out activities that are relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device” has been assessed “to be, overall, credible.” Dr. Abbasi's response is why deny it? The bargaining power now (with all the sanctions and sabotage) is to threaten to come out of the nuclear closet.
2Cold.
2Cold--- that Ahmadinejad said that Iran possesses laser enrichment technology is not exactly evidence that they really have it in usable form or that they're using it.
It may surprise you, but not everything that Ahmadinejad says is truthful
Okay 2:33 PM, don't believe Ahmad. How about the IAEA or North Korea? Are they also liars? What about Dr. Hecker's eyes that witnessed the 2,000 P-2s? Don't forget that NoK and Iran just signed a Technology and Scientific pact at the sidelines of the recent NAM gathering in Tehran. I can't ignore all these events just because I might not like the conclusion.
I merely stated the Laser enrichment technology in the mist of other overwhelming facts to authenticate its veracity. In other words, why would the man reveal such information when he had a plethora of other options for spinning a cascade? Overkill, anyone?
I admit that an isolated statement is only worth the letters used to utter it. But if it can be put into some context, then we have to use reason to judge its content. Don't forget that Dr. Abbasi also said that bombing Iranian nuclear facilities will not stop their progress because they have devised other means to combat such acts (I'm paraphrasing).
2Cold.
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