U.S. State Department said today Iran has
pursued its effort to buy banned components for its nuclear and missile
programs in recent months, despite the Geneva interim agreement and the ongoing
negotiations with the P5+1 to reach final comprehensive accord. (Reuters, 16
March)
Vann Van Diepen, Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, said Iran
was still “very actively” creating front companies and engaging in other
activity to conceal procurements of banned material. The UN Security Council
imposed embargo in 2006 banning the provision by any nation to Iran of
materials related to its nuclear and missile development programs
“They (the Iranians) still continue very
actively trying to procure items for their nuclear program and missile program,”
Van Diepen told Reuters in an interview. “We continue to see them very actively
setting up and operating through front companies, falsifying documentation,
engaging in multiple levels of trans-shipment ... to put more apparent distance
between where the item originally came from and where it is ultimately going.”
(Reuters, March 16)
Asked by Reuters for reaction to the
allegation, a senior Iranian official replied: “No comment.”
Meanwhile, Iran is meeting its commitments
under the November Geneva agreement, suspending its 20-percent uranium enrichment
work and construction activities at heavy-water Arak reactor among other
things.
On 18-19 March, Iran and the P5+1 will hold their second round of negotiations on the final comprehensive agreement in Vienna.
3 comments:
Iran has every right to acquire the technologies it needs for its national defence and its civilian nuclear program,irans agreement to the interim deal has nothing to do with halting its missile or nuclear programs as the us very well knows
BANNED BY WHO ??---sick and boring!!.
the B.O.D once more building its argument on fictions and innuendo !!!.
Next thing you know they are going to blame them for illegally equipping themselves with a growing number of indigenous air defense systems.... after all theses are the same people who did everything to botch S-300 deliveries from Russia back in 2007, and forced the defense establishment into acquiring homegrown know-how into manufacturing processes of every needed sub-components for such systems, to the dismay of those who thought preventing foreign deliveries would halt the country's drive for self-sufficiency in producing military hardware... instead strengthening their resolve in lessening reliance on external sources even further. If only this could apply to civilian industries as well like car manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. Indeed we're not there yet, not by a long shot....
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