Today's NY Times report on Iran is to be expected but does offer some insight into who may actually be in control as regards Iran's nuclear ambitions. At the same time, a Telegraph report, linked below, addresses emerging reports of hidden military installations for the purposes of nuclear development.
PARIS, June 11 — Iran has begun a public campaign that appears to be aimed at nudging the six nations that have offered a package of incentives into negotiations over its nuclear program without first freezing its efforts to make nuclear fuel.
On the day he received the package from Mr. Solana, Mr. Larijani spoke of unspecified "ambiguities" in it that "should be removed." Then one of Iran's most strident clerics, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, declared on Friday that Iran would never freeze its nuclear activities.
In early reports of the incentives recently offered to Iran, Secretary of State Rice indicated a halt to any ongoing nuclear development on the part of Iran was a pre-condition to any negotiations. The Iranian response, though not yet formal, seems to be a non-starter.
At the same time, the Telegraph is now breaking a story which indicates the IAEA has genuine concerns over a hidden facility possibly detected, destroyed and now re-located.
Fresh evidence has emerged that Iran is working on a secret military project to develop nuclear weapons that has not been declared to United Nations inspectors responsible for monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme.
Nuclear experts working for the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna are pressing the Iranians to make a full disclosure about a network of research laboratories at a secret military base outside the capital Teheran.
The project is codenamed Zirzamin 27, and its purpose is to enable the Iranians to undertake uranium enrichment to military standard. Zirzamin means “basement” in Farsi, which suggests the laboratories are underground and 27 refers to the 27-year-old Iranian revolution.
Concerns over activity at Zirzamin 27 will be raised at this week’s meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors in Vienna, which starts today.
Suspicions have been growing that Iran has a secret military nuclear research programme since UN inspectors discovered particles of enriched uranium at a research complex at Lavizan, a military base on the outskirts of Teheran, in 2003.
The Iranians agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to visit the Lavizan complex but then razed it to the ground before the inspectors arrived.
Iranian nuclear officials have ignored repeated requests by IAEA officials for a detailed explanation of the Lavizan project. Now the IAEA officials are studying new intelligence indicating that the Lavizan research project has been moved to a secret military location outside Teheran.
Although IAEA officials do not know the precise location of Zirzamin 27, they have comprehensive details of its activities.
All of the talk of faulty intelligence regarding Iraq's WMD's is bound to undermine this new information in the eyes of some. But at least it appears to be coming directly from the IAEA. If the Iranians have been continuing development without the West knowing any of the details, it's difficult to conclude anyone can put a finger on precisely how long it might take for Iran to development a nuclear capability.
Also, if the program is military in nature, as the report suggests, that should put an end to speculation of Iran being interested only in energy as regards their nuclear ambitions.
No wonder the Iranian leader and Mr European Directive No666 Javier Solana had big grins on their faces.
How can either of them lose?
The Iranian nut still gets to get his weapons, and Mr.666 Solana gets the praise for doing the 'deal'.
To be quite honest I would rather trust the Iranian nut, at least you know what he is about, rather than that sly, crafty, Solana, whose real agenda is total World Government Dictatorship.
With himself as Dictator of course.
And don't look for much help from the spineless Europeans, they just like to talk, talk, talk!! First sign of having to take any action, and they are out of it!
Posted by: annie | Monday, June 12, 2006 at 02:42 PM