Nuclear agency accuses Iran of willful lack...

[Steve Gardner]

...of cooperation

So what are we to make of this coming, as it does, not so very long after the US's very own National Intelligence Estimate claimed Iran had halted its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons back in 2003 and the IAEA itself has routinely pooh-poohed US administration's rhetoric?

According to this article, the IAEA now believes "Iran's suspected research into the development of nuclear weapons remains "a matter of serious concern"" and this concern stems, it would appear, from 18 documents presented to it by "Western intelligence agencies".

This is simply Iraq 2 - lie about various threats until enough people buy at least one of them.

Source and full article: International Herald Tribune

The International Atomic Energy Agency, in an unusually blunt and detailed report, said Monday that Iran's suspected research into the development of nuclear weapons remains "a matter of serious concern" and continues to need "substantial explanations."

The nine-page report accused the Iranians of a willful lack of cooperation, particularly in answering allegations that its nuclear program may be pointed less at energy generation than at military use.

Part of the agency's case hinges on 18 documents listed in the report and presented to Iran that, according to Western intelligence agencies, indicate the Iranians have ventured into explosives, uranium processing and a missile warhead design — activities that ordinarily would be associated with constructing nuclear weapons.

"There are certain parts of their nuclear program where the military seems to have played a role," said one senior official close to the agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity under normal diplomatic constraints. He added, "We want to understand why."

Iran has dismissed the documents as "forged" or "fabricated," claimed that its experiments and projects had nothing to do with a nuclear weapons program and refused to provide documentation and access to its scientists to support its claims.

[teddy]

It's clear that the USA has influence over UN bodies. I'm very very perturbed by this latest development, as the IAEA have in the past always resisted US attempts to put words into their mouth. Really, why is the IAEA so concerned with Iran, and yet ignores Israel? Disgraceful.

[Steve Gardner]

May 27, 2008 10:16:15 GMT teddy said:

Really, why is the IAEA so concerned with Iran, and yet ignores Israel? Disgraceful.

I agree 100%. All of which gives me the perfect opportunity to post this:

[Steve Gardner]

Here's a bit more on the hypocrisy surround the scrutiny given to Israel and Iran regarding their respective nuclear programmes.

In the article below, Carter was responding to a question at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival in Wales in which he was asked how any future US president should deal with the Iranian nuclear threat.

Source and full article: BBC

Ex-US President Jimmy Carter has said Israel has at least 150 atomic weapons in its arsenal.

The Israelis have never confirmed they have nuclear weapons, but this has been widely assumed since a scientist leaked details in the 1980s.

Mr Carter made his comments on Israel's weapons at a press conference at the annual literary Hay Festival in Wales.

[SNIP}

"The US has more than 12,000 nuclear weapons; the Soviet Union (sic) has about the same; Great Britain and France have several hundred, and Israel has 150 or more," he said.

And credit to Carter for continuing to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians.

He also described Israeli treatment of Palestinians as "one of the greatest human rights crimes on earth".

During the press briefing, Mr Carter expressed his support for Israel as a country, but criticised its domestic and foreign policy.

"One of the greatest human rights crimes on earth is the starvation and imprisonment of 1.6m Palestinians," he said.

The former US president cited statistics which he said showed the nutritional intake of some Palestinian children was below that of children in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as saying the European position on Israel could be best described as "supine".