Iran worked on N-warhead for Shahab-3 missile: IAEA
Oman Tribune – the edge of knowledge.
VIENNA Iran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and how to arm a Shahab-3 medium-range missile with an atomic warhead, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a report as western nations rounded angrily on Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report detailed evidence showing concerted, covert efforts to acquire the capability to make atomic bombs and conducting secret research. These included, computer modelling of a nuclear warhead, testing explosives in a large metal chamber at the Parchin military base near Teheran and making nuclear warheads fit inside Shahab 3 missiles.
It voiced ‘particular concern’ about the information that Iran had built a large explosives vessel at the Parchin military complex to conduct hydrodynamic experiments, which are “strong indicators of possible weapon development.”
Some of the cited research and development work by Iran have both civilian and military applications, but “others are specific to nuclear weapons,” said the report.
“I think the facts lay out a pretty overwhelming case that this was a pretty sophisticated nuclear weapons effort aimed at miniaturising a warhead for a ballistic missile,” said prominent US proliferation expert David Albright.
The report said Iran has started moving nuclear material to an underground facility for the pursuit of sensitive atomic activities.
It also said Iran had continued to stockpile low-enriched uranium (LEU) and one prominent US think-tank said it had enough of the material for four nuclear weapons if it refines it further.
The IAEA document showed that Iran had now installed two sets of 174 machines each for refining uranium to a fissile purity of 20 per cent at Fordow near Qom. The centrifuge machines were not yet operational.
Iran vowed on Wednesday it “will not budge an iota” from its nuclear path and an Iranian general warned Israel of “destruction” if it launched an attack.
The words of defiance came as the United States and its allies said they were looking at imposing more sanctions on Iran, and Teheran’s chief ally, China, urged the Islamic republic to cooperate with the IAEA.
Russia said the report risked damaging the chance of a renewal of the talks. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast on state TV: “We will not budge an iota from the path we are committed to.”
He reiterated that Iran’s nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful in nature, saying “we don’t need the atomic bomb.”
His deputy armed forces chief, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, warned that any sign of Israel carrying out threats to attack Iran’s nuclear sites “will see its destruction.”
Jazayeri said in an interview with Iran’s Arabic-language channel Al Alam that the Israeli nuclear site of Dimona was “the most accessible” target.
But he also stated that “our response would not be limited to the Middle East.”
Israel called on the world to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an IAEA report confirmed long-standing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The IAEA report corroborates the position of the international community, and of Israel, that Iran is developing nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“The significance of the report is that the international community must bring about the cessation of Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons which endanger the peace of the world and of the Middle East,” it said.
Speculation about an imminent attack on Iran was fuelled last week when Israel test-launched a long-range missile near Tel Aviv and by comments by Netanyahu that Teheran’s nuclear programme posed a “direct and heavy” threat.
Western nations rounded angrily on Iran. France demanded unprecedented UN Security Council sanctions if Iran’s defiance continued, the EU said its concerns were seriously aggravated and even ally China said Iran must be sincere after the IAEA report.
A US official said: “We don’t take anything off the table when we look at sanctions. We believe there is a broad spectrum of action we could take.”
France’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying “we are prepared to adopt… unprecedented sanctions” should Iran refuse to cooperate with the IAEA.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in the case of Iranian intransigence, “more severe sanctions would be inevitable” but stressed “we rule out all discussion on a possible military option.”
“Russia is disappointed and bewildered that the report is being turned into a source adding to the tensions over the problems connected to the Iranian nuclear programme,” the foreign ministry said.
The main finding in the IAEA report was that secret weapons-relevant research may continue. The information that Iran last month moved a “large cylinder” with LEU to the Fordow site was included in the report yet pointing to military aspects of Teheran’s nuclear programme.
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