I thought I should bring the latest information to the attention of D-Kos.
The IAEA has just released another report.
The report lists a number of questions about Iran's nuclear programs, for example:
The Agency had also enquired about the reasons for inclusion in the curriculum vitae of an IAP employee of a Taylor-Sedov equation for the evolving radius of a nuclear explosion ball with photos of the 1945 Trinity test. Iran indicated that the IAP scientist had been working on dimensional analysis and had included in his resume references available in open sources. The Agency was not permitted to meet with the individuals relevant to these issues and continues to assess the information provided by Iran.
That last phrase occurs a lot in the report.
More excerpts from the latest IAEA report and commentary below the fold.
The remaining questions are summarized at the end of the IAEA report:
B.2. Questions addressed in Agency letter of 9 May 2008
- The Agency asked Iran for additional clarifications regarding Iran's nuclear programme. The questions concerned, inter alia:
(a) information about a high level meeting in 1984 on reviving Iran's pre-revolution nuclear programme;
(b) information about a letter published by the Chairman of the Expediency Council in September 2006 which makes reference to possible acquisition of nuclear weapons;
(c) attempts by a former head of the Physics Research Centre (PHRC) and by the SHIG to procure certain nuclear use and dual use items on behalf of the Technical University and the AEOI (GOV/2008/4/ para. 18);
(d) the scope of a visit by AEOI officials to a nuclear installation in Pakistan in 1987;
(e) information on meetings between Iranian officials and members of the supply network in 1993 in Dubai;
(f) the role of the Central Islamic Revolutionary Committee in procurement transactions with the supply network in 1989;
(g) whether the following projects have existed or still exist, their purpose, present status and the entities involved: "Project 4/8", "Project 3.14", "Project 8", "Project 13 (Project 44)", "Group 14", "Project 10", "Project 19" and "Project 159";
(h) supporting documents about the order of aluminum bars and sheets that were presented to the Agency on 27 January 2006 (GOV/2006/15, para. 37);
(i) the nature, intended purpose and application of the radiation monitoring equipment which a staff member of IAP attempted to acquire in 1998;
(j) information about the purpose of work done by the Pishgam company around 2000 related to the design of a PUREX based process for the AEOI; and
(k) an agreement which, according to open source information, was signed on 21 January 1990 by Iran's Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics to build a 27 MW reactor in Esfahan.
also from the report:
- The Agency’s overall assessment of the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme also requires, inter alia, an understanding of the role of the uranium metal document, and clarifications by Iran concerning some procurement activities of military related institutions, which remain outstanding. Substantive explanations are required from Iran to support its statements on the alleged studies and on other information with a possible military dimension. Iran's responses to the Agency's letter of 9 May 2008 were not received until 23 May 2008 and could not yet be assessed by the Agency. It is essential that Iran provide all requested information, clarifications and access outlined in this report without further delay. It should be emphasised, however, that the Agency has not detected the actual use of nuclear material in connection with the alleged studies.
- Contrary to the decisions of the Security Council, Iran has not suspended its enrichment related activities, having continued the operation of PFEP and FEP and the installation of both new cascades and of new generation centrifuges for test purposes. Iran has also continued with the construction of the IR–40 reactor.
- The Director General urges Iran to implement all measures required to build confidence in the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, including the Additional Protocol, at the earliest possible date.
If Iran really doesn't have any secret program what is Iran trying to hide? The same questions could be applied to the Israeli government of course, about which there are even more serious suspicions and allegations of nuclear weapons development. I would personally prefer that Iran would concentrate on general nuclear disarmament by other countries in the region, not only Israel, but also Pakistan (which directly borders Iran) and India, than that it insist on refining and enriching uranium by itself. I seems Iran is playing into the hands of those who are suspicious of its intentions. The whole situation is very worrisome.
The best guess of combined US intelligence agencies is that Iran has no nuclear weapons program. On the other hand, if Iran doesn't have any program they have no reason not to improve their cooperation with the IAEA. They need to convince the world that they do not have such a program. The American and Iranian governments should tone down the rhetoric and just talk to each other. Bush needs to listen to more expert advice, not only from his intelligence agencies but from other experts on the Middle East. Iran, on the other hand doesn't even seem to have experts not only on the West but even on the Middle East. They talk as if the Holocaust were the only cause of Zionism, like they never heard of the Dreyfus trial, and as if Israelis were only refugees from European persecution. Israel has a large number of citizens of Middle Eastern origin, and experts on the Arab and Islamic worlds, but I don't know of any Iranian scholar of Jewish studies or American studies who is famous the way Georgi Arbatov is for his expertise on the USA. Please let me know if anyone here knows of one.
The world needs to be united in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Therefore I believe that the world should unite to put pressure on Iran to comply with the directions of the UN Security Council and the requests of the IAEA. This would mean Bush getting in line with other countries as much as vice versa, of course. Unfortunately it may be too late for any serious multilateral approach before the next president. On North Korea we wound up, after years of tough talk from Bush, right back where we started under Clinton, but with North Korea having nuclear weapons. Let's hope there's no repeat performance with Iran, much less another war in the Middle East.
Stop by StopIranWar.comto prevent it!