A new IAEA report on Iran just came out (it has indeed already been leaked). Elements of it are no doubt intended to make it readable –and quotable- as supporting either side of the debate:
Iran has provided sufficient access to individuals and has responded in a timely manner to questions and provided clarifications and amplifications on issues raised in the context of the work plan. However, its cooperation has been reactive rather than proactive.
The IAEA does admit that “the Agency’s knowledge about Iran’s current nuclear programme is diminishing.” But the scariest part comes in section A.3, “Uranium metal document”:
On 8 November 2007, the Agency received a copy of the 15-page document describing the procedures for the reduction of UF6 to uranium metal and casting it into hemispheres. Iran has reiterated that this document was received along with the P-1 centrifuge documentation in 1987. The Agency has shared this document with Pakistan, the purported country of origin, and is seeking more information. Iran stated that the reconversion unit with casting equipment mentioned in the one-page 1987 offer was not pursued with the supply network. Apart from the conversion experiments of UF4 to uranium metal at the Tehran Nuclear Research Centre, the Agency has seen no indication of any UF6 reconversion and casting activity in Iran. It should be noted, however, that a small UF6 to uranium metal conversion line in the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) was declared by Iran in the design information questionnaire for the UCF. This line has not been built, as verified by the Agency’s inspectors.
A ridiculous assessment (surprisingly) comes through Foreign Policy’s blog:
When asked why it would have information that has "no value outside of a nuclear weapons program," Iran responded that it received them inadvertently while purchasing its nuclear equipment on the black market decades ago. On the surface, this claim is plausible. The A.Q. Khan network (and presumably, any other extant illicit networks supplying nuclear material) dealt in all types of dangerous materials and information, and the nature of a black market lends itself to disorganization and mistakes like the one Iran claims occurred.
Aside from the obvious ridicule of the defence –I was just putting the eggs in my basket when the caviar tin fell into my pocket– how likely is it that a sales network would “mistakenly” give out for free an item of such value?
This further reinforces the –by now obvious– claim that Iran’s nuclear programme is certainly not solely about producing electricity.
family vacations in a nice tropical country would be very very nice.
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