UN IAEA ispectors acknowledged that they found UN highly enriched uranium traces in Iran at a site where Iran has denied doing sensitive atomic work.
The particles of weapon-grade uranium came from sample swipes made last January at the Lavizan-Shian site in Tehran, where a physics research centre was dismantled and topsoil was removed in 2004 by Iran after IAEA investigator began sniffing around.
"They have found particles of highly enriched uranium [HEU], but it is not clear if this is contamination from centrifuges that had been previously found [from imported material] or something new." said one diplomat close to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
If it was new, it would show that Iran continues to hide its enrichment work.
Two other diplomats said the HEU, which is in microscopic amounts, was from vacuum pumps and that the Iranians were very nervous about the finding.
"There is something there," said one diplomat, who did not provide further details and did not want to be named or go on record.
Iran says the enriched uranium already found was `contamination' from equipment purchased abroad and had nothing to do withany work they're currently doing.
Uh-huh. Ri-ight.
The nasty stuff Iran has been enriching more in less in public at Natanz has a level of 5% enrichment. The HEU particles mentioned in this article are at the 20% level, well in excess of weapons grade.
Meanwhile, the ineffectual dance at the UN continues. This week, UN Security Council members agreed to postpone a resolution that would have delivered an ultimatum to Iran. The EU states are supposedly drawing up a package of incentives to offer in return for co-operating with the UN. And Ahamadinejad, in between talking about destroying Israel hinted that he was "ready to engage in dialogue with anybody" BUT any threats `would only backfire'.
Even Inspector Clouseau, aka IAEA head Mohamed El Baradi weighed in, saying that any proposals must include `security guarantees' for Iran!
The Munich moment is beginning, just as I predicted. Peace in Our Time, anybody?
Well, in fairness Dan, Teheran's clandestine nukes program was only outed by Iranian dissidents about 2 1/2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteBut Bush has essentially done little to dtop them since then, except use rhetoric.
I see it going one of two ways: either dubbya will look fo rthe `Munich moment' and concoct a phony deal ala' Clinton with North korea that leaves the mess for his successor...or he will hit Iran as an October surprise before the midterms.
If the midterm elections pass without military action against the mullahs from the US, it will be the first option..and a lot more Americans will die for every year we wait.