Iran Defies West with Nuclear Move Claim Diplomats

Scotsman ^ | 27 Jul 2004

[yonif]

Breaking an agreement with Europe’s big powers, Iran has resumed building and installing equipment that can be used to make nuclear weaponry, diplomats said today.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of working on a weapons programme, something Tehran denies.

Under international pressure last year, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium and stop making assembling centrifuges, the equipment used for the enrichment process. In turn, France, Britain and Germany dangled the prospect of providing it with peaceful nuclear technology.

The diplomats said that several weeks ago, Iranian officials broke seals placed on the equipment by the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the moratorium on assembling and installation of centrifuges and then restarted the process.

They cautioned against equating Iran’s move with the removal of IAEA seals on nuclear equipment by North Korea two years ago as it expelled agency inspectors and declared itself no longer bound by the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

The agency was informed of Iran’s decision to break the seals, which – unlike in North Korea – “were not a legal requirement” on the part of Tehran, one of the diplomats said.

Iran still was respecting its pledge not to resume nuclear enrichment, which can be used to generate power or make warheads, said the diplomat, who is familiar with Tehran’s nuclear dossier.

Still, the move reflected Iranian defiance of international constraints on its nuclear programme that have included more than a year of stringent IAEA inspections and revelations that have strengthened suspicions that Tehran is harbouring weapons ambitions.

[yonif]

Ping.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

Hmmmm, I wonder what Israeli jets sound like...

[Gefreiter]

Whoa, I bet the IAEA and the EU might even issue some storngly-worded press releases in response.

[Gefreiter]

I dunno, but I bet it's the last thing some Iranian nuclear technicians are ever going to hear.

[Condor51]

Oh-oh. Iran better watch out now. I see a strongly worded letter coming from the U.N., that'll show them Mullahs!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We'd better get it done before they get the bomb.

[Bon mots]

Under international pressure last year, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium and stop making assembling centrifuges, the equipment used for the enrichment process. In turn, France, Britain and Germany dangled the prospect of providing it with peaceful nuclear technology.

Oh. That's a good offer. This way they won't need to import all that oil. Lord knows how desperately this resource-poor nation needs nuclear energy. </ sarcasm>

[finnigan2]

I think the US has been relatively quiet on these developments because it wants the mullahs to get cocky and overplay their hand. They have already started to ratchet up the heat by threatening to turn Israel into slag as soon as they get their first bombs built. By saying nothing, The US encourages them to keep the threats coming and to become even more bellicose. Israel will of course take pre-emptive action and, with over 150,000 US troops right next door, the way is clear to finish the mullahs off when they then get aggressive.