Skim the pages of Vanity Fair so we will know who to send to the Congo to check this out.
Posted on 08/05/2006 4:42:49 PM PDT by Pokey78
IRAN is seeking to import large consignments of bomb-making uranium from the African mining area that produced the Hiroshima bomb, an investigation has revealed.
A United Nations report, dated July 18, said there was “no doubt” that a huge shipment of smuggled uranium 238, uncovered by customs officials in Tanzania, was transported from the Lubumbashi mines in the Congo.
Tanzanian customs officials told The Sunday Times it was destined for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and was stopped on October 22 last year during a routine check.
The disclosure will heighten western fears about the extent of Iran’s presumed nuclear weapons programme and the strategic implications of Iran’s continuing support for Hezbollah during the war with Israel.
It has also emerged that terror cells backed by Iran may be prepared to mount attacks against nuclear power plants in Britain. Intelligence circulating in Whitehall suggests that sleeper cells linked to Tehran have been conducting reconnaissance at some nuclear sites in preparation for a possible attack.
The parliamentary intelligence and security committee has reported that Iran represented one of the three biggest security threats to Britain. The UN security council has given Iran until the end of this month to halt its uranium enrichment activities. The UN has threatened sanctions if Tehran fails to do so.
A senior Tanzanian customs official said the illicit uranium shipment was found hidden in a consignment of coltan, a rare mineral used to make chips in mobile telephones. The shipment was destined for smelting in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, delivered via Bandar Abbas, Iran’s biggest port.
“There were several containers due to be shipped and they were all routinely scanned with a Geiger counter,” the official said.
“This one was very radioactive. When we opened the container it was full of drums of coltan. Each drum contains about 50kg of ore. When the first and second rows were removed,the ones after that were found to be drums of uranium.”
In a nuclear reactor, uranium 238 can be used to breed plutonium used in nuclear weapons.
The customs officer, who spoke to The Sunday Times on condition he was not named, added: “The container was put in a secure part of the port and it was later taken away, by the Americans, I think, or at least with their help. We have all been told not to talk to anyone about this.”
The report by the UN investigation team was submitted to the chairman of the UN sanctions committee, Oswaldo de Rivero, at the end of July and will be considered soon by the security council.
It states that Tanzania provided “limited data” on three other shipments of radioactive materials seized in Dar es Salaam over the past 10 years.
The experts said: “In reference to the last shipment from October 2005, the Tanzanian government left no doubt that the uranium was transported from Lubumbashi by road through Zambia to the united republic of Tanzania.”
Lubumbashi is the capital of mineral-rich Katanga province, home of the Shinkolobwe uranium mine that produced material for the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
The mine has officially been closed since 1961, before the country’s independence from Belgium, but the UN investigators have told the security council that they found evidence of illegal mining still going on at the site.
In 1999 there were reports that the Congolese authorities had tried to re-open the mine with the help of North Korea. In recent years miners are said to have broken open the lids and extracted ore from the shafts, while police and local authorities turned a blind eye.
In June a parliamentary committee warned that Britain could be attacked by Iranian terrorists if tensions increased.
A source with access to current MI5 assessments said: “There is great concern about Iranian sleeper cells inside this country. The intelligence services are taking this threat very seriously.”
Liberals will claim the Bush whitehouse made up this story.
"Joe Wilson" alert ... the liberals need your expert services in Congo to show this is another lie by George Bush. Sweet mint tea and 3rd tier Congolese bureaucrats are waiting your arrival.
How can we be sure about any of this until we ship Joe Wilson over there to sample their tea?
I always thought that Americans produced the atomic bomb - with American uranium.
Joe and Valerie told me personally that the Bush administration is making this up so we will attack Iran.
"Liberals will claim the Bush whitehouse made up this story. "
Until an Islamic bomb goes off. Then the story will be that the GOP didn't do enough to warn them.
I don't know what in the hell has to happen for people to pay attenion to what is about to come to pass.
Uranium isn't as cheap as it was a couple years ago. The African source might be the cheapest around, and the Iranians wouldn't want to be wasting their nuke money for no good reason.
Seems this UN report may have been based at least somewhat on British intelligence and we all know British intel just can't be accurate....right?? (sarcasm off)
I thought Joe wilson cleared this up
Skim the pages of Vanity Fair so we will know who to send to the Congo to check this out.
looking at the part of the story that refers to iranian sleeper cells in britain - let's face it, their subways were bombed - did they do anything afterwards to root out the islamic extremists inside their own country? now that have this threat about their nuclear plants - what are they waiting for?
Can't be true because Joe Wilson told us that there is perfect security for discontinued uranium mines and that there's no way that any significant uranium smuggling can ever take place.
Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame will be covering for the Iranians!!!!:-(
Definition of islamofascists terrorists:
1. Hates anyone outside there religion, period. will kill anyone outside there religion just for kicks. Ultra Hatred for Jewish and Christian peoples. No tolerance of other peoples religions, period. Will commit acts of mass murder.
2. No conscience of killing women, children, older people, those that cannot defend themselves against any acts of islamofascists terrorists. Numerous acts of this is in history and need not be repeated here. As a matter of fact,
islamofascists terrorists hide among the normal civilian populace to conceal their identity and try to give themselves safe harbor while committing their acts of terrorism. islamofascists terrorists Will commit their acts of terrorism from your own back yard of your house(such as setting up and firing rockets from civilian poplace homes and aiming them into another country)to conceal their location and try to give themselves safe harbor from retaliatory action.
3. Any concessions granted to them(islamofascists terrorists) is never enough for them! They always start their demands for whatever it is they want with bloody acts of terrorism. They never ask first, they commit their bloody acts of terrorism then make their demands.
4. Hold out an olive branch of peace to them and they cut your head off! islamofascists terrorists are medeival barbaristic butchers, sick animals that are sub-human, they have no respect for life other than their own and not much of that either! As they are willing to commit suicide, infantacide, patracide to achieve their terrorism.
islamofascists terrorists have no respect for life, period.
5. islamofascists terrorists expect God to reward them for their numerous acts of violence that brings misery and suffering to others including their own brothers and sisters.
6. islamofascists terrorists do not want to make a master race, they want to eliminate the Human Race!
Obviously someone has to drop the big one on us, eh??? Duh!!!
Crap if only Joe and Valerie were not on the covers of People, Vanity fair and Harpers Bazaar, we could have sent them undercover
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