Iran hands IAEA nuclear blueprints (meets a key demand turning over long-sought blueprints)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/13/07 | George Jahn - ap

[NormsRevenge]

VIENNA, Austria - Iran has met a key demand of the U.N. nuclear agency, handing over long-sought blueprints showing how to mold uranium metal into the shape of warheads, diplomats said Tuesday.

Iran's decision to release the documents, which were seen by U.N. inspectors two years ago, was seen as a concession designed to head off the threat of new U.N. sanctions.

But the diplomats said Tehran has failed to meet other requests made by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its attempts to end nearly two decades of nuclear secrecy on the part of Iran.

The diplomats spoke to The Associated Press as IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei put the finishing touches on his latest report to his agency's 35-nation board of governors for consideration next week. While ElBaradei is expected to say that Iran has improved its cooperation with his agency's probe, the findings are unlikely to deter the United States, France and Britain from pushing for a third set of U.N. sanctions.

The agency has been seeking possession of the blueprints since 2005, when it stumbled upon them among a batch of other documents during its examination of suspect Iranian nuclear activities. While agency inspectors had been allowed to examine them in the country, Tehran had up to now refused to let the IAEA have a copy for closer perusal.

Diplomats accredited to the agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were divulging confidential information, said the drawings were hand-carried by Mohammad Saeedi, deputy director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and handed over last week in Vienna to Oli Heinonen, an ElBaradei deputy in charge of the Iran investigations.

Iran maintains it was given the papers without asking for them during its black market purchases of nuclear equipment decades ago that now serve as the backbone of its program to enrich uranium — a process that can generate both power or create the fissile core of nuclear warheads. Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment has been the main trigger for both existing U.N. sanctions and the threat of new ones.

Both the IAEA and other experts have categorized the instructions outlined in the blueprints as having no value outside of a nuclear weapons program.

While ElBaradei's report is likely to mention the Iranian concession on the drawings and other progress made in clearing up ambiguities in Iran's nuclear activities, it was unclear whether it would also detail examples of what the diplomats said were continued Iranian stonewalling.

Senior IAEA officials were refused interviews with at least two top Iranian nuclear officials suspected of possible involvement in a weapons program, they said. One was the leader of a physics laboratory at Lavizan, outside Tehran, which was razed before the agency had a chance to investigate activities there. The other was in charge of developing Iran's centrifuges, used to enrich uranium.

[NormsRevenge]

Who cares what the West thinks..
We da Bomb' now Baby!

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad laughs as he meet with China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, in Tehran, Iran Tuesday Nov. 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)

[NormsRevenge]

An overview of a conference hall at the beginning of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors meeting in Vienna September 10, 2007. The U.N. nuclear watchdog is likely to report this week that Iran has improved cooperation with an inquiry over its atomic work but diplomats say it may not resolve any key questions over the program. (Herwig Prammer/Reuters)

[Slapshot68]

“Iran maintains it was given the papers without asking for them during its black market purchases of nuclear equipment decades ago that now serve as the backbone of its program to enrich uranium”

Uh huh...sure. And that dirty magazine I ordered...er I mean...just showed up in my mailbox. lol

[NormsRevenge]

French President Nicolas Sarkozy touches German Chancellor Angela Merkel's shoulder as they arrive to address a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin. Sarkozy and Merkel warned Monday more sanctions may be necessary to persuade Iran to suspend nuclear work and opened the possibility of reducing trade ties with Tehran.(AFP/Eric Feferberg)

[domenad]

What were they doing with that document? I thought it was just for electricity.

[stevem]

Iran's decision to release the documents, which were seen by U.N. inspectors two years ago, was seen as a concession designed to head off the threat of new U.N. sanctions.

Wow. I can only say, "Wow!"

[NormsRevenge]

.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown prepares to deliver and delivers his keynote speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in central London, Monday, Nov. 12, 2007. Prime Minister Brown pledged to press for tough new sanctions on Iran's oil and natural gas industries Monday, outlining an assertive approach to foreign policy and stressing close ties to the United States. Brown warned Tehran that unless pending reports on its contested nuclear program show signs of progress, he will push the European Union and United Nations for tighter sanctions. 'Iran should be in no doubt about the seriousness of our purpose,' Brown told the annual Lord Mayor's banquet. (AP Photo/Toby Melville/pool)

[Gay State Conservative]

Call me crazy but all this proves is that they know how to do it.But Eurocommies will breathe a sigh of relief and say “now there’s no reason for sanctions...there will be peace in our time”.

[Sax]

Iran maintains it was given the papers without asking for them during its black market purchases of nuclear equipment decades ago

Internal Black Market Memo (circa 1980): Hench forth, diagrams for nuclear warheads are to be included with each purchase of nuclear equipment. This applied to both current and new customers.

[waimea.man]

Iran's decision to release the documents, which were seen by U.N. inspectors two years ago, was seen as a concession designed to head off the threat of new U.N. sanctions.

Showing that they have plans to build a nuclear bomb is designed to head off the threat of new UN sanctions???? Has the world gone mad????

[camerakid400]

[illiac]

Unfortunately.....proves nothing....

[Master Shake]

Good thing there’s no easy way to duplicate documents. Otherwise, the Iranians would still be able to build a nuke!

[Berlin_Freeper]

[sonic109]

ElBaradei is one of them ...don’t you get it ? You know what his first name is right ? Isn’t that enough for you all ? It is for me.A 7 year old kid wouldn’t fall for Iran’s bullsh*t story , but Europe will. So will the Democrats .

[lesser_satan]

Iran's decision to release the documents, which were seen by U.N. inspectors two years ago, was seen as a concession designed to head off the threat of new U.N. sanctions.

WOW! Thank God there are no Xerox machines in Iran, or they might have made duplicates before turning them over!

[sonic109]

exactly what I was thinking ..Boy , how freekin stupid is half the world these days? I mean Iranians must be rolling on the floor over how Euro - Imbeciles are so easily fooled. We are handing over the plans. WOW ! Like you don’t have copies . Unreal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Flintlock]

I’m SURE that the UN has determined that Iran lacks the technology to copy documents.

[edsheppa]

I will sleep so much better know they’ve given *copies* of the blueprints for their nuke. Which are totally unaltered of course.

[sonic109]

The UN is a waste , an anti American social club . I see the fraud Islamics in NY City all the time.Drinking and running around trying to hump anything on 2 feet. Next day they are in their robes praying to Mecca and sitting in the UN.