VIENNA: The UN atomic agency has identified Russia, China and Pakistan as probable sources for equipment used by Iran for possible nuclear weapons development, diplomats said on Thursday outside a key meeting on how harshly to censure Tehran for its past cover-ups.
The diplomats spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency met but adjourned a few hours later until Friday on Iran’s request.
Acknowledging that some of its enrichment centrifuges had traces of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, Iran insists its enrichment programme was low-level and only for power generation. It also asserts that the high-level traces were inadvertently imported on material it purchased abroad but said it could not identify the countries of origin because the purchase of the centrifuges was made through third parties.
The diplomats declined to say how the agency established the probable origin of the equipment. But in recent interviews, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei has said that five countries and companies in Asia and Europe are the source of the enrichment equipment.
Reacting to earlier reports linking it to Iran’s enrichment programme, Pakistan had denied all involvement. Russia’s nuclear ministry rejected the allegations but acknowledged that some Russian research facilities had cooperated with Iran in laser technologies for uranium enrichment.
On Wednesday, Washington rejected a proposed European draft resolution that would urge Iran to continue cooperation with the agency but refrain from harshly condemning it for concealing parts of its nuclear programme, saying it was prepared to opt for no resolution rather than a toothless one. However, Opening Thursday’s 35-nation meeting, ElBaradei characterised Iran’s recent cooperation as “very encouraging” and said inspectors were getting full access, under new agreements with Tehran. “The bad news is that there have been failures and breaches. The good news is that there has been a new chapter in cooperation,” he said.
Iran is a nuclear power no mater what you do no matter how you cut the cake.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EK21Ak04.html
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So will this make the US response easier or harder??
Yawn....ok. So what can be done? Is Israel now going to attack China, Pakistan and Iran? Iran being the sworn enemmy, Pakistan and China helping its enemy.
Did they also do a study on where Israel got its nuclear weapons/technology?
Technology always travels!
The US and the former Soviet Union, France and Britain got atomic and rocket technology from Germany. India got from the former USSR. Pakistan got from Canada and the Netherlands...a remarkable project initiated by Pakistan aquiring equipments even from hospitals to build its atomic arsenal...Israel got from the US. And China got from the former USSR. South Africa also got and did with some joint venture with Israel during the UN sanctions.
These days, virtually, anyone can produce atomic weapons...even in a home lab by fission and not fusion...just to make atomic grenades... :)