Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Boston Globe
September 17, 2008
UN agency sees nuclear intention
By George Jahn, Associated Press
VIENNA [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]--[/FONT] The UN nuclear monitoring agency shared new photos and documents purporting to show that Iran tried to refit its main long-distance missile to carry a nuclear payload, said diplomats who attended the meeting yesterday.
Responding to the presentation to the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a senior US envoy said the information was compelling evidence against the Islamic republic. His Iranian counterpart said the material shown was fabricated.
Other diplomats, who demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the closed meeting's details, described the information as credible but unverified. The presentation relied on photos and documents pertaining to what US intelligence says were Iranian efforts to work on nuclear weapons program up to 2003. After that year, according to a US intelligence estimate, Iran apparently stopped such activity.
The briefing focused on an atomic energy agency report circulated to the board members Monday that faulted Iran for blocking efforts to further investigate the alleged weapons program. The report also confirmed that Iran was expanding uranium enrichment activities despite three sets of UN Security Council sanctions.
Part of the report spoke of what appeared to be drawings and calculations by Iranian engineers on reconfiguring its Shahab-3 missile to be able to carry a nuclear payload, and the presentation yesterday went into greater detail, the diplomats said.
The presentation "showed board members for the first time photographs and documents of work undertaken in Iran on the redesigning of the Shahab-3 missile to carry what would appear to be a nuclear weapon," said Gregory L. Schulte, the chief US representative to the atomic energy agency.
The Iranian envoy said the agency determined that the material shown could not verified.
"We have given clear information . . . [on] why this material is fabricated," Ali Ashgar Soltanieh told [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]reporters[/FONT] in separate comments.
A diplomat inside the meeting said the truth lay somewhere between the US and Iranian standpoints.
September 17, 2008
UN agency sees nuclear intention
By George Jahn, Associated Press
VIENNA [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]--[/FONT] The UN nuclear monitoring agency shared new photos and documents purporting to show that Iran tried to refit its main long-distance missile to carry a nuclear payload, said diplomats who attended the meeting yesterday.
Responding to the presentation to the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a senior US envoy said the information was compelling evidence against the Islamic republic. His Iranian counterpart said the material shown was fabricated.
Other diplomats, who demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the closed meeting's details, described the information as credible but unverified. The presentation relied on photos and documents pertaining to what US intelligence says were Iranian efforts to work on nuclear weapons program up to 2003. After that year, according to a US intelligence estimate, Iran apparently stopped such activity.
The briefing focused on an atomic energy agency report circulated to the board members Monday that faulted Iran for blocking efforts to further investigate the alleged weapons program. The report also confirmed that Iran was expanding uranium enrichment activities despite three sets of UN Security Council sanctions.
Part of the report spoke of what appeared to be drawings and calculations by Iranian engineers on reconfiguring its Shahab-3 missile to be able to carry a nuclear payload, and the presentation yesterday went into greater detail, the diplomats said.
The presentation "showed board members for the first time photographs and documents of work undertaken in Iran on the redesigning of the Shahab-3 missile to carry what would appear to be a nuclear weapon," said Gregory L. Schulte, the chief US representative to the atomic energy agency.
The Iranian envoy said the agency determined that the material shown could not verified.
"We have given clear information . . . [on] why this material is fabricated," Ali Ashgar Soltanieh told [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]reporters[/FONT] in separate comments.
A diplomat inside the meeting said the truth lay somewhere between the US and Iranian standpoints.