|
Iran denies claims about nuclear plan
By Robert Tait
11/14/05 "The
Guardian" -- -- Iran was under renewed pressure
yesterday over its nuclear programme after reports that US officials
had found information on a stolen laptop computer that they claimed
proved Iran was attempting to develop a nuclear warhead.
American intelligence agents have briefed senior officials from the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the alleged evidence
contained on the computer, according to the New York Times. The
agency is scheduled to meet in Vienna on Thursday week to consider
referring the Iranian case to the UN security council.
The laptop, said to have been obtained from a source inside Iran,
contains more than 1,000 pages of computer simulations and accounts
of experiments believed to be part of a long-term programme to
design a nuclear warhead compatible with Iran's Shahab missile and
capable of reaching Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
The computer documents specified a blast of about 600 metres
(2,000ft) above a target, considered to be the optimum height for a
nuclear explosion.
Conscious of US intelligence failures that falsely projected weapons
of mass destruction inside Iraq, the Bush administration has kept
the information secret but has briefed IAEA officials, including the
agency's director, Mohamed ElBaradei, as well as the British, French
and German governments, in an effort to turn up the heat on Tehran.
Other countries on the IAEA board have also been brought into the
loop, but unlike Britain, France and Germany, are said to be
sceptical.
An American official yesterday insisted the laptop finding was
"strongly suggestive" that Iran had made "significant advancement
toward weaponisation".
Another official said: "It is one more piece of a strong
circumstantial case that they are pursuing a nuclear weapon."
Iran called the claims "worthless and naive". Hamid Reza Asefi, a
foreign ministry spokesman, said: "The baseless claim made us laugh.
We do not use laptops to keep our classified documents. It is
another fuss ahead of the IAEA board meeting to poison the board's
atmosphere."
The revelations came as Iran rejected a compromise proposal, made
with US and EU support, enabling it to maintain a uranium enrichment
programme as long as that process is completed in Russia.
"What matters to us is to preserve nuclear technology in Iranian
hands," Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said.
"Nuclear technology is the right of Iranians. It is a right no one
can deny."
The rejection, during a visit to Tehran by the Russian security
council secretary, Igor Ivanov, did not bode well for renewed talks
between Iran and Europeans. EU foreign ministers last week began
studying a proposal from Mr Larijani to reopen talks. Iran has
balked at suggestions that it once again freezes uranium conversion
as a pre-condition to fresh talks.
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
Translate
this page
(In accordance with Title 17
U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes.
Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the
originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House
endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) |
