(Telegraph-UK) Con Coughlin - Next week, the full extent of Iran's duplicity will be laid bare, with the publication of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on its nuclear ambitions. Unlike previous IAEA reports - which, under the leadership of Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, deliberately sought to obfuscate the true nature of Iran's activities - this one will demonstrate unequivocally that Iran is well on the way to acquiring nuclear weapons. It will show that the country is seeking to engineer and test components that are only used in the production of nuclear weapons, and that this illegal activity is taking place at sites that would not even exist if Iran was in compliance with its international treaty obligations. Why, for example, are Iranian scientists experimenting with triggers that are only used for detonating nuclear weapons? Why are Iranian technicians devoting so much energy to developing a ballistic missile warhead that can carry a nuclear warhead? And why have they designed simulation programs whose sole purpose is to test nuclear weapons systems? The inescapable conclusion is that the ayatollahs are close to achieving their long-held ambition of joining the nuclear-armed powers and that the sanctions regime has failed to have the desired effect. In fact, the only measures that have had any demonstrable effect on slowing Iran's nuclear progress have been undertaken by Israel, via a skilful combination of targeted assassinations and cyber-warfare. But as the IAEA report will demonstrate, the Iranians have overcome these setbacks to the point where their uranium enrichment activities have been fully reconstituted.
2011-11-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive