(Reuters) Iran is using negotiations with the EU's "big three" (France, Britain, and Germany) on suspending sensitive nuclear activities to buy the time it needs to get ready to make atomic weapons, an Iranian exile and intelligence officials said. The U.S. wants Iran reported to the UN Security Council immediately, charging Tehran uses its civilian atomic energy program as a front to develop the bomb. "Iran continues to use existing differences between the U.S. and Europe to their advantage and tries to drag out talks with the EU to buy time," said Alireza Jafarzadeh, an Iranian exile who reported accurately on Iran's nuclear program in the past. "They feel they have bought at least 10 months." Jafarzadeh said Iranian officials have decided to allocate an additional $2 billion to supplement some $14 billion already spent on Iran's "secret nuclear weapons program."
2004-09-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive