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Moves Toward Possible Atom Bomb Test in Defiance of Western Sanctions: Intel Reports
(Fox News) Ben Weinthal - A fresh batch of damning European intelligence reports reveal that the Islamic Republic of Iran sought to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first published translations of the intelligence documents on its website, the security agencies of Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany revealed sensitive data during the first six months of 2023 on the Iranian regime's illicit nuclear weapons proliferation activities. The reports mainly cover Iran's alleged illegal conduct in 2022. The most shocking revelation in the trove of intelligence data was from the Netherlands General and Intelligence Security Service (AVID) that determined Iran's astonishingly fast development of weapons-grade uranium "brings the option of a possible [Iranian] first nuclear test closer." The Swedish Security Service wrote in its annual report in 2023 that "Iran engages in industrial espionage, which is mainly aimed at the Swedish high-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in a nuclear weapons program. ... The Swedish Security Service can confirm that Iran are conducting security-threatening activities in Sweden and against Swedish interests," said Adam Samara, a spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service. Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) also had warnings in its June 2023 intelligence report. "The authorities for the protection of the constitution were able to find, in 2022, a consistently high number of indications of proliferation relevant procurement attempts by Iran for its nuclear programs," the report states. Israeli Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser (res.), a senior researcher at the Israeli Defense Security Forum and an expert on Iran, warned, "Iran is evidently committed to its nuclear weapons plan. ... The European intelligence reports describe covert Iranian efforts to shorten the breakout time to a nuclear arsenal by illegally acquiring equipment and knowledge from various European countries."