US intel links Iran with nuke bomb bid

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

VIENNA, Austria - The U.S. has recently shared sensitive information with the International Atomic Energy Agency on key aspects of Iran's nuclear program that Washington says shows Tehran was directly engaged in trying to make an atomic weapon, diplomats told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The diplomats said Washington also gave the IAEA permission to confront Iran with at least some of the evidence in an attempt to pry details out of the Islamic republic on the activities, as part of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's attempts to investigate Iran's suspicious nuclear past.

~snip~


Following Israel's bombing of a Syrian site late last year, and media reports citing unidentified U.S. officials as saying the target was a nuclear installation, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei turned, in vain to the U.S. in asking for details on what was struck, said a diplomat who — like others — asked for anonymity in exchange for divulging confidential information.

Shared in the past two weeks was material on a laptop computer reportedly smuggled out of Iran, said another diplomat, accredited to the IAEA. In 2005, U.S. intelligence assessed that information as indicating that Tehran had been working on details of nuclear weapons, including missile trajectories and ideal altitudes for exploding warheads.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/nuclear_iran

[nebenaube]

1. Shared or fabricated?

We've nuked ourselves like 300 times. Why worry about it now?

[C_U_L8R]

2. The GOP is determined to have a war

before election day. What losers.

[FVZA_Colonel]

27. It's really the only thing that could save them.

N/T.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Smirk" - Commander AWOL

[DavidDvorkin]

4. The GOP must be very worried about the upcoming election

[sce56]

12. Bingo for every one Repuke vote lately there are two Democratic votes

The writing is on the wall! I guess it is the 30% that belives in Bush that still vote with the Rethuglican party

[freedomnorth]

5. Iran has been very helpful towards IAEA

They will probably solve this one out too after IAEA "confronts".

[Karenina]

6. Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

Again? :eyes:

[C_U_L8R]

11. Must've got the wrong hat.

And now for something you'll really like...

: - ))))

[daleo]

26. Next, the Wayback machine

Back, back, back to 2003.

[Xipe Totec]

7. No one could have anticipated this n/t

[Yael]

8. I'm shocked. Shocked, I say.

:eyes:

[jonnyra]

9. Under the rule of republicans

America has become a terrorist nation threatening the world with its arsenal of atomic, chemical and biological weaponry. WE are terrorists...WE are the agressors...WE are the nation the rest of the world should be frightened of. The republicans will not stop until they can drop our weapons of mass destruction on Iranian cities. Thats what terrorists do...attack innocent people to achieve political and idealogical agendas.

AMERICA IS A TERRORIST NATION.

[TwilightGardener]

10. We'll do what we did for Iraq: Trump it up. If it's not there, we'll plant it.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. If I read this right, we're 'sharing' information with the IAEA that we got in 2005?

[bemildred]

14. Hey, it takes a lot of time to fake an Iranian PC. Lot's of details. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

18. You're right. I forgot how hard it would be to translate all that data properly.

[maddezmom]

15. looks like we selectively share what we have with the IAEA

if the "intelligence" is negative we share it, if not.......

[Ghost Dog]

20. But see the Statute of the IAEA:

...

ARTICLE II: Objectives

The Agency shall seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. It shall ensure, so far as it is able, that assistance provided by it or at its request or under its supervision or control is not used in such a way as to further any military purpose.

ARTICLE III: Functions

A. The Agency is authorized:

1. To encourage and assist research on, and development and practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful uses throughout the world; and, if requested to do so, to act as an intermediary for the purposes of securing the performance of services or the supplying of materials, equipment, or facilities by one member of the Agency for another; and to perform any operation or service useful in research on, or development or practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful purposes;

2. To make provision, in accordance with this Statute, for materials, services, equipment, and facilities to meet the needs of research on, and development and practical application of, atomic energy for peaceful purposes, including the production of electric power, with due consideration for the needs of the under-developed areas of the world;

3. To foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on peaceful uses of atomic energy;

4. To encourage the exchange of training of scientists and experts in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy;

5. To establish and administer safeguards designed to ensure that special fissionable and other materials, services, equipment, facilities, and information made available by the Agency or at its request or under its supervision or control are not used in such a way as to further any military purpose; and to apply safeguards, at the request of the parties, to any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or at the request of a State, to any of that State's activities in the field of atomic energy;

...

B. In carrying out its functions, the Agency shall:

1. Conduct its activities in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations to promote peace and international co-operation, and in conformity with policies of the United Nations furthering the establishment of safeguarded worldwide disarmament and in conformity with any international agreements entered into pursuant to such policies;

...

C. In carrying out its functions, the Agency shall not make assistance to members subject to any political, economic, military, or other conditions incompatible with the provisions of this Statute.

D. Subject to the provisions of this Statute and to the terms of agreements concluded between a State or a group of States and the Agency which shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Statute, the activities of the Agency shall be carried out with due observance of the sovereign rights of States.

...

ARTICLE VII: Staff

...

F. In the performance of their duties, the Director General and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any source external to the Agency. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as officials of the Agency; subject to their responsibilities to the Agency, they shall not disclose any industrial secret or other confidential information coming to their knowledge by reason of their official duties for the Agency. Each member undertakes to respect the international character of the responsibilities of the Director General and the staff and shall not seek to influence them in the discharge of their duties.

G. In this article the term "staff" includes guards.

ARTICLE VIII: Exchange of information

A. Each member should make available such information as would, in the judgement of the member, be helpful to the Agency.

B. Each member shall make available to the Agency all scientific information developed as a result of assistance extended by the Agency pursuant to article XI.

C. The Agency shall assemble and make available in an accessible form the information made available to it under paragraphs A and B of this article. It shall take positive steps to encourage the exchange among its members of information relating to the nature and peaceful uses of atomic energy and shall serve as an intermediary among its members for this purpose.

/... http://www.iaea.org/About/statute_text.html

So also, and as an aside, one may ask: what of the IAEA's cooperation with and inspections of nuclear warmongers and proliferators such as the current Cabal's USA?

[FVZA_Colonel]

23. Apparently we don't even share it with our own intelligence agencies.

Considering that we've basically had at least some of this since 2005, I just have to wonder how the hell this didn't make it into the previous NIE.

[suegeo]

16. Will they bring back Colon Powell...

To lie outta his colon to the U.N. and the US of A again. He's proven to be good at that sort of thing.

[Ian David]

17. McCain is over 70 years old. He's running out of time to be Raptured. n/t

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. Did that 'sensitive information' come from the Italian intelligence service?

Or did they find someone would could turn our more competant forgeries?

[Winterblues]

21. Where did "Washington" get this so-called information since all sixteen

Intelligence agencies just issued a National Intelligence Estimate that said Irn had given up attempts at making a bomb some ten years ago.....Does Washington have some other Intelligence assets now like they created for Iraq?

[FVZA_Colonel]

22. If the US did have at least some of this information since 2005,

it is important to ask why they didn't include it in the NIE.

[paparush]

24. But..But..Do they have any mobile chemical weapons labs?

THOSE are the ones you have to look out for. Just ask Colin Powell.

[TrogL]

25. What about yellow cake?

mmmmm......cake!

[fascisthunter]

28. BREAKING: World Links US with Delusions of Grandeur

Neo-cons are so desperate they expose themselves.

[HuffleClaw]

29. *snicker*

a bit late for such a sham methinks