Uranium Particles Found by IAEA in Iran Prove Work on Nuclear Weapon in the past.

Uranium Particles Found by IAEA in Iran Prove Work on Nuclear Weapon in the past. (SP).

Uranium traces discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Parchin laboratory in Iran in 2015 point to the existence of earlier work on the development of nuclear weapons, a US media outlet reported, citing Washington officials.

In September 2015, IAEA experts found "chemically man-made particles of natural uranium" at Parchin military complex from soil and air samples collected at the site.

"The existence of two particles of uranium there would be consistent with our understanding of the involvement of Parchin in a past weapons program, but by themselves don’t definitively prove anything," the Wall Street Journal cited a US senior official as saying.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group consisting of Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany signed a historic deal to guarantee the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The same day, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) and the IAEA signed a roadmap for the clarification of possible military aspects of Iran's past and present nuclear activities, including at the controversial Parchin military facility. Hmmmm.........

Related: July 2015 :

Why is the Obama 'Admin' parroting the Iranians their nuclear proposals?


1.June 09 : Iran: "You know that nuclear triggering technology we worked on....Lets just fugetaboutit, those are bygones." (Taz).

After 12 years of cooperation with IAEA, past issues related to Iran ’s nuclear case should be abandoned, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said.

"It's a Zionist plot" - Iran: 'Israel, Saudis plotting new computer worm to sabotage our nuclear program.'

"It's a Zionist plot" - Iran: 'Israel, Saudis plotting new computer worm to sabotage our nuclear program.'(Haaretz).

Israel and Saudi Arabia are reportedly collaborating to create a new destructive computer worm to “spy on and destroy the software structure” of Iran’s nuclear program, the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars said over the weekend.

Fars, the outlet of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, quoted “an informed source” close to the Saudi secret service as saying that Saudi spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Mossad head Tamir Pardo each sent a representative to Vienna on November 24 with the purpose of increasing the “‘two sides’ cooperation in intelligence and sabotage operations against Iran’s nuclear program.”

“One of the proposals raised in the meeting was the production of a malware worse than the Stuxnet to spy on and destroy the software structure of Iran’s nuclear program,” the source was quoted by Fars, referring to a computer virus unleashed in 2010 targeting Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. American whistleblower Edward Snowden told Der Spiegel this year that the U.S. and Israel cooperated to produce the virus.

Arab media reported last week that Prince Bandar took part in a meeting in Tel Aviv with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Francois Hollande to discuss U.S. relations with Iran.Read the full 'story' here.

Russian Navy Chief Adm. Viktor Chirkov: Russia's Mediterranean Task Force to Include Nuclear Subs.

Russian Navy Chief Adm. Viktor Chirkov: Russia's Mediterranean Task Force to Include Nuclear Subs.(Fars).

"Overall, already from this year, we plan to have 5-6 warships and support vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, which will be replaced on a rotating basis from each of the fleets, the Black Sea, Baltic, Northern and, in some cases, even the Pacific Fleet. Depending on the scope of assignments and their complexity, the number of warships in the task force may be increased," Chirkov told RIA Novosti.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said a decision to deploy a permanent task force in the Mediterranean to defend Russia's interests in the area had been made.

The Russian navy commander also said nuclear submarines could be deployed in the Mediterranean, if necessary."Possibly, in a perspective, the submarines were present there during the existence of the 5th squadron. There were both nuclear and diesel submarines there. Everything will depend on the situation," he said.

The Soviet Union maintained its 5th Mediterranean Squadron in that sea from 1967 until 1992. It was formed to counter the US Navy 6th Fleet during the Cold War, and consisted of 30-50 warships and auxiliary vessels at different times.

Russia also plans to use its Mediterranean task force for missions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the country's Navy chief said.

"No doubt, if necessary, when some tasks arise in other nearby regions, in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the task force may be used," Chirkov said.Now the Russian Navy is training officers who will perform their duties at sea on a permanent basis, he said.

"These officers must be comprehensively trained to solve tasks not only in the Mediterranean but also in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans," he said.

The headquarters of Russia's Mediterranean task force will be set up already in the summer of 2013, he said. "The headquarters will be established in the summer of this year and its officers will stay aboard one of the flagships in the Mediterranean Sea," he said. Read the full story here.

Iranian think tank head: The Loss Of Syria Will Lead To The Loss Of Tehran Itself.

Iranian think tank head: The Loss Of Syria Will Lead To The Loss Of Tehran Itself.HT: Memri.By: Y. Mansharof.

"It Is Only Israel That Wants To Destroy [Iran], Because We Have Said From The Outset That We Do Not Want Israel To Exist"

Iranian Official: The Loss Of Syria Will Lead To The Loss Of Tehran Itself.Syria Is An Iranian Province; Iran Has Formed A 60,000-Strong Syrian Basij; Israel Is Our Only Threat.

On February 13, 2013, Mehdi Taeb, the head of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Ammar Base think tank and the brother of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence bureau director Hossein Taeb, delivered a speech at a Basij conference in Mashhad, Iran, on Syria's importance to the Iranian regime.

In his speech, he defined Syria as a strategic Iranian province, and said that preserving the existence of the Syrian regime was even more important to the Iranian regime than preserving the oil-rich southern Iranian province of Khuzestan – despite the latter's strategic and economic importance.

Taeb also stressed that if Iran's enemies were to attack both Syria and Khuzestan, Tehran would prefer to preserve Syria, since its loss would lead to the loss of Tehran itself. He added that that Iran had helped to establish a 60,000-man Basij force in Syria which is fighting the rebels alongside the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

Reviewing regional and superregional threats to Tehran, Taeb assessed that right now, Israel – not the U.S. – constitutes the only serious threat.
Tehran, he says, is successfully hobbling Israel by means of Hizbullah, and added that the U.S. will never attack Iran because it lacks the military manpower to do so, and also because of its shaky economy.

Taeb's view of Syria's strategic importance to the Iranian regime was earlier expressed by Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on February 8, 2013: "Iran has planned its defensive positions outside its own borders, and has linked its fate to the fate of the Islamic countries; this is why it will support those such as [Syrian President] Bashar Al-Assad to the end..."

Taeb's statements triggered harsh criticism from conservative and reformist circles alike; they claimed that he is harming Iranian sovereignty with his willingness to relinquish precious parts of the homeland and that his statements support the Arab claim that Khuzestan is not part of Iran. They also said that his statements support the claim by enemies of Iran that the Iranian regime is oppressing its own citizens at home using the Basij, and that the statements confirm claims that Iran is now supporting the oppression of civilians in Syria.

In response to the criticism, Taeb said in three separate interviews with Iranian media that his statements had been distorted, but did not retract them: "The foreign media and the anti-[Iranian] regime media are helpless to deal with the Iranian regime, and therefore they distort statements made by Iranians... Iran's position regarding the developments in Syria is completely clear, and my statement was a political and strategic analysis."

Following are excerpts from Taeb's statements on Syria's strategic importance to Iran:

Syria – A "Strategic Province" Of Iran.

"Syria is [Iran's] 35th province, and it is a strategic province for us. If the enemy attacks us and wants to take Syria or Khuzestan, our top priority will be to preserve Syria. By preserving Syria, we will be able to retake Khuzestan – but if we lose Syria, we will not be able to preserve Tehran...

"Syria has an army, but it cannot wage the war within Syria's cities. This is why Iran proposed establishing a Basij force, to conduct the fighting in the cities. [So] the 60,000-strong 'Syrian Basij' was established; it has taken over the fighting in the streets from the army..."

"It Is Only Israel That Wants To Destroy [Iran], Because We Have Said From The Outset That We Do Not Want Israel To Exist"

"Today, there is only one threat to us, and that is the Zionist regime. It has the motivation and the capability to attack [Iran], and there is nothing preventing it from doing so. 

None of our neighboring countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, or Saudi Arabia – has either the money or the [military] strength [to attack us]; thus, we are not facing any regional threat. "[However,] in the superregional arena, we see the U.S. as an enemy that would like to attack us but has neither the funds nor the [military] strength to do so... and it has no manpower to wage a war.

"To examine the economic state of a particular country, we must look at its budget proposal... During the Romney-Obama presidential debates, Romney told [Obama]: 'You have ruined the American economy, and amassed $16 trillion in debt – and Iran is now using this economic situation as a club to beat us with.' Obama responded, 'This debt is not my fault, but rather the fault of the American system...'

"During [the November 2012 Gaza conflict], the U.S. was in the Mediterranean, but did not come to [Israel's] aid. This is because if even one [Gaza] rocket had hit one of its warships, the wages of that ship's crew would have automatically doubled. [The U.S.] will never initiate a war against us.

"It is only Israel that wants to destroy us, because we have said from the outset that we do not want Israel to exist. Israel has as many nuclear warheads as we do provinces and towns; if they attack us, they will be accountable to no one in the world. 

"[As to why we have not targeted Israel's nuclear warheads] – this is because we have completely locked up [Israel] with Hizbullah. During the 2006 Lebanon war, the Zionist regime tried to break this lock [i.e. Hizbullah], but after 33 days [of fighting], it gave up, and left [Lebanon]. According to [Hizbullah secretary-general] Hassan Nasrallah, Israel has said that in that war, it used 100% of its capability, while [Hizbullah] used only 4% of its capability."Read the full story here.

"Pakistani Spring" - Protesters demand "Change the System!" Will we see an Islamist Nuclear Power threatening the US?

Imran Khan

"Pakistani Spring" - Protesters demand "Change the System!" Will we see an Islamist Nuclear Power threatening the US?(Spiegel).A self-proclaimed revolutionary is attracting mass protests, while the highest court has ordered the prime minister's arrest and the military waits in the wings. Pakistan is in the grips of a major political upheaval.
The contrast between the images couldn't be any more striking. In Islamabad, people could be seen celebrating in front of the parliament building. Men patted each other on the shoulder and hopped around in circles. Women waved green flags emblazoned with the white crescent symbol and sang. "Nizam Badlo!" they call out repeatedly. "Change the System!"
They had convened to celebrate Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a government critic and their self-proclaimed revolutionary leader, and the decision made by the country's Supreme Court to allow the arrest of Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on suspicion of corruption and nepotism.
But television stations also broadcasted images from many other parts of the country, where instead of celebrations one could see angry crowds protesting Ashraf's arrest. Some are rioting, and in Karachi people could be seen firing their guns into the air. Others are cursing Tahir-ul-Qadri, who they accuse of not having any respect for the government or the Pakistani people, who voted for the current leaders democratically during elections in spring 2008.
Pakistan currently finds itself in a state of crisis. The nuclear power is facing a test that it doesn't appear capable of withstanding. In any case, the country will be facing a national election this spring, by May at the latest.Hmmmm....."You harvest what you sow."Read the full story here.

Related: India - Second ceasefire violation by Pakistan in one hour
New Delhi: Another round of firing by Pakistani troops has been reported near the Line of Control (LoC), the second within an hour this evening. The fresh round of firing happened in the Krishnaghati sector in Jammu and Kashmir, making it the fifth ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops since a brigadier-level flag meeting took place between both sides yesterday.    

Cairo Urges UN to Inspect Israel's Atomic Facilities.

Cairo Urges UN to Inspect Israel's Atomic Facilities.(Fars).Egypt's New Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil called on the world body to inspect the nuclear facilities of Israel which pose a great danger to the region and the world's peace and security. Khalil made the remarks at a UN General Assembly meeting in New York on Tuesday. He told the General Assembly that any delay in addressing the issue of the Israeli nuclear arsenals "will affect the effectiveness of verification activities in the Middle East" and "the integrity of international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation". Khalil stressed the importance of holding the NPT Review Conference in 2012, and said, "I would like also to thank the Secretary-General for emphasizing the importance of implementing the outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference." "I wish to highlight the particular importance Egypt attaches to the 2012 Conference on the Establishment of a Zone Free from Nuclear Weapons and All Other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East. The outcome document of the Review Conference clearly mandated the Secretary General and the three depositary states of the NPT to take the necessary measures to convene the Conference, in consultation with the states of the region. We reiterate that the achievement of the universality of the NPT remains the basis of the multilateral disarmament regime. I would like to emphasize here that that the final document of the 2010 Review Conference cannot be compared to other documents emanating from other fora with limited participation and less authority," he underlined. Khalil warned that it could even lead to the failure of the next conference to review the NPT in 2015. Israel is believed to be the sole possessor of nuclear arms in the Middle East with over 200 ready-to-launch warheads in its stockpile.Hmmmm......Just give Obama another four years and together they'll get rid of them.Read the full story here.More here.

Related: Iran to take part in nuclear-free Middle East conference.
Iran said on Tuesday it would take part in a proposed international conference in December on creating a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. "The Islamic Republic of Iran now finally has decided to participate at the conference in Finland, in Helsinki, in December on a Middle East (nuclear) free zone," Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Brussels where he attended a seminar on nuclear non-proliferation. (Reuters)

Report: Britain Considering Sending Warplanes to Persian Gulf.

Report: Britain Considering Sending Warplanes to Persian Gulf.(INN).Britain is considering stationing warplanes in the Persian Gulf as the confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program continues, The Independent reported on Thursday. The possible deployment of the Eurofighter Typhoons follows talks with the United Arab Emirates to bolster the UK’s presence in the region, said the newspaper. The decision on whether to send the planes at such a volatile time will be made by British Prime Minister David Cameron, after further talks with the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. An announcement is expected to be made in the near future, the report said.
The arrival of British aircraft is bound to fuel the Iranian sense of insecurity even if there are assurances that the move is not aimed at them, said The Independent. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said on Wednesday that European nations must be prepared to “take a bigger role in relation to North Africa and the Middle East.”
According to The Independent, Israel, whose Defense Minister Ehud Barak is in London at the moment with the Iran crisis the main topic of discussion, is said to be “fully aware” and supportive of the discussions over the warplanes. UK military commanders are looking at the possibility of sending British jets to a base in Abu Dhabi, which is currently being used by American and French forces, as a confidence building measure but also, crucially, in case there are attempts by the Iranians to block the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement added. “These deployments are not due to our concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. As we continue to make clear, the Government does not believe military action against Iran is the right course of action at this time, although no option is off the table.”
However, The Independent has learned from highly senior military and diplomatic sources that the Al Dhafra airbase, 20 miles south of Abu Dhabi, is being looked at as a possible station for the Typhoons. The base is in use by French Mirage fighter-bombers as well as the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Air Force with jets and Patriot missile batteries and well located for operations in the Gulf. The report comes a week after the British government reiterated that it does not believe military action against Iran would be appropriate at the moment. The statement was made following the disclosure by The Guardian that Britain has rebuffed U.S. requests to use UK military bases to support the buildup of forces in the Gulf.Read the full story here.

Related? Hmmm.......Turkey to request Patriot deployment from NATO.

IAEA unable to quarantee Iran not creating nuclear weapons - Amano.

                                                    'Dancing with the Nukes'

IAEA unable to quarantee Iran not creating nuclear weapons - Amano.(TI).Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano said today at the press conference that the agency is unable to quarantee that Iran is not working on creating nuclear weapons, RIA Novosti reported. Amano made the remarks at the general IAEA conference today.

"IAEA continues to check for nuclear materials leakage in Iran, yet Iran does not give the necessary co-operation, so that we could make a statement on the absense of undeclared materials, an we also cannot make a statement that all of the nuclear materials in Iran are being used in peaceful purposes," Amano underscored at the conference. 

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday voicing "serious concern" about Tehran's nuclear program asserting it wants a peaceful resolution for the case. IAEA Governors Board imposed the 12th resolution against Iran, demanding it to allow the agency inspectors to visit Parchin military base, which is suspected to conduct nuclear-related tests. IAEA chief Yukia Amano has asked Iranian government's allowance for inspection of Parchin since last October. Iran on its part says Parchin is a military base, not nuclear facility, and thus it does not have any commitment to open access to it for the agency's inspectors. The European Union is to resume nuclear talks with Iran this week, the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton confirmed on Monday, dpa reported. Ashton is to meet Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili late Tuesday in Istanbul, her office said, confirming a report by Iran's Fars news agency. "While it is not a formal negotiating round, the meeting will be an opportunity to stress once again to Iran the need for an urgent and meaningful confidence-building step," Ashton's spokesperson said. Read the full story here.

Oil-Rich Iran Reports Big Gulf Gas Find.

Oil-Rich Iran Reports Big Gulf Gas Find.(CC).Iran is reporting a large natural gas find in the Persian Gulf--the Kish field, near Kish island. The field contains at least 66 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to Iran, 26 trillion cubic feet more than previously estimated. Iran's oil reserves are the third largest in the world at approximately 150 billion barrels--about 10% of the planet's total proven petroleum reserves. Iran is the world's fourth largest oil producer and OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia. Notwithstanding its incredible oil and gas resources, Iran is developing nuclear energy--at great economic and political costs. What's wrong with this picture?Read the full story here.

Israel - Deja vu all over again?

Israel - Deja vu all over again?(IsraelMatzav).I don't know how many of you thought about this when you heard about the national unity government, but I will guarantee you that every Israeli thought about it. "It" was the 1967 Six-Day War. Charles Krauthammer explains.

Forty-five years later, in the middle of the night of May 7-8, 2012, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shocked his country by bringing the main opposition party, Kadima, into a national unity government. Shocking because just hours earlier, the Knesset was expediting a bill to call early elections in September.

Why did the high-flying Netanyahu call off elections he was sure to win?

Because for Israelis today, it is May ’67. The dread is not quite as acute: The mood is not despair, just foreboding. Time is running out, but not quite as fast. War is not four days away, but it looms. Israelis today face the greatest threat to their existence — nuclear weapons in the hands of apocalyptic mullahs publicly pledged to Israel’s annihilation — since May ’67. The world is again telling Israelis to do nothing as it looks for a way out. But if such a way is not found — as in ’67 — Israelis know that they will once again have to defend themselves, by themselves.

Such a fateful decision demands a national consensus. By creating the largest coalition in nearly three decades, Netanyahu is establishing the political premise for a preemptive strike, should it come to that. The new government commands an astonishing 94 Knesset seats out of 120, described by one Israeli columnist as a “hundred tons of solid concrete.”

So much for the recent media hype about some great domestic resistance to Netanyahu’s hard line on Iran. Two notable retired intelligence figures were widely covered here for coming out against him. Little noted was that one had been passed over by Netanyahu to be the head of Mossad, while the other had been fired by Netanyahu as Mossad chief (hence the job opening). For centrist Kadima (it pulled Israel out of Gaza) to join a Likud-led coalition whose defense minister is a former Labor prime minister (who once offered half of Jerusalem to Yasser Arafat) is the very definition of national unity — and refutes the popular “Israel is divided” meme. “Everyone is saying the same thing,” explained one Knesset member, “though there may be a difference of tone.”Read the full story here.