'Islamist' Turkey building Military training camp in Somalia only to mine later for copper, uranium and gold?

'Islamist' Turkey building Military training camp in Somalia only to mine later for copper, uranium and gold?  HT: Abdbozkurt.

Turkey has finished its first military base in Somalia and will help train the country’s army to fight the deadly al-Shabaab terror group, a senior Turkish source told Anadolu Agency on Oct. 1.

A Turkish military attache speaking on condition of anonymity said the U.N.-backed base will be operational by the start of 2017.

About 200 Turkish officers will be deployed to the facility in Mogadishu -the Somali capital - to deliver the first stage of training to over 10,000 Somali National Army troops and others soldiers from across Africa, he confirmed.

Turkish military officials in Somalia also said Ankara will open a firm in Mogadishu to make Somali military uniforms.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Sept. 30, Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamed praised Turkey’s involvement in the Horn of Africa country:

"Turkey’s prominent role in Somalia can be seen at all levels: humanitarian, infrastructure, health and investment. Hmmm..........So far the 'Official version for the public' now to behind the 'Palace doors of the 'caliph'

#Erdogan family is not only involved in gold prospects in #Cerattepe but also shown interest in #Somalia because of gold & copper potential. https://t.co/3obt7rODnb

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

A confidential report leaked from #Erdogan's son-in-law Berat Albayrak reveals #Turkey gov't studied mining potential in #Somalia in 2011.

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

A 5-page document, prepared by #Turkey's development & cooperation agency TİKA head Serdar Çam, details many aspects of #Somalia engagement pic.twitter.com/Ej1rlM1dTR

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

Serdar Cam wrote in the report that the real reason for failed state in #Somalia is due to global powers' desire to reserve the territory

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

#Erdogan's henchman claimed that global powers will occupy territory of #Somalia in the future when they feel the need for that.

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

The TİKA report was dated 15 August 2011, sent to #Erdogan & his advisors. pic.twitter.com/JAE7maBqnq

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

The report sent on 16 Aug. 2011 by Mustafa Varank, #Erdogan's aide, to Erdogan family members Berat, son Bilal, daughters Sümeyye, & Esra pic.twitter.com/OIpYpCkaoH

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

Turkish gov't employee says Somalia has copper & uranium mines, which suggest potential for gold reserves in the country.

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) October 28, 2016

And then there's this from Erdogan's favorite 'humanitarian group' IHH, can't hurt to be on both sides of the fence:

IHH Delivers Aid to Somali Terrorist Group Al Shabaab.

'Mr. Lonely' - Iran nuclear deal leaves Pyongyang out in the cold

'Mr. Lonely' - Iran nuclear deal leaves Pyongyang out in the cold. (AN).

Tuesday’s landmark deal over Iran’s nuclear programme signed in Vienna by Iran and the 5+1 group in has left North Korea as the last odd man out.

In view of this, many analysts believe that after the United States took steps to normalise relations with Iran and Cuba -- two of its three long-time foes, conditions have become more conducive for Washington to pay more attention to North Korea’s nuclear issues.

In “light of this trend, the Iran deal could play a positive role in terms of adding pressure for North Korea’s denuclearization,” said Park Myung-lim, a political scientist at Yonsei University.

What is more, for Park, Kim could use the nuclear card “to address all of its internal and external issues, including domestic instability, isolation, poor economy and the normalization of ties with the U.S. and South Korea, and so forth”.

Other experts believe however, that Iran will monopolise Washington’s attention. For instance, Chang Yong-seok, a senior analyst at Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, expressed doubts over the speculation that after the deal with Iran, the United States could pay more attention to Pyongyang.

“I am rather cautious about whether the U.S. would move in the near future to address the North Korean issue, as there would be many follow-up measures to do to implement the Iran deal including its talks with the Congress,” he said. And the US Congress will ultimately have to vote on the deal.

All analysts also agree that Iran and North Korea are very different.

Iran is still a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. North Korea, which entered the NPT regime in 1985, broke away from the treaty in 1993, re-joined later and withdrew from it again in 2003.

Tehran has argued that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, including medical use, whilst Pyongyang describes itself as a nuclear-armed state in its constitution and has openly adopted a policy of simultaneously pursuing the development of nuclear arms.

Iran has not conducted any major nuclear tests. By contrast, the North carried out nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, arguing that it has already entered the technical phase “to miniaturize and diversify its nuclear bombs.”

Another difference between the two is that economic sanctions for the oil-rich Islamic Republic are critical for its trade, whilst the impact of the sanctions on the North are much weaker, as its economy is largely disconnected from the international system. Hmmmm......I'm sure the Obama 'admin' has already a 'deal' in mind for Mr. lonely.

Why Putin protects North Korea from the West.

Why Putin protects North Korea from the West. (RBTH).

Russia benefits by developing a special relationship with North Korea, because it would give her a trump card in bargaining with the United States, and the ability to demand concessions from Washington in other areas of foreign policy.

When asked about the situation surrounding the resumption of six-party negotiations related to the North Korean nuclear program, Special Envoy Grigory Logvinov told RIA Novosti that Moscow would not permit any “conspiracies” against Pyongyang. “The statements about increased pressure and duress are counterproductive, and cannot lead to anything positive,” Loginov said.

In May, high-ranking diplomats from the U.S., Japan and South Korea held a meeting in Seoul where they agreed to increase pressure and sanctions against North Korea in order to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.

Going by Logvinov’s statements, it is fair to assume that Russian diplomats believe that steps to strengthen mutual trust and “reduce the level of military activity” would be a better option than increased pressure and sanctions.

Now, there is a situation where Moscow can double or even triple its resources to stimulate the North Korean talks. “Intensifying the negotiating process about the North Korean program is extremely important to Russia,” says Gevorg Mirzayan, a researcher at the Institute of USA and Canada.

Mirzayan believes that Moscow wants to use the negotiating process to strengthen its position in the region, especially in terms of relations with South Korea and Japan. “Without close relations with these countries, it is strategically disadvantageous for the Kremlin's ‘Turn East,’ policy, which can become overly dependent on China.”

Russia has the opportunity to play the role of ‘honest broker.’  Moscow could help the adversaries overcome their mistrust.

“Gaddafi surrendered his nuclear program. Well, where is Gaddafi,” Konstantin Asmolov asks rhetorically.

Moscow can address Pyongynag’s concerns by providing security guarantees to North Korea (as it did with Iran), as well as provide storage for North Korean nuclear material.

In Pyongyang, there seems to be agreement for Moscow to be more actively involved in the negotiation process. “Kim Jong-un, like his father, attaches great importance to relations with Russia,” says Asmolov. Read the full story here.

South Korea: North Korea Has 'Significant' Tech To Build Mini Nuclear Device.

South Korea: North Korea Has 'Significant' Tech To Build Mini Nuclear Device. (Defense News).

South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday that North Korea appeared to have achieved a "significant" level of technology to miniaturize a nuclear device to be fitted on the tip of a missile.

The ministry made the warning in a white paper due to be released later Tuesday, although defense officials said the nuclear-armed North has yet to demonstrate its miniaturization capacity.

"North Korea's capabilities of miniaturizing nuclear weapons appear to have reached a significant level," the ministry said in a statement.

Although there is no doubt that North Korea has an extremely active ballistic missile development program, expert opinion is split on how much progress it has made.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed defense ministry official as saying the North's Taepodong-2 long-range missile is believed to have increased its range to 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) from the previous estimate of up to 7,000 kilometers.

But no signs have been detected that Pyongyang has put long-range missiles into service, it said. Hmmmm.....How much have they shared with Iran? Read the full story here.

Assad's Secret: Evidence Points to Syrian Push for Nuclear Weapons with Iran's help.

Assad's Secret: Evidence Points to Syrian Push for Nuclear Weapons with Iran's help.(Spiegel)

For years, it was thought that Israel had destroyed Syria's nuclear weapons capability with its 2007 raid on the Kibar complex. Not so. New intelligence suggests that Bashar al-Assad is still trying to built the bomb. And he may be getting help from North Korea and Iran.

Secret information obtained by SPIEGEL indicates that the world is once again being misled by Assad. Syria's dictator has not given up his dream of an atomic weapon and has apparently built a new nuclear facility at a secret location. It is an extremely unsettling piece of news.

Suspicious Uranium Particles.

According to findings of Western intelligence agencies, however, the situation is much more explosive than previously assumed. Based on documents that SPIEGEL has in its possession, the agencies are convinced that Assad is continuing in his efforts to build the bomb.

Analysts say that the Syrian atomic weapon program has continued in a secret, underground location. According to information they have obtained, approximately 8,000 fuel rods are stored there. Furthermore, a new reactor or an enrichment facility has very likely been built at the site -- a development of incalculable geopolitical consequences.

Some of the uranium was apparently hidden for an extended period at Marj as-Sultan near Damascus, a site that the IAEA likewise views with suspicion. Satellite images from December 2012 and February 2013 show suspicious activity at Marj as-Sultan. The facility, located not far from a Syrian army base, had become the focal point of heavy fighting with rebels. Government troops had to quickly move everything of value. They did so, as intelligence officials have been able to reconstruct, with the help of Hezbollah, the radical Shiite "Party of God" based in Lebanon. The well-armed militia, which is largely financed by Iran, is fighting alongside Assad's troops.

Intercepted Conversations

Intelligence agency findings indicate that the material was moved to a well-hidden underground location just west of the city of Qusayr, not even two kilometers from the border with Lebanon. They managed the move just in time. Marj as-Sultan ultimately did fall to the rebels, but has since been retaken by government troops.

Work performed at the site by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is also mentioned in the intercepted conversations. The Revolutionary Guard is a paramilitary organization under the direct control of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It controls a large part of the Iranian economy and also plays a significant role in Iran's own nuclear activities. Not all of its missions abroad are cleared with the government of moderate President Hassan Rohani. The Revolutionary Guard is a state within a state.

Experts are also convinced that North Korea is involved in Zamzam as well. Already during the construction of the Kibar facility, Ibrahim Othman worked closely together with Chou Ji Bu, an engineer who built the nuclear reactor Yongbyon in North Korea. Read the full story here.

Seems a little far from a decent water source to be an underground reactor. Enrichment is possible. pic.twitter.com/vxwRZIU9nr
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) January 9, 2015

Construction dates to sometime between June 2008-September 2009. pic.twitter.com/xK9nlyYlP9
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) January 9, 2015

It's certainly a military UGF. pic.twitter.com/MpcjOFDT1v
— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) January 9, 2015

@moscow_ghost For fun, I have mapped this very base before: http://t.co/XbNEtKSzSI @DR_SHAHID @MFS001 @green_lemonnn pic.twitter.com/hnDX5qe2xm

— Chris Kabusk (@ckabusk) January 6, 2015

North Korea's Missiles Able to Reach US Mainland according to South Korea.

North Korea's Missiles Able to Reach US Mainland according to South Korea. (SP).

The South Korean Defense Ministry has said in a white paper that North Korea is in possession of missiles that could reach the US mainland, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

"[North Korea has the] capability to threaten the US mainland," an extract from the document read, as quoted by the news agency.

This conclusion was made after North Korea completed five rounds of long-range missile testing. The assessment is also said to be based on North Korea's successful launch into orbit in December 2012 of the Unha-3 rocket with a range of some 8,000 kilometers (almost 5,000 miles).

According to Korea's defense ministry's report, the Taepodong-2 missile has an even longer range of some 10,000 kilometers. The paper also reportedly indicates that North Korea has made significant advancements in miniaturizing nuclear weapons, which has been attributed to the country's nuclear tests.

North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Its nuclear program is a matter of great concern for the international community, leading to sanctions being imposed by UN Security Council.

Pyongyang's nuclear program has triggered demands for the country to return to talks on the reduction of its nuclear activities, from which North Korea withdrew in 2009. Hmmmm........... 'Miniaturizing nuclear weapons'....you think they shared with their Iranian buddies?

North Korea is planning to pursue strategic guided-missile tests.

North Korea is planning to pursue strategic guided-missile tests. (RN).

North Korea is planning to pursue strategic guided-missile tests, despite the international calls to limit its weapons program, Agence France-Presse reported Thursday citing a spokesman for the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Strategic Force.

“[North Korea] will continue to hold drills of launching high-precision tactical guided missiles," AFP quoted a KPA Strategic Force’s spokesman as saying. He added that the tests were a «legitimate exercise» of sovereignty.

Over the past week Pyongyang has conducted a series of missile tests. The agency reports that the tests are largely explained by the two-day state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Seoul.

One of the issues on Xi Jinping’s agenda in Seoul is North Korea’s nuclear program, as well as strengthening of bilateral ties between China and South Korea, a bitter opponent to Pyongyang.

In March, North Korea test-fired two 1,000-kilometer range Rodong ballistic missiles, also known as No Dong, into the East Sea. Rodong missiles can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. The country’s authorities said the launches were their response to the US-South Korea joint military drills and mentioned that new nuclear tests could follow.

Last month, South Korean news agencies reported Pyongyang appeared to be gearing up for a fourth nuclear test, citing a significant increase in activity at North Korea’s Punggye-ri facility in the northeast of the country.

Russia Will No Longer inform Lithuania About Kaliningrad Weaponry, Which Might Include Nukes.

Russia Will No Longer inform Lithuania About Kaliningrad Weaponry, Which Might Include Nukes. (Trumpet).

Moscow unilaterally suspended a deal on May 5, under which it had agreed to provide information to Lithuania about Russian weapons and armed forces in the region of Kaliningrad.

The agreement, established by Russia and Lithuania bilaterally in 2001, said the two nations would exchange information regarding their armed forces, and said each were free to conduct military inspections of the other. While it required Lithuania to disclose information about the entirety of its armaments, the deal said Russia was required only to share data about its armaments in Kaliningrad Oblast—the Russian enclave situated on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania. Kaliningrad is home to Moscow’s Baltic Sea fleet.

Now Russia says it is no longer willing to uphold its end of the agreement, which has fueled concerns among many in Lithuania and beyond. “The move is upsetting,” said Linas Linkevičius, Lithuania’s minister of foreign affairs.

The suspension of the treaty is especially upsetting due to the possibility that Russia has nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad. In 2001, the United States infuriated Russia by announcing plans to put missile defense systems in Poland. Reports emerged saying Russia’s response to the announcement included the deployment of nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad—outside the range of the defense system.

Moscow denied the reports, but asserted it is under no legal obligation to keep nuclear weapons out of Kaliningrad, since it is, after all, Russia’s own territory.Read the full story here.

'Welcome to Turkey...Iranian Style' - Turkish draft bill to allow limitation of and surveillance in Internet.

'Welcome to Turkey...Iranian Style' - Turkish draft bill to allow limitation of and surveillance in Internet.(HD).

A draft bill will permit authorities to limit access to the Internet and monitor all actions by individuals online and keep such records for two years, daily Hürriyet has reported.

Three articles about Internet usage were concealed within a longer draft bill on the Family and Social Policy Ministry’s organizational structure and responsibilities, Yalçın Doğan, a columnist from daily Hürriyet, revealed yesterday.

The draft law will permit officials to limit keywords more easily, meaning access to videos on video-sharing websites such as YouTube that include keywords deemed problematic by Turkish authorities will be blocked.

All individuals’ Internet records, including details about what sites they have visited, which words they have searched for on the web and what activity they have engaged in on social networking websites, will be kept for one or two years, according to the draft law.

Web providers will also be forced to become members of a new Internet union to be formed under the control of government, Doğan wrote.

The draft bill is designed to “protect the family, children and youth from items on the Internet that encourage drug addiction, sexual abuse and suicide,” according to daily Hürriyet.

Responding to a question on the matter, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik said Turkey would never become like China, which is famous for its Internet censorship.

“Turkey is not China and will never be like China in this manner. Aren’t we all in consensus on having some laws about social media and Internet media? There can be regulations based on world standards anywhere in the world,” said Çelik.

Hmmm......Erdogan: "Democracy is like a train. We shall get out when we arrive at the station we want."

Japan's plan to sell nuclear technology to Turkey allows uranium enrichment.

'Two peas in a pod'

Japan's plan to sell nuclear technology to Turkey allows uranium enrichment.(UPI).

A Japanese agreement to export nuclear technology to Turkey raises questions about its possible use for nuclear weapons, opposition parties say.

The agreement, signed in May, includes a provision that the technology can only be used for power generation, the Asahi Shimbun reported. But it also allows Turkey to carry out uranium enrichment and plutonium extraction, potentially creating nuclear material for weapons.Read the full story here.

Hmmm.....In other 'Turkish' news in order to protect children and young people on the internet are preparing a large-scale censorship.........Welcome to Turkey ....'Iranian Style'.

Update: Ankara ‘adds’ uranium clause in nuclear deal with Tokyo

Ankara demanded allowance for uranium enrichment and plutonium extraction in a nuclear export deal inked with Tokyo, a Japanese daily quoted as a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as saying

Satellite imagery show North Korea efforts to restart nuclear complex.

Satellite imagery show North Korea efforts to restart nuclear complex.(ZN).

Seoul: Satellite imagery suggests North Korea is making "wide-ranging, extensive" efforts to fully reactivate its main nuclear complex, a US think tank said today, in line with Pyongyang's vows to strengthen its weapons programme.

Recent images show work at the Yongbyon nuclear compound apparently aimed at producing fuel rods to be used in a plutonium reactor, Johns Hopkins University's US-Korea Institute said.

Analysis of the imagery identified one "probable fuel fabrication plant" for the 5-megawatt plutonium reactor that reopened earlier this year, researcher Nick Hansen wrote on the institute's blog, 38 North.

The isolated communist state staged its third nuclear test in February - its most powerful to date - after two previous tests in 2006 and 2009.

Two months later, it boasted that it would reopen the Yongbyon nuclear compound in the northwest that had been shut since 2007, in order to bolster its atomic arsenal.

"The soot on the new roof shows that a heating process had occurred, such as the use of metal casting furnaces necessary to complete the heat treatment during the fuel rod assembly," Hansen wrote.

A white stain on the roof of the facility was believed to be hydrofluoric acid used to produce fuel rods.A nearby venue that appears to be a dumping site showed a large amount of "grey materials" suspected to be ash from the fuel rod production process, he added.

"The identification of these facilities indicates a more wide-ranging, extensive effort by North Korea to modernise and restart the Yongbyon complex... Than previously understood," he wrote.

Pyongyang's current stockpile of nuclear materials - mostly plutonium - is variously estimated as being enough for six to 10 bombs. The shock execution of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's powerful uncle two weeks ago raised concerns over potential instability in the North or military provocations such as an atomic test aimed at rallying domestic unity.
South Korean defence and intelligence chiefs however ruled out the possibility of imminent atomic test despite continued preparations. Nam Jae-Joon, chief of the South's intelligence agency, told lawmakers yesterday that the North was capable of staging another atomic test anytime but had so far showed no signs of doing so.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius casts doubt on Iran nuclear deal.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius casts doubt on Iran nuclear deal.(NCRI).

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned Thursday that Iranian regime may never be willing to completely give up its nuclear weapon-making capabilities, casting doubt on the chances of a final deal being struck with Tehran over its nuclear programme.

Under an agreement with six world powers reached in Geneva last month, the Iranian regime had agreed to suspend parts of its nuclear programme for six months in exchange for some sanctions relief.

Talks are due to begin again in the Swiss city on Thursday with the aim of establishing a detailed technical plan on how to put the deal into practice.

It is hoped that during the six-month freeze on the Iranian regime’s nuclear programme, a longer-term agreement can be negotiated to decisively end the standoff over the regime's nuclear programme.

But Fabius told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that he had concerns over how far the Iranian regime would be willing to go towards curtailing its nuclear plans.

“It is unclear if the Iranians will accept to definitively abandon any capacity of getting a weapon or only agree to interrupt the nuclear programme," he told the newspaper.

"What is at stake is to ensure that there is no breakout capacity," Fabius said, referring to Iran's possible ability to relaunch a weapons programme from dormant sites.

Thursday’s technical talks are expected to involve nuclear as well as sanctions experts from both sides and are due to continue into Friday.

IRGC Denies ballistic missile range

IRGC clarifies ballistic missile range.(UOI).

According to FARS News Agency:

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in a statement on Saturday rejected media reports claiming that Iran has developed missiles which could reach targets 12,000 km in distance, stressing that the maximum range of Iran's missiles is 2,000 km.

"Some media have made a mistake when quoting a part of the remarks of the IRGC Aerospace Force Commander (Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh) about IRGC's missiles and said their range is 12000 kilometers," the statement issued by the IRGC's Public Relations said on Saturday.

"Actually, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh has pointed to the IRGC Aerospace Force's defensive capabilities, and said 'at present, the range of our long-range missiles is 2,000km and the reason is that our enemies are within this range ... and they are not much worth to be targetted by costly missiles'," continued the statement.

This writer could not find the Western media report specifically citing a 12,000 km range, however the Iranians might generally be referring to ICBM ranges capable of hitting the United States. This potential capability is based upon speculation as to the ultimate intentions of Simorgh and Sepehr IRILV projects.*

This isn't the first time the Iranians have denied development of an ICBM; they did so also during the previous administration.

The Fars article identified three IRGC-ASF ballistic missiles with a range of 2000 km: Shahab-3, Ghadr-F and Sejjil-1/2, the latter cited as a "third generation" MRBM of slightly longer range.

*Hmmm.......TEHRAN, 2013, Jan. 31 -- The President of Iran Space Agency (ISA) says Iran will launch Nahid, Qaem, and Fajr satellites on February 2nd 2013, the anniversary of Iran’s National Space Technology Day. In a press conference, Hamid Fazeli, ISA president pointed to plans by Iran Space Agency for National Space Technology Day and said; “The President will inaugurate Iranian achievements in space, science and technology on National Space Technology Day.” He announced the launching of Nahid satellite during days of Fajr ceremonies and added: “Launching Engineering samples of Qaem, and Fajr satellites projects have been planned by the end of the next week.”

Fazeli answered Mehr News reporter’s question on launching SharifSat satellite by the end of the current Iranian New year (21th of March), saying that “SharifSat, manufactured by students in Sharif University of Technology will be launched, in addition to AUTSat, by Amir Kabir University of Technology and Zafar satellite into space by Simorgh rocket launcher, and will be operational by early June.” Fazeli asserted that “Toloo satellite will also be launched into space by Simorgh rocket launcher in the near future.”

TEHRAN, 2013, Februray 02 -- The President of Iran’s Space Agency (ISA) says Iranian Nahid satellite will be unveiled in February, 2nd 2013, Iran’s National Space Technology Day. The ISA would launch Nahid by Safir-1B rocket launcher to space. Fazeli pointed to Nahid’s main feature as being imaging. “Nahid is the only satellite with folding solar panels,” he added. “All Iranian made satellites had panels fixed on themselves. Nahid’s panels provide folding capability,” he asserted. He maintained that technology used in Nahid was unique, and that Nahid would have a perigee of 250 km, and an apogee of 370 km.

TEHRAN, 2013, February 28 -- Chancellor of Iran's Amirkabir University Alireza Rahayee announced Tehran is preparing to put a new home-made satellite, called Nahid , into orbit in the next four months. He said that Nahid is among those satellites which need more modern launchers, and Simorgh satellite launch platform is now being prepared to this end. He added that Nahid will be sent to the space on the back of Safir-B carrier (not clear: Safir-1B or Simorgh).

Iran 'moving nuclear research center to hoodwink world' .

Iran 'moving nuclear research center to hoodwink world'.(CNR).

PARIS (AFP) -- An exiled opposition group claimed Thursday that Iran has transferred a research center leading its alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons to a new location in order to hoodwink the world.

"In order to hide its nuclear activities, the Iranian regime is currently in the process of a vast operation moving the center responsible for research and planning of the military nuclear project," Mehdi Abrishamachi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran told a press conference in Paris.

According to the opposition group, which has made significant revelations about Iran's nuclear program in the past, the bulk of the center's activities have been moved from a defense ministry property in the east of Tehran to a new site around two miles away.

Those activities left at the first site could all be regarded as of dual-use - related to either civil or military uses of nuclear technology - enabling the regime to disguise their military nature in the event of inspection, according to the NCRI.

"The transfer started at the beginning of September and is not finished but the essential has been done," Abrishamachi said.

The NCRI said it had submitted its information, including a list of 100 alleged employees of the center, to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Wednesday.

Iran denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capacity and has said it wants to sign a nuclear proliferation accord with the West. Negotiations on the subject between Tehran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, are due to resume next week in Geneva.
The talks will be the first since the election in June of new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian dissidents say Tehran moving nuclear research site.

Iranian dissidents say Tehran moving nuclear research site.(AA).

An exiled Iranian opposition group said on Thursday it had information about what it said was a center for nuclear weaponization research in Tehran that the government was moving to avoid detection ahead of negotiations with world powers.

The dissident National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and a heavy water facility at Arak in 2002. But analysts say it has a chequered track record and a clear political agenda.

An accusation it made in July about a secret underground nuclear site under construction in Iran draw a cautious international response, with France merely saying it would look into it.

The Islamic Republic says its nuclear energy program is entirely peaceful and rejects U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is seeking the capability to make nuclear weapons.
The NCRI’s latest allegation comes just a few days before Iran and six major powers are to meet in Geneva to try to end years of deadlock in a dispute over the Islamic state’s nuclear program.
The election of Hassan Rowhani, a relative moderate, as new Iranian president has raised hopes of progress towards a negotiated settlement of the decade-old nuclear row.

The Paris-based NCRI, citing information from sources inside Iran, said a nuclear weaponization research and planning center it called SPND was being moved to a large, secure site in a defense ministry complex in Tehran about 1.5 km (1 mile) away from its former location.

It said the center employed about 100 researchers, engineers and experts and handled small-scale experiments with radioactive material and was in charge of research into the weaponization of nuclear weapons.


“There is a link between this transfer and the date of Geneva (talks) because the regime needed to avoid the risk of visits by (U.N. nuclear) inspectors,” Mehdi Abrichamtchi, who compiled the report for the NCRI, told a news conference.

Guess What? Iran’s parliament calls uranium surplus report inaccurate.

Guess What? Iran’s parliament calls uranium surplus report inaccurate.(Taz).

The Public Relations Department of the Iran's Parliament called inaccurate the claims about Iran's surplus of enriched uranium which are attributed to Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, ICANA News agency reported.

"Parts of Larijani's interview with Associated Press, where it had been emphasized that Iran had more enriched uranium than needed and intended to use it as a winning card in next week's negotiations in Geneva, are false and fundamentally inaccurate," the report said.

According to the Associated Press report, during his interview on Wednesday Larijani said that Iran has more enriched uranium than it needs and plans to use that as a bargaining chip at nuclear talks in Geneva next week.
"But we have some surplus, you know, the amount that we don't need. We may have some discussions about it," he said, referring to next week's talks with Western powers.

Larijani said the surplus of uranium would be discussed with Western powers in the context of possibly of halting its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent, which has been a key concession sought in the negotiations, the report added.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -Russia, China, France, UK and the US - plus Germany known as the P5+1 group will hold a fresh round of talks in Geneva on October 15-16.
Foreign ministers of Iran and the six countries held talks at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 26, with the main focus being on Tehran's nuclear energy program.Hmmmm......Not a surprise at all......Al-Taqiyya.

Commander of IRGC: "Iran has technologies for production of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but does not see any need in it."

Commander of IRGC: "Iran has technologies for production of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but does not see any need in it."(Taz).

Iran has the capabilities and technologies for the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but does not see any need for their production, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, FARS agency reported.

During a speech in Mashhad, Hajizadeh said that at the moment Iran has the technology of production of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"We were able to send a satellite into orbit, because we have this technology . But since Iran's enemies are not far from the border, we do not consider it necessary to face high costs and build such missiles," Hajizadeh said.

Hajizadeh said that Iran's drones, including Shahed129 are able to reach Israel.
Two weeks ago, during the parade of the Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ( IRGC ) demonstrated Shahed129 UAV for the first time.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi: "Fordo will never be closed and will continue its work,"

 Alaeddin Boroujerdi: "Fordo will never be closed and will continue its work,"(Fars).

Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi strongly rejected western media reports claiming that Tehran plans to raise a proposal during its upcoming talks with the six world powers on the closure of its Fordo uranium enrichment facility in return for the annulment of sanctions.

"It is an irrelative word. Fordo will never be closed and will continue its work," Boroujerdi said in a meeting with Secretary of State at the Swiss Foreign Ministry Yves Rossier in Tehran on Wednesday.

"We in the parliament will not allow such a thing to happen," he added.

In relevant remarks on Monday, a senior Iranian legislator said Fordo underground facility near the Central city of Qom, where Iran enriches 20-percent-grade uranium, is in full operation.

"The centrifuges at Fordo have been installed completely and the facility is in full operation and without any problem ordeficiency," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Esmayeel Kosari told FNA."The 20% enrichment is undergone at the site (Fordo)," he added.

Fordo enrichment facility hosts Iran's uranium enrichment to the purity level of 20% which is needed for fueling a research reactor in Tehran which produces radioisotopes for medical purposes.

The western media claimed recently that Iran's new president Hassan Rouhani is willing to shut down its nuclear facility if the West agrees to lift Islamic republic's sanctions.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi strongly rejected western media reports claiming that Tehran has raised a proposal to the West to close its Fordo underground uranium enrichment facility near the Central city of Qom for lifting sanctions against the country.

"The closure of Fordo site is a sheer lie," Salehi told reporters at the end of a cabinet meeting in Tehran earlier this month.

Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran doesn't trust US, but has faith in its own diplomats.

Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran doesn't trust US, but has faith in its own diplomats.(Taz).

Iran doesn't trust the United States, which doesn't keep its promises, yet we have faith in our own diplomats, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, Fars news agency reported.

Khamenei made the remarks during his speech at the graduation ceremony of Iran's military students.

"We support president Hassan Rouhani's diplomatic moves, as diplomacy is important," Khamenei said. "We support the developments of the New York visit, despite that some issues were not very suitable."

Khamenei went on to add that Iran trusts the diplomats of Rouhani's administration, underscoring that the U.S. administration is "under influence of international zionism".
Some forces in Iran were negative towards Hassan Rouhani's approach to talks with the U.S. president and its stance on country's nuclear program.

For example, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari called Rouhani`s phone conversation with his US counterpart, a tactical mistake.

Later, extremist groups in Iran, held protests against Rouhani, upon his arrival in Tehran from New York. The protesters threw shoes at Rouhani.

MK Feiglin on Iran: ' The time is now. Shoot and don't talk. The time to talk is finished'

HTand full story here at IsraelMatzav