Iran Nuclear NewsGroup discloses secret nuke effort

Group discloses secret nuke effort

-

The Washington Times: The Iranian opposition group that exposed the nation’s covert nuclear weapons program two years ago said yesterday that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the effort to continue in secret.
The opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), also disclosed the existence of what it said is a new uranium enrichment facility in central Iran that is nearing completion. The Washington Times

By Jennifer Joan Lee

PARIS – The Iranian opposition group that exposed the nation’s covert nuclear weapons program two years ago said yesterday that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the effort to continue in secret.

The opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), also disclosed the existence of what it said is a new uranium enrichment facility in central Iran that is nearing completion.

Speaking to reporters in Paris yesterday, Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Iranian regime is “playing a double game” with Europe.

“Khamenei has ordered his regime to not only continue the enrichment of uranium, but to buy time and accelerate the project in order to make the bomb as quickly as possible,” Mr. Mohaddessin said.

“Khamenei has ordered his diplomats and his negotiators to prolong the negotiations as much as possible, possibly by between eight and 12 months, which is exactly the time needed to complete the bomb,” he said.

The Bush administration and European powers have branded the NCRI a terrorist group, mainly because its military wing was sheltered by Saddam Hussein at bases in Iraq, from which it launched attacks in Iran.

The group, however, gained credibility in August 2002 by exposing another secret uranium enrichment facility being built underground in Natanz, 150 miles south of Tehran, and a heavy water production facility at Arak, about 120 miles southwest of Tehran.

That exposure triggered the current nuclear standoff with Iran, by forcing the Islamist regime to open these sites to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Talks today between European negotiators and Iran represent a “last-chance” at getting the Tehran regime to stop enriching uranium and avoid the threat of U.N. sanctions.

In exchange, the Europeans are offering technical assistance — such as helping Iran build a light-water power reactor and providing a supply of reactor fuel — and trade incentives.

Mr. Mohaddessin said that while the regime was negotiating with Europe, it was also putting the finishing touches on a major site that would be needed to produce large quantities of enriched uranium.

The site, located in Isfahan in central Iran, would convert uranium oxide, called “yellowcake,” into uranium hexafluoride gas, a stage prior to enrichment.

He said a test center for centrifuges had been constructed with “utmost discretion” near the site, and that between 120 and 180 centrifuges will be installed there.

Uranium hexafluoride is fed into centrifuges for enrichment.

Mr. Mohaddessin credited a network of sources inside Iran for his information.

A spokesman at the British Foreign Office, reached by telephone, declined to comment on Mr. Mohaddessin’s charges but said there was “nothing to lose” by continuing to negotiate.

“If we do get compliance, that’s all well and good, and if we don’t, there’s more chance of a consensus at the next [IAEA”> board meeting because all options would have been looked at,” he said.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

Russia threatens to supply Iran with top new missile system as ‘cold war’ escalates

Sunday Telegraph: Russia is deploying the threat to sell...

Russia still hopes diplomacy to solve Iran standoff

AFP: Russia still hopes for a diplomatic solution to...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you