IAEA: Iran dismisses evidence on nukes

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

VIENNA, Austria - Iran has rejected documents that link it to missile and explosives experiments and other work connected to a possible nuclear weapons program, calling the information false and irrelevant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday.

As expected, an International Atomic Agency report also confirmed that Iran continued to enrich uranium despite two sets of Security Council sanctions to punish it for defying council demands to freeze the program that can generate both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

An 11-page report obtained by The Associated Press suggested all other major issues that had raised past suspicions about Iran's claims to working only on a peaceful nuclear program had either been fully resolved or were "no longer outstanding at this stage."

But it said Tehran had rejected as irrelevant documentation provided by the agency that purportedly shows it working on tests of missile trajectories, high explosives testing, and research on a missile re-entry vehicle — activities that would be most likely be part of weapons development. Questions also remained on diagrams in Iran's possession showing how to mold uranium metal into warhead shape.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080222/ap_on_re_eu/nuclear_iran

[freedomnorth]

1. Iran MP says atom report positive, undermines U.S.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Friday a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Iran's atomic program was "positive" and would undermine a U.S. push for more U.N. sanctions, Iranian news agencies reported.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in its report Iran had shown new openness about nuclear advances earlier off-limits to U.N. monitors but not enough to prove the program is not geared to making bombs.

Iran insists its program is entirely peaceful.

"In regards to the (IAEA) report ... about Iran's peaceful nuclear activities and the resolution of some unclear issues, the road will not be paved for the Americans to issue a new resolution against Iran in the (U.N.) Security Council," the head of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, was quoted as saying.

Boroujerdi, speaking before a news conference by Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, described the report as "positive", the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Issuing such (sanctions) resolutions not only has no technical and legal basis but also the Security Council should apologize to the Iranian nation because of its behavior and announce the end of studying Iran's nuclear issue," he was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.

(bit more at link)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSBLA25638820080222

[merwin]

2. It's amazing how different a headline can read when you see IKEA instead of IAEA

[disunderestimated]

3. Pay attention folks to the levers...

These documents sent to the IAEA come from Mohammad Mohaddessin and Alireza Jafarzadeh.

Jafarzadeh previously identified himself as the Mujahedin-e Khalq's (MEK) official US representative - until of course the State Dept. officially classified it as an international terrorist organization. And to further lend him credibility, he has worked as a Fox news Consultant.

To my more astute peers - you will see the similarities to discredited "evidence" submitted in the run-up to the Iraq invasion by Ahmad Chalabi.

Pay attention people.

[HuffleClaw]

4. A senior IAEA official... ...said that **if** the intelligence material provided by the U.S....

...and other IAEA members was genuine, most of the Iranian work was "most likely for nuclear weapons.""



I would call that one pretty big 'IF'