US Has Based Much Of Its Push-Against Iran-Based On Possibly FORGED Documents

[kpete]

Does it surprise you to learn, via Juan Cole, that that intelligence may well have been forged?
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/IAEA_suspects_fraud_in_evidence_for_1109.html

Surprise Surprise: “Laptop of Death” a Possible Forgery
By: emptywheel Monday November 10, 2008 2:50 pm

Almost four years ago today, Colin Powell presented some dodgy intelligence suggesting Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Powell's announcement had all the trappings of Bush propaganda: sketchy exiles, the pre-emption of IAEA counter-evidence, technical specs that make a known civilian application look like a nuclear weapon, and, of course, Powell himself.

Does it surprise you to learn, via Juan Cole, that that intelligence may well have been forged?

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has obtained evidence suggesting that documents which have been described as technical studies for a secret Iranian nuclear weapons-related research program may have been fabricated.

The documents in question were acquired by U.S. intelligence in 2004 from a still unknown source -- most of them in the form of electronic files allegedly stolen from a laptop computer belonging to an Iranian researcher. The US has based much of its push for sanctions against Iran on these documents.

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2008/11/10/surprise-surprise-laptop-of-death-a-possible-forgery/

[amdezurik]

1. again...

[wildbilln864]

2. What would be surprising.....

would be if someone was charged and prosecuted for their crimes! The Bushevecks breaking th law is never a surprise to me. :banghead:

[Caliman73]

3. It does not surprise me at all.

And that is scary. When domination of oil resources is the goal, a little forgery is just a means to an end. I am sure that PNAC has their deluded fantasy scenario where we gain control over the entire region. Problem is Iraq and Afghanistan have not cooperated the way they would have liked. Now with Iran, I seriously doubt Russia, China, France, and Germany would be on board with any designs the neocons have on the area.

[slipslidingaway]

4. K&R, from Juan Cole ...

http://www.juancole.com/2008/11/us-documents-on-iran-nukes-forged.html

"Monday, November 10, 2008

US Documents on Iran Nukes Forged?

I'm shocked, shocked that allegations are emerging at the International Atomic Energy Agency that US-supplied "documents" from a laptop acquired in 2004 indicating a secret Iranian weapons program were probably forgeries.

The IAEA clearly hopes that the Obama administration will stop trying to undermine it and will stop the Washington habit of using forged documents as a basis for aggressive military responses to nuclear programs and instead will opt for diplomacy."

posted by Juan Cole @ 11/10/2008 02:17:00 PM


http://www.juancole.com/2008/11/obama-and-iran.html

Saturday, November 08, 2008

"Obama and Iran

President-elect Barack Obama said Friday that "Iran's development of a nuclear weapon, I believe is unacceptable. . . Iran's support of terrorist organizations, I think is something that has to cease."

What I cannot understand is why American politicians who speak publicly on this issue do not at least acknowledge that to the best information of the American intelligence community, Iran has no nuclear weapons research program, as opposed to a civilian enrichment research program. A pdf of the National Intelligence Estimate on this issue is here. The Bushies and "anonymous senior officials" vowed that the NIE would not be allowed to enter the national debate on this issue and that they would ignore it and go on insisting that Iran has a weapons program. Since they lost, can't we lose the alarmist rhetoric on all this? Some of the information in the NIE was based on information brought out of Iran by defectors.

It is legitimate to maintain suspicions of Iranian intentions and activities in this regard. I'm not saying we should be patsies. But let's just talk straight about the issue, based on what real evidence is available...


...Anyway, can't a new administration speak in a more nuanced way about all this?..."

[Hissyspit]

5. kicked and recommended nt

[slipslidingaway]

6. Kick n/t