Nuclear "Smoking Gun": Secret document exposes Iran’s nuclear trigger

Work that has no civilian purpose has been ongoing since 2007. Iranian documents reveal the preparations to construct and test a "nuclear trigger:"

Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb.

The notes, from Iran’s most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007, four years after Iran was thought to have suspended its weapons programme.

An Asian intelligence source last week confirmed to The Times that his country also believed that weapons work was being carried out as recently as 2007 — specifically, work on a neutron initiator.

Secret Document Exposes Iran's Nuclear 'Trigger'

Some commentators and experts believe that the implications can be bad for Obama's policy of appeasement dating back to November of 2008 and his current actions as President.

Others are of the opinin that there is no longer a diplomatic solution.

Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said: “The most shattering conclusion is that, if this was an effort that began in 2007, it could be a casus belli. If Iran is working on weapons, it means there is no diplomatic solution.”
...
The fallout could be explosive, especially in Washington, where it is likely to invite questions about President Obama’s groundbreaking outreach to Iran. The papers provide the first evidence which suggests that Iran has pursued weapons studies after 2003 and may actively be doing so today — if the four-year plan continued as envisaged.
...
Experts say that, if the 2007 date is correct, the documents are the strongest indicator yet of a continuing nuclear weapons programme in Iran. Iran has long denied a military dimension to its nuclear programme, claiming its nuclear activities are solely focused on the production of energy for civilian use.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: “Is this the smoking gun? That’s the question people should be asking. It looks like the smoking gun. This is smoking uranium.”

Related ATS threads:
Obama's Secret November Talks with Iran

Related news:
Iran says Obama's Offer to Talk Shows Failure

Who's on first?

jw

[edit on 13-12-2009 by jdub297]

There is no possible civilian and peaceful purpose for this.

Iran has been caught lying about its nuclear weapons program once again.

reply to post by centurion1211


I suppose the real question for Obama is, "How can I make it up to Iran?" He's gone out of his way to avoid showing the presence of a spine.

Israel will jump into the leadership void and "fix" this themselves.

jw

reply to post by jdub297


No one here seems to bat an eye that soon Iran will have completed all the pieces necessary for a Nuclear armed Ballistic Missile. I give less than a year (probably 6 months) before military action against Iran occurs. They (Iran) aren't going to stop till they get the weapons, there is no room for a diplomatic solution when they won't abadon their desire for Nuclear weapons.

Remember all those secret documents we saw before the Iraq war too? Turned out to be complete lies. Who's to say this aint the same deal as before?

There won't be no war.

1) Obama wants world to love us. Peace Prize

2) Military already spread too thin. If we go in with planes alone, Iran will win the propaganda war showing civilian deaths. Negative publicity for US.

3)People will be skeptical of any evidence due to what happened with Iraq.

4)Iranians will keep talking and extending talks till they achieve their goal.

IMO, like it or not, Iran will have nukes. Wouldn't surprise me if other Arab countries aren't already starting their own programs in order to catch up to Iran.

They will drum up whatever excuse/ justification they can to lesson the chance of Iran gaining support from other nations when Israel and/or the US attack them. It seems to me a forgone conclusion Iran will be attacked before they can take delivery of the missles that they have ordered from Russia. They are one of only 5 countries left that do not have a Rothschild owned central bank since the US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and allowed a Rothschild owned central bank to be established in those countries, Iran is next on the list.

We need to find out who obtained the documents,and how.
Because,to believe that this is legit without knowing who supplied the documents would be foolish.

My bet is that the documents came from Israeli Intelligence.

Are they real?Who knows,although If I ran Iran,I would want some nukes to stop the western world from meddling in my countries affairs.
But that does not mean I would use them to attack other countries-having them should be enough,like the tail on a rattlesnake is enough to keep them out of danger,without having to use their venom.

reply to post by pavil

It will not be us, it will be Israel. Maybe Obama's "distancing" from Olmert and Netanyahu has been for a reason other than settlements and Gaza.

Are they waiting for a "green light?"

jw

reply to post by Silcone Synapse

According to the story, the London Times obtained copies "from intelligence sources." The docs have been reviewed by Asian and Western intelligence. No one has disputed them, yet.

The documents have been seen by intelligence agencies from several Western countries, including Britain. A senior source at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that they had been passed to the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

We'll have to see who speaks up first. It won't be Obama or Clinton.

jw

reply to post by jam321

IMO, like it or not, Iran will have nukes. Wouldn't surprise me if other Arab countries aren't already starting their own programs in order to catch up to Iran.

There are too many countries in the region who will join the bandwagon if Iran is allowed to produce nukes.

Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will not be 'left behind.' Therefore, Iran will not get much farther.

The U.S. will never attack Iran, or anyone else while Obama is in office.

The only practical deterrent is an Israeli air strike.

China and Russia have backed off of further sanctions, and Russia is due to begin delivery of a new S-A-M system that was supposed to be in place last Summer.

No one else will do anything to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions, even as the US and Russia discuss a follow-up to START.

jw

Just like the 911 Hijacker's passport that magically appeared in the streets of New York in the aftermath of the WTC attack, these documents thus appear, indicating a clear intent by Iran to build a bomb. Sorry, but we've seen it before from Israel intelligence. It would be all too easy for them to forge and then plant these documents to then "leak" them to the world's intelligence agencies and media outlets.

Ask yourself this - if your the world's number one pahria with a much-hated and opposed nuclear program, are you really going to leave such a clear and incriminating paper trail documenting your attempts to develop a nuke trigger?

Given all the shenanigans that occurred under the Bush idiocy, with faked, forged and planted "evidence" (yellowcake uranium anyone?) it'll take more than some documents that appear with no provenance to speak of.

I thought the US had sophisticated nuclear isotope "sniffers" which would detect weapons grade nuclear materials...sure I read about them years back(Maybe that was disinfo though.)-If so that could detect what Iran is really up to.


If this turns into a situation whereby Israel attacks without US support,the situation will end badly for Israel-both in global public opinion,and in Israeli lives/real estate.

I think Israel knows this too well,and would not attack on their own-more likely they will create a scenario which draws the US into attacking Iran first.
They know that it would take something very devastating to the US,to make the current Prez act.

That to me,is as scary as any Iranian nuclear weapon.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


Intelligence suggests Iran worked on testing a key atomic bomb component as recently as 2007, diplomats said on Monday, a finding which if proven would clash with Iran's assertion its nuclear work is for civilian use.


Just as 90% of ATS members refuse to believe Russia tested the Bulava for the 12th time( eight failures), and instead prefer to "what if" wormholes, vortexes, LHC blackholes and aliens, most expect Iran to hand over a signed copy live on MSNBC to believe the substance of the report.

Unfortunately, most world diplomats are not as discerning, preferring to believe their 'lying eyes:'

A senior diplomat familiar with the gist of the Times report said the document, obtained by intelligence services, had been passed on to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which has been probing intelligence allegations of Iranian attempts to "weaponize" enrichment for five years.

A senior International Atomic Energy Agency official declined comment "at this stage."

But the information would fall into the category of what senior IAEA officials have told Reuters are regular intelligence updates on Iran they receive from certain member states, mainly the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Israel.

The intelligence has not been authenticated but the IAEA has judged it consistent and compelling. Iran has dismissed the material as fabrications but the IAEA says Tehran must provide evidence to back up its position. Iran has ignored the appeals.

The IAEA maintains a running internal analysis of the intelligence, which indicates Iran has coordinated efforts to process uranium, test explosives at high altitude and revamp a ballistic missile cone in a way suitable for a nuclear warhead.

Diplomats: Iran May Have Worked on Key Atom Bomb Component

deny ignorance

jw

Originally posted by centurion1211
There is no possible civilian and peaceful purpose for this.

Iran has been caught lying about its nuclear weapons program once again.

The US & UK have been caught lying about the reasons for war.. millions have suffered. In contrast a mysterious piece of paper has allegations about iran.. humm, which is worse? Oh I forgot, the US / UK and their chums are allowed to lie, break laws and have state secrets.. iran must follow all the rules we consider suggestions.

us to iran: "you're just a towel!"
iran to us: "you're a towel"
us to iran: "uh, no you are in fact a towel"
iran to us: "you're a towel"

I do like the old "secret document" psyop propaganda, it's stale but effective.

Seriously, is it not blatant the US govt is doing nothing but creating an enemy we're supposed to be scared of?.. out of a nation 6000 miles away that hasn't attacked anyone in generations, and the elite previously illegally overthrew?

There is literally NOTHING here except an elaborate boogie-man story told by the known liars in the US govt.

Originally posted by jdub297
reply to post by jam321

 

IMO, like it or not, Iran will have nukes. Wouldn't surprise me if other Arab countries aren't already starting their own programs in order to catch up to Iran.

There are too many countries in the region who will join the bandwagon if Iran is allowed to produce nukes.

Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will not be 'left behind.' Therefore, Iran will not get much farther.

The U.S. will never attack Iran, or anyone else while Obama is in office.

The only practical deterrent is an Israeli air strike.

China and Russia have backed off of further sanctions, and Russia is due to begin delivery of a new S-A-M system that was supposed to be in place last Summer.

No one else will do anything to stop Iranian nuclear ambitions, even as the US and Russia discuss a follow-up to START.

jw

I doubt ME nations wanting nukes has anything to do with iran, more like protection from becoming the next iraq.

If there was a violent gang of ruthless lying thugs taking over un-armed houses in your neighborhood, you'd want a gun.

Major powers postpone meeting on Iran nuclear program Updated: Monday, December 14, 2009 20:23GMT—3:23PM/EST

televisionwashington.com...

The article goes on to say that China had scheduling problems which is why the meeting was postponed. That may be true, or this could be a sign that they have given up with sanctions altogether.

Or number two, China needs time to check the damage control from the leaked information.

reply to post by GovtFlu

Seriously, is it not blatant the US govt is doing nothing but creating an enemy we're supposed to be scared of?.. out of a nation 6000 miles away that hasn't attacked anyone in generations, and the elite previously illegally overthrew?

Do you mean except for invading Iraq, giving money and arms to Hamas to attack Lebanon and Israel, and supporting Syria in the development of their own nukes, assassinating Lebanese elected leaders? Arming and training Hezbollah to destabilize the Lebanese government and attack Israel in Gaza?

Or, taking Americans hostage from a diplomatic station?


HuffPo sees things otherwise:

The Egyptians have now furiously blown the whistle on the subversion against their government. They have exposed a Shiite terrorist group headed by a Hezbollah activist. Dozens of people were arrested, including some from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Tehran's principal vehicle for exporting revolution. The cell planned attacks on Suez Canal installations and Egyptian tourist sites in the hope of destabilizing the regime, which Iran
considers vulnerable because of the age of President Hosni Mubarak and the possibility of a shaky political environment when he passes away.

Astonishingly, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, publicly attacked the Egyptians and issued an exhortation to the Egyptian Army to overthrow the Mubarak regime. The Egyptian retort, published in the state-controlled newspaper al-Gomhouria, was blistering: "We do not allow, Oh Monkey Sheikh, to mock our judiciary, for you area bandit and veteran criminal who killed your countrymen, but we will not allow you to threaten the security and safety of Egypt . . . and if you threaten its sovereignty, you will burn!" President Mubarak spoke out forcefully, and the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, linked together the Iranian threat to Egypt, Israel, and the West in the same breath.

In addition to creating Hezbollah cells--there are probably more--Iran helps Hamas smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip via Sudan and the Sinai. This has awakened the Egyptians to the risk to their security from the iron triangle of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Other Arab countries are similarly aroused. Tehran hopes to see its allies sweep to power in Bahrain. The small but prosperous nation is "part of Iran," in the words of Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Morocco, security uncovered a network of pro-Iranian militants plotting violent operations; Morocco severed diplomatic relations. In Jordan, the State Security Court has sent three people to prison on charges of spying for Hezbollah after they "monitored positions, possessed weapons, and gathered things and information that must be kept secret."

Iran's Aggression Could Unite Arabs and Israelis

Other than that, I guess they're pacifists.

jw

reply to post by GovtFlu

If there was a violent gang of ruthless lying thugs taking over un-armed houses in your neighborhood, you'd want a gun.

Un-armed because they'd expended their nerve gas on their own families? Un-armed because they'd lost a few soldiers attacking their peaceful neighbors without cause or warning?

As far as ruthless lying thugs are concerned, does that include the officeholders who jail, torture and kill their opponents? The leaders who threaten their neighbors solely because they have different religious beliefs?

A gun to use on its own people? A gun to use on its neighbors? A gun to use against un-armed business competitors?

Your hatred of the United States and its military has dulled your senses and blurred your vision. You see and believe only that which supports your narrow perception. When you wake up, it will be too late.

Deny ignorance!

jw

While I have no doubt Iran is trying to construct nuclear weapons, some of the "sources" in this irritate me.

"Experts say that..."

"An Asian intelligence source last week confirmed..."

Give us some actual names. No name = no credibility. Which is sad because I'm sure they're building a bomb. I just have a problem believing faceless authorities.

It's the same as the journalist who says "I can't reveal my sources..."