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The AP is reporting that contrary to what our intelligence community and the IAEA says, Iran is working on a nuclear warhead and the means to deliver it.
AP NewsBreak: Nuke agency says Iran can make bombAssociated Press, 09.17.09, 01:25 PM EDTVIENNA — Experts at the world’s top atomic watchdog are in agreement that Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and is on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead, according to a secret report seen by The Associated Press.
The document drafted by senior officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency is the clearest indication yet that the agency’s leaders share Washington’s views on Iran’s weapon-making capabilities.
It appears to be the so-called "secret annex" on Iran’s nuclear program that Washington says is being withheld by the IAEA’s chief.The document says Iran has "sufficient information" to build a bomb. It says Iran is likely to "overcome problems" on developing a delivery system.
A person could be forgiven for being confused because there are various versions of the AP story, here’s another from AntiWar,com.You’ll notice there are a few phrases that show up in the following version that are missing from the Forbes version. (emphasis added)
GEORGE JAHNAP NewsSep 17, 2009 18:06 ESTAssociated Press
Iran experts at the U.N nuclear monitoring agency believe Tehran has the ability to make a nuclear bomb and worked on developing a missile system that can carry an atomic warhead, according to a confidential report seen by The Associated Press.
The document drafted by senior officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency is the clearest indication yet that those officials share Washington’s views on Iran’s weapon-making capabilities and missile technology — even if they have not made those views public.
The document, titled "Possible Military Dimension of Iran’s Nuclear Program," appeared to be the so-called IAEA "secret annex" on Iran’s alleged nuclear arms program that the U.S., France, Israel and other IAEA members say is being withheld by agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei — claims the nuclear watchdog denies.
Now here’s an IAEA rebuttal from Google News;(emphasis added)
IAEA denies report it is sure Iran is seeking bomb(AFP) – 18 hours agoVIENNA —
The UN atomic watchdog said Thursday it has no concrete proof that there is or has been a nuclear weapons programme in Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency rejected a US media report which claimed its experts believed Tehran had the ability to make a nuclear bomb and was on the way to developing a missile system able to carry an atomic warhead."With respect to a recent media report, the IAEA reiterates that it has no concrete proof that there is or has been a nuclear weapon programme in Iran," a statement said.
According to the media report, the proof was contained in a so-called "secret annex" to the IAEA’s latest report on Iran, but was deliberately being withheld by the agency’s director general Mohamed ElBaradei."
At the board of governors meeting on September 9, Director General ElBaradei warned that continuing allegations that the IAEA was withholding information on Iran are politically motivated and totally baseless," it said.
And finally, this is what Newsweek says our intelligence community is telling the White House. (emphasis added)
From Newsweek Sept 16 2009
“The U.S. intelligence community is reporting to the White House that Iran has not restarted its nuclear-weapons development program, two counterproliferation officials tell NEWSWEEK. U.S. agencies had previously said that Tehran halted the program in 2003.”
“This latest U.S. intelligence-community assessment is potentially controversial for several reasons, not the least of which is that it is at odds with more alarming assessments propounded by key U.S. allies, most notably Israel.
Officials of Israel’s conservative-led government have been delivering increasingly dire assessments of Iran’s nuclear progress and have leaked shrill threats about a possible Israeli military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.”
So I’m wondering why it is we spend all this money on our national inteligence services when all we get is bad information, and all we have to do is read the AP reporting if we want to know what’s really happening?
Help me out here, who do you trust?
4 Comments
“all we have to do is read the AP reporting if we want to know what’s really happening?” ; I hope that is snark because if it isn’t, I suspect you believe in the tooth fairy also.
Snark? Absolutely!
Sorry, I guess I’m going to have to work on my satirical style a bit.
I hope I’m not alone in my conviction that the AP cannot be trusted with anything as important as the news.
“In this context, I should repeat that all information made available to the Agency relevant to Iran´s nuclear programme which has been critically assessed by the Agency in accordance with its standard practices has been brought to the attention of the Board. I am dismayed by the allegations of some Member States, which have been fed to the media, that information has been withheld from the Board. These allegations are politically motivated and totally baseless. Such attempts to influence the work of the Secretariat and undermine its independence and objectivity are in violation of Article VII.F. of the IAEA Statute and should cease forthwith. “
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter……html#iran
While the misinformation flies about Iran, Israel is asked to let its facilities be inspected.
*******
“Arab states in the United Nations nuclear assembly on Friday won narrow approval of a resolution urging Israel to put all its atomic sites under the world body’s inspection and join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel deplored the measure for singling it out while many of its neighbors remained hostile to its existence, and said it would not cooperate with it.
The non-binding resolution, which passed for the first time in 18 years of attempts thanks to more developing nation votes, voiced concern about “Israeli nuclear capabilities” and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to tackle the issue.
Israel is one of only three countries worldwide along with India and Pakistan outside the nuclear NPT and is widely assumed to have the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, though it has never confirmed or denied this.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1115650.html