Iran sanctions to remain in place

by VOA News

A top U.S. official says limited sanctions relief for Iran is possible if it takes confidence-building steps to allay concerns about its nuclear program, but that fundamental measures must remain in place until all issues have been dealt with.

State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told a Senate panel Thursday that any diplomatic engagement with Iran will be accompanied by the "vigorous enforcement" of sanctions already in place.

She described the measures - imposed following Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment - as "the toughest sanctions the world has ever seen" and asserted they have forced Tehran to the negotiating table.

"Twenty-three economies have united in significantly reducing or eliminating purchases of Iranian crude oil," Sherman said. "Over the past 24 months, Iran's rial has depreciated by approximately 60 percent as Iran's access to the international financial sector has been largely severed."

Sherman said Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, was elected because he made the case that the failure to pursue a serious agreement on Iran's nuclear program was devastating the Iranian economy.

Earlier Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed cautious hope about engaging with Iran over its nuclear program, but said Iran must take concrete steps to prove its sincerity. Speaking Thursday in Tokyo, Kerry said nothing will be taken at face value.

Fears about Iran's nuclear program remain a key issue, with Western nations and Israel saying Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has long said its program is peaceful.

U.S. President Barack Obama said last week in a phone call with Rouhani that he believes a comprehensive solution can be reached over Iran's nuclear program, and that the two sides are moving forward.

But Obama assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran must prove its sincerity through actions before getting any relief from the sanctions.

Source: Global Security

Russia's Nuclear Power Contract with Iran

On September 23rd, Russia announced that it had handed over operational control of the Bushehr nuclear power plant to Iran. However, Russian specialists would remain at the facility throughout its 2-year “warranty period.”

The nuclear facility at Bushehr was the focus of a considerable amount of controversy, especially in the United States. The reactor was being built under an agreement between the Russian and Iranian governments for $800-million. Although originally intended to be the location of a German-built reactor in the 1970s, the new reactor was to be built to Russian design specifications, though the original reactor buildings exterior appearance would remain essentially the same. There were two reactors at Bushehr, one was in an advanced stage of completion the other had not been worked on for some time and was not scheduled to be completed as of 2006.

Iran was a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), though it had not ratified two additional protocols to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Program 93 + 2, which was designed to prevent states from developing nuclear weapons covertly, despite IAEA inspections, as Iraq was able to do prior to the Gulf War. Iran maintained that it would not ratify 93 + 2 due to it being denied civilian nuclear technology for Bushehr, despite its positive record with the IAEA.

Nuclear power industry contacts between Iran and Russia were based on the inter-governmental agreements of 25 August 1992, on cooperation in the civil use of nuclear energy and in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Iran.
Additional Reactors

Iran had also been considering the construction of three to five additional reactor facilities, which might or might not be located at Bushehr, for an estimated cost of $3.2 billion. A 5 September 2001 Moscow Times report indicated that the Russians would be submitting plans for the construction of additional reactors at Bushehr and that negotiations could begin as soon as December 2001, though the number of reactors being proposed was unclear and it was not apparrent how much the project might cost. It was estimated that the total cost of building the reactor complex at Bushehr may be roughly $4-6 billion since construction began in 1976.

During a March 2001 Moscow summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, Khatami confirmed plans to order a second reactor after the first was delivered, possibly by late 2002. The Iranian leader signaled his intention to proceed with a second contract that could be worth up to $1 billion.

On 26 July 2002 the Russian government indicated that it planned to continue building new nuclear reactors in Iran as part of a draft plan outlining potential areas of economic, industrial and scientific cooperation with Iran over the coming decade. The document approved by Prime Minister Mikhail M. Kasyanov outlined plans to build three more reactors at the Bushehr site. The document also indicated that Russia would offer to build two more reactors at a new nuclear power station at Ahwaz, a city about 60 miles from Iran's border with Iraq. These plans were apparently shelved after complaints by the United States.

In was reported on by IRNA on 26 August 2003, that Iran had received from Russia feasibility studies for a second reactor at Bushehr. According to that report, Russian specialists believed that it would be more practical to build two reactors from scratch rather than continue working on the reactor that had been abandoned by Siemens under pressure from the United States. The studies had been achieved by the time of Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev's visit to Tehran in December 2002.

Calls for additional power plant construction were made again by the Chairman of Majlis Energy Commission in October 2004, who sought approval for 9 more power plants. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said in November 2006 that the AEOI had been given 20 licenses for the establishment of additional nuclear power plants. However, by July 2008 Iran was said to be looking to build only 19 more reactors, six of them by 2020. One of these reactors was reported to be planned for construction in Darkhoyen, construction of which had been announced in December 2005.
Beginning of Operations at Bushehr

On 13 August 2010, the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) announced that the first reactor at the Bushehr NPP would be loaded with nuclear fuel on 21 August 2010 and would henceforth make the Bushehr facility qualified as an operational nuclear power plant. The process for transferring the fuel to the pool located near the heart of reactor was estimated to take seven to eight days. It was expected at that time that the Bushehr NPP would come online by September 2010. It was reported on 27 November 2010 that the plant's reactor was fully loaded after numerous delays. Russia's contractor Atomstroiexport confirmed this on 2 December 2010.

In February 2011, it was reported that the fuel rods were being removed from the Bushehr NPP. Iranian officials stressed that the activities and associated delays were entirely normal and routine. Foreign observers believed that the issues were more a matter of technical competence or issues regarding the Russian technology used to build the reactor, rather than issues stemming from release of the Stuxnet computer virus into computers related to Iran's nuclear infrastructure in the fall of 2010. The Stuxnet virus has primarily affected uranium enrichment operations, such as the operation of centrifuges at Natanz. Iranian authorities later blamed the delays on the Russian contractors.

In early September 2011, Iran reported that the Bushehr NPP had been reloaded with fuel and successfully connected to the nation's power grid. The facility had come online on 3 September 2011, with the power of 60 megawatt after successfully passing a number of unspecified tests. The plant was officially launched on 12 September 2011 after numerous delays. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said during a press conference that "The power plant will be disconnected for different tests some time after the connection. The tests might take several weeks. The power plant will regain the power and will obtain its 100 percent power of 900-1000 megawatt." The Bushehr nuclear power plant had joined Iran's national power grid with a capacity of around 60 megawatts at 11:29 p.m. (1859 GMT) 10 September 2011.

Source:  Global Security

US Lawmakers React on N. Korea Negotiations

Michael Bowman April 14, 2013

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's suggestion of negotiations with North Korea has provoked a mixed reaction from U.S. lawmakers.

Speaking in Tokyo Sunday, Secretary Kerry reiterated America's longstanding commitment to Japan's defense. At a news conference with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishada, Kerry urged dialogue with Pyongyang.

"Hopefully, North Korea will hear our words, and recognize that for the future of its people and for the future stability in the region, as well as on the [Korean] peninsula itself, there is a clear course of action that they are invited to take. And they will find in us ready partners to negotiate in good faith to resolve this issue."

In Washington, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin applauded the Obama administration's offer of negotiations.

"I think Secretary Kerry has it right. We are willing to step forward, but we want to see some positive measures from the North Koreans that bring down this harsh and hot rhetoric."

Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, Durbin said efforts to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula would be strengthened by more robust efforts from China, North Korea's main economic partner.

"It is time for you [China] to step up and show some leadership in this region of the world. We are prepared to work toward a common goal of peace. But we need the Chinese to tell the North Koreans that if they want to continue this escalation of rhetoric, it is at the expense of the safety of this world as well as their own economy."
Some U.S. lawmakers are wary of possible negotiations with North Korea. Also appearing on Fox News Sunday, Republican Senator John Cornyn said the United States must not reward Pyongyang's belligerence.

"I am not for paying an unhinged leader like Kim Jong-un ransom in order for him to tone down his rhetoric. It is like a bad movie. We keep seeing the re-runs."

Monday, Kerry meets with Japan's prime minister. Japan is within range of North Korean missiles.


From here.

China Playing Both Sides on N. Korea

China has recently joined with other countries in condemning North Korea for a failed missile launch earlier this month. It was a rare public rebuke of its internationally isolated ally, leading many to closely scrutinize whether Beijing’s policies toward Pyongyang are shifting.

This week U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said China has provided some assistance to North Korea’s missile program, possibly violating U.N. sanctions on the country.

Beijing has denied the allegations, but Panetta says that China must do more to bring North Korea to the negotiating table.

"We've made very clear to China that China has a responsibility here to make sure that North Korea -- if they want to improve the situation with their people, if they want to become a part of the international family, if they, in fact, want to deal with the terrible issues that are confronting North Korea, there's a way to do that," he said. "And China ought to be urging them to engage in those kinds of diplomatic negotiations. We thought we were making some progress and suddenly we're back at provocation."

Read it all here.

No One is Laughing Now

Addis Ababa, Jan 29, IRNA -- Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the 20-percent nuclear fuel sheet will be installed in Tehran research reactor facility next month. Salehi made the remarks to the reporters on the sidelines of the 18th African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday, January 29.

'After our partners refrained from fulfilling their commitments with regard to procurement of fuel of Tehran research reactor, we attempted to enrich the required uranium to the level of 20 percent in accordance with our legal rights,' he added.

Salehi pointed out although our partners did not believe that IR Iran could achieve the technology of uranium enrichment to the level of 20 percent and converting it into fuel sheet, they will witness Iran’s installation of fuel sheets in Tehran research reactor within next month.

Iran Enriched Uranium Fuel Sheets at 20-percent

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency, News Code: 30787319



Addis Ababa, Jan 29, IRNA -- Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that the 20-percent nuclear fuel sheet will be installed in Tehran research reactor facility next month.

Salehi made the remarks to the reporters on the sidelines of the 18th African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday.

'After our partners refrained from fulfilling their commitments with regard to procurement of fuel of Tehran research reactor, we attempted to enrich the required uranium to the level of 20 percent in accordance with our legal rights,' he added.

Salehi pointed out although our partners did not believe that IR Iran could achieve the technology of uranium enrichment to the level of 20 percent and converting it into fuel sheet, they will witness Iran’s installation of fuel sheets in Tehran research reactor within next month.

Asked about the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign minister said that the security of Hormuz should be maintained in order to help everyone benefit from it.

“Strait of Hormuz is a strategic and important region not only for Iran and the regional countries, but also for countries of the world. Iran considers itself more responsible than any other country for maintaining security and stability of the region, especially Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Salehi noted that Iran has proven that it is an important role-player in establishing security in the region.

“What I emphasize on is that the countries outside the Persian Gulf zone are not entitled to decide about the privileges and benefits of the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Salehi further said that the security of the Strait of Hormuz is beneficial to all and that is what Iran is looking for.

Asked whether the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency are allowed to visit Iran’s nuclear sites, the foreign minister responded that they can visit any nuclear site that they ask for.

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Killed in Tehran

Two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and wounding two people on Wednesday, a semiofficial news agency reported.

The attack in Tehran bore a strong resemblance to earlier killings of scientists working on the Iranian nuclear program. It is certain to reinforce authorities' claims of widening clandestine operations by Western powers and allies to try to cripple nuclear advancements.

Read it all here.

Dr Khan Overly Confident on Paki Nukes?

Answering a question about safety of the nuclear assets, Dr Khan said neither the Taliban nor any external force could seize them because of a “highly secured system which has been improved gradually.” - Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The country’s nuclear programme has been “running without any break” for the past 10 years and the process of uranium enrichment is in progress, too, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan claimed in an interview with Dawn on Saturday.

“Although I have not been associated with the programme for the past 10 years, I know that it has been running without any break and the process of uranium enrichment is in progress,” the nuclear scientist said.

He said although the departments concerned were not giving “final shape to new nuclear weapons”, the material was being prepared and they could be assembled any time if required.

Answering a question about safety of the nuclear assets, Dr Khan said neither the Taliban nor any external force could seize them because of a “highly secured system which has been improved gradually."

He said the county’s nuclear assets were safe from day one and no country should be worried about them.

“We know how to protect our strength (nukes),” he said in reply to a question about statements from Washington and New Delhi that terrorists could seize Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals.

He said nuclear weapons were not stored at one place and very few people knew about their location. “You can count these people on fingers who exactly know about the location of nuclear arsenals,” he said.

Most of the nuclear weapons made by the Khan Research Laboratories and other departments concerned had been handed over to the military authorities and the practice still continued.

“These weapons are lying in tunnels and safe houses where no one can access them, except very few relevant people,” Dr Khan said.

In reply to a question, he said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had made the security system of the country’s nuclear programme and nuclear assets foolproof and with the passage of time Gen Ziaul Haq, Gen Mirza Aslam Beg and Gen Abdul Waheed Kakar further beefed up security around them.

“Finally the Strategic Plans Division upgraded the system, making it inaccessible to any one inside and outside the country,” he said.
Asked if the country’s nuclear programme was running satisfactorily, Dr Khan said it was running well.

In reply to another question, the nuclear scientist said he often moved out of his residence because he had no fear about his security. “I have faith in Allah because no one can harm me if He protects me.”


From here.

India: Pakistan a "Major Irritant"

NEW DELHI: India’s army chief Gen V.K. Singh on Friday described China and Pakistan as two major irritants for New Delhi and urged the armed forces to ensure the country had a “substantial” conventional war capability to “fight in a nuclear scenario”.

Inaugurating a seminar “Indian Army: Emerging Roles and Tasks” in New Delhi, he said: “We have two major irritants. One, there is a problem of governance in Pakistan where terror outfits receive support and where internal situation is not very good. And, therefore, it can have a fallout in terms of how these things impact India.

“Till the time the terrorist infrastructure remains intact on the other side, we have something to worry.”
Noting that China was rising both economically and militarily, Gen Singh stressed that the Sino-Indian border was stable but there was a boundary dispute, which was worrying.

“Although we have a very stable border, yet we have a border dispute. And, therefore, the intentions need to be looked at along with this additional capability that is coming out,” Gen Singh said.

“It impacts the way we will task our army and the role that we will give to it so that it can do the task that the nation wants. So, with this, let’s also see what are some of the threats that we face or the challenges that we have.”

He said: “Even though we have a stable border with China, we cannot take chances.”

He told the seminar that an all-out conventional war with China was “not certain”, but skirmishes were “certainly possible”.

“We must have a substantial conventional war-fighting capabilities with the ability to fight in a nuclear scenario,” he stressed.

Gen Singh’s remarks follow comments by Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony to the effect that China was exhibiting “assertiveness” in its military posture in the region and asked the armed forces to remain vigilant to counter any threat.

Reviewing serious threats to India’s national security, Gen Singh said the country’s island territories were vulnerable and these needed to be defended well, the Press Trust of India said.

He also talked about the coastal assets, both military and infrastructural, that were critical for the country’s development and said securing them too was of primary importance.

In this respect, he noted that India’s peninsular projection into the Indian Ocean had provided a gateway for attacks and the country’s subjugation in the past.Though the army chief did not name the Maoists, he said “internal dissent” and insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East were the other threats that needed attention.

From here.

US Sting of Iranian Weapons Smuggler

October 5, 2010

ISISNuclearIran.org would like to highlight a comprehensive investigative report, including exclusive interviews, video, and photographs, by John Shiffman of The Philadelphia Enquirer, which details the U.S. sting operation, arrest, detainment, and sentencing of Amir Hossein Ardebili. Ardebili was a “prolific” military parts smuggler who worked in Iran to supply the Iranian military with needed dual-use goods. U.S. agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him in October 2007 during a sting operation in which Ardebili was lured by ICE agents posing as arms dealers to Tbilisi, Georgia, and brought to the United States to stand trial on fourteen counts of violations of export controls, conspiracy, and money laundering. Ardebili received a prison sentence of five years for smuggling to Iran approximately $1 million per year worth of U.S. goods for attack aircraft, missiles, missile guidance, and target acquisition systems.

The Philadelphia Enquirer article contains many new, interesting revelations concerning:

ICE counter-proliferation operations:

The Philadelphia front company created by ICE to catch traffickers such as Ardebili went into “business” as early as 2004. Agents made the entire operation appear to be a legitimate import/export company, down to producing a logo, business cards, and a public records trail. ICE installed hidden microphones and cameras in the company’s offices in order to catch potential “clients” talking about violating U.S. export laws.

One ICE agent partnered with a legitimate British arms dealer at a trade show in Dubai in order to give himself an air of authenticity and help establish connections with Iranians seeking military equipment. He met Ardebili (operating under the alias, “Alex Dave”) at this show.

Ardebili’s past activities:

Ardebili once worked for Shiraz Electronic Industries (SEI), “placing orders with Iranian brokers who bought embargoed military goods from U.S. and European companies,” but struck out on his own as a broker in order to make more money. SEI itself then placed orders with him.

In 2004, Ardebili landed his first major deal, purchasing a radar-cloaking system worth $1 million from a “North American company.” He had it transshipped to Iran via Ukraine.

Read it all here.

De-stablized Pakistan Wants Help from Iran and US

WASHINGTON, June 28: The Afghanistan war may be lost on the battlefields of Pakistan, where Pakistan authorities are fighting a vicious conflict against a home-grown insurgency spawned by the war across its western frontier, warns a report released on Monday by the Atlantic Council.

“The situation in Pakistan remains on edge,” warns Shuja Nawaz, director of the Council’s South Asia Centre, who wrote the report, “Pakistan in the Danger Zone: a Tenuous US-Pakistan Relationship”.

Domestic politics remain in a constant state of flux, with some progress towards a democratic polity overshadowed by periodic upheavals and conflicts between the ruling coalition and the emerging judiciary.”

The report points out that while the Pakistani military succeeded in dislocating the home-grown terrorists but the necessary civilian effort to complement military action is still not evident. The government does not appear to have the will or the ability to muster support for longer-term reform or sustainable policies.

The Pakistani economy appears to have stabilised somewhat; but security, governance and energy shortages are major challenges that require strong, consistent, incorruptible leadership rather than political brinkmanship, cronyism and corruption that remains endemic nationwide. Recent constitutional developments offer a glimmer of hope that may allow the civilian government to restore confidence in its ability to deliver both on the domestic and external front.

But the government needs to stop relying on external actors to bail it out and take matters into its own hands.

The report warns that unless some game-changing steps are taken by both sides, the US-Pakistan relationship may also be heading into another serious downturn, marked by continuing mistrust and a disconnect between the public posturing and private dialogues. The United States and Pakistan appear to have different objectives while speaking about common goals.

“The US is looking for a safe military exit out of a stabilised Afghanistan while ensuring that Al Qaeda does not re-emerge. Pakistan seeks to secure its own territory against an active home-grown insurgency, while keeping a wary eye on India to its east.”

“Increasingly, domestic political imperatives seem to be colouring the rhetoric and pushing policy between these two allies,” warns Mr Nawaz. “The 2010 mid-term elections and a sputtering economy at home feed the US desire to end the Afghan war.”

The report notes that America’s European allies in Afghanistan have been missing in action in Pakistan. They have not been able to establish their own relationship with Pakistan in a manner that would engender mutual trust and confidence. They have a minimal presence on the economic development scene in this key country bordering Afghanistan.

“Pakistan can begin to turn things around if given the resources and the support it needs from the United States, the international financial institutions and other friends,” says Mr Nawaz.

“But it will also have to take on some major tasks itself, to reorder the political system, rearrange its economic priorities and truly return power to the people and their representatives.”

Without tackling these daunting tasks, Pakistan risks political and economic slide. The nexus between security and governance remains critical. Pakistan’s civilian government must begin to govern and to prosecute the war against militancy on a war footing, not as a part-time activity or a purely military venture outsourced to its army, the report adds.

The civilian government must take control of strategy and work with the military to prepare to take over territory that the military wrests back from the insurgency.

The council notes that the United States also needs to take some immediate actions to open up its markets to more Pakistani exports by reducing tariffs on Pakistan’s exports, as it has done for dozens of other countries across the globe.

The US must truly roll back the stringent visa restrictions and undue checking of travellers from Pakistan, a move that has further enraged public opinion, especially among the middle class.

“In other words, the United States must begin to treat Pakistan as an ally so Pakistan can return the favour,” says Mr Nawaz.

For the longer run, he urges the US to shift to visible and effective heavy infrastructure development and energy investments, and begins investing in the signature projects in the education and health sectors that will not only have longer term impact but also be visible to the general public as a result of US assistance.

“The biggest game changer in terms of public perception will be discussion of an energy-oriented civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan that will treat it on par with neighbour India, but at the same time begin to draw it into the safeguards network of the International Atomic Energy Agency and thereby dissuade it from any recidivist tendencies towards proliferation,” says Mr Nawaz.

“At the same time, removal of US pressure against an Iran-Pakistan oil pipeline that could be extended to India would be seen as a positive step toward helping the US’ friends in South Asia.”

From here.

Burma Seeking to Make Nukes

Burma has begun secretly acquiring key components for a nuclear weapons program, including specialized equipment used to make uranium metal for nuclear bombs, according to a report that cites documents and photos from a Burmese army officer who recently fled the country.

The smuggled evidence shows Burma's military rulers taking concrete steps toward obtaining atomic weapons, according to an analysis co-written by an independent nuclear expert. But it also points to enormous gaps in Burmese technical know-how and suggests that the country is many years from developing an actual bomb.

Read it all here.

The Disarming of Israel

Washington and Cairo are negotiating an agreement which would see the Middle East become a nuclear-free zone, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

According to the report, which comes two days ahead of a UN-hosted conference to prevent nuclear proliferation, the agreement is aimed at making the treatment of nuclear weapons in the Middle East more balanced.

The US has been criticized in the past for expressing concern over the suspected nuclear ambitions of countries such as Syria and Iran with nary a mention of Israel's reported nuclear arsenal.

The Wall Street Journal quoted senior Obama administration officials as saying that the US officials would meet with their Egyptian counterparts in New York in efforts to promote the idea of a nuke-free Middle East which would encompass Arab countries as well as Israel, Iran and Turkey.

"We've made a proposal to them that goes beyond what the US has been willing to do before," one official reportedly said. Others added that progress would have to be made on the Israeli-Palestinian track before such an agreement could be made.

"We are concerned that the conditions are not right unless all members of the region participate, which would be unlikely unless there is a comprehensive peace plan which is accepted," the Wall Street Journal quoted Ellen Tauscher, US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, as saying.

 

Read it all here.

   

Fissile Material Reduction Possible?

GENEVA, April 20: The United States believes it will be possible to convince Pakistan to join negotiations on a treaty to ban production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons, a senior US diplomat said on Tuesday.

The UN-backed Conference on Disarmament in Geneva has been considering such a ban. But Pakistan has blocked the start of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, arguing this would put it at a permanent disadvantage to India.

Laura Kennedy, the new US ambassador to the 65-nation conference, said its consensus rules, giving every participant a veto, would allow Pakistan to secure its interests.

“We hope that they will come to agree with us that they can engage in the negotiations and protect their national security interests at the same time,” she told reporters. Pakistan could be protected by the consensus rule.

Fissile material -- plutonium or highly enriched uranium -- was the essential ingredient for nuclear weapons, Ms Kennedy noted.

“So you don’t get to a world without nuclear weapons without tackling this issue,” she said, referring to the long-term goal laid out by President Barack Obama in Prague last year.

Ms Kennedy recalled that years of technical work at the talks on mutual balanced force reductions (MBFR) in Vienna during the Cold War, which had long appeared stalled, paid off once there was a political breakthrough, allowing the parties to move quickly to a treaty on conventional armed forces in Europe.

She said she hoped that next month’s review of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), an event held every five years, would also give some impetus to the Geneva talks.

“One aim of the review would be to tighten up rules against countries quitting the NPT in violation of their obligations, as North Korea has done,” she said.

Any state had the right to withdraw from the NPT, but they should give 90 days notice, detail the extraordinary reasons that led them to leave and consult with other parties and the UN Security Council, she said.—Reuters

Tauscher on the Nuclear Club

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has refused to mark out India and Pakistan as countries that needed to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, saying instead that since they are “very special friends,” Washington holds daily conversations with them on such issues.

Ellen Tauscher, who as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security is responsible for the administration’s non-proliferation policies, however, indicated that the United States opposed other nations joining the nuclear club.

“The countries that you mentioned are very special friends of the United States. We have conversations with them every day about many different things,” said Secretary Tauscher when asked if Washington would also persuade India and Pakistan to join the NPT.

Instead of underlining the two South Asian nations, she spelled out the administration’s non-proliferation policy, saying: “We would like all countries to sign onto the NPT. We have a universality commitment, yes.”

At a briefing in Washington, the US official warned the world was more threatened now than it ever was during the Cold War as other nations and non-state actors sought nuclear capability.

“We have terrorist groups and organised crime and other bad actors that are looking to acquire nuclear technology, nuclear know-how and nuclear material,” she said. “And secondarily, we have more states looking to acquire nuclear weapons than we have had in the last 15 years.”

The statement shows a new US approach which focuses mainly on preventing countries like Iran from acquiring nuclear capability but also concedes that it is too late to persuade India and Pakistan to give up their nuclear programmes.

This approach was particularly noticeable at the 47-nation nuclear security summit in Washington last week when the Obama administration ignored non-proliferation activists demanding that India and Pakistan be forced to give up their nuclear programmes.Many among them singled out Pakistan, saying that since Pakistani scientists were found involved in proliferation activities in the past, Islamabad cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.

US President Barack Obama, however, silenced these critics by saying that he trusts the country’s ability to protect its nuclear arsenals. “I feel confident about Pakistan’s security around its nuclear weapons programmes,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had made a range of new commitments to prevent proliferation and trafficking at the Washington summit.

The prime minister also presented documents at the conference expressing Pakistan’s desire to share nuclear fuel cycling and security expertise with other nations.

By doing so, Islamabad informed the international community that it had overcome its teething problems and was now ready to join other responsible nuclear states.

Pakistan felt the need to do so because it believed that the United States and other nuclear powers were trying to formalise the division between nuclear and non-nuclear states. Islamabad fears that those left on the other side of this divide will feel enormous international pressure to give up their nuclear programmes once this arrangement is formalised.

Pakistan also was encouraged by a nuclear deal the US signed with India, hoping that Washington will not try to single out the only Muslim state with nuclear weapons as it would send negative signals across the Muslim world.

At her briefing, Under Secretary Tauscher was also asked if she felt now was the time for India and Pakistan to cut down their nuclear arsenal or freeze their production capacity.

Ms Tauscher, who as a congresswoman had strongly opposed the US-India deal, said her views as a lawmaker were very different from her views as a senior US official.

“Congresswoman Tauscher and Under Secretary Tauscher occupy the same body but not in the same time. What I did in the Congress was one thing, and I get quite used to accepting when things pass and letting them go on.”

She acknowledged that as under secretary, she was now responsible for implementing the US-India nuclear agreement.

“I’m very honoured to have been in India late last year, we have a very vibrant and very significant relationship with India,” she added.

From here.

Iran Calls US "Atomic Criminal"

TEHRAN, April 17: Iran appealed on Saturday for “atomic criminal”, the United States, to be suspended from the UN nuclear watchdog at a disarmament conference it is hosting.

At the opening of the two-day meeting, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out any use of atomic weaponry as “Haram” meaning banned under Islam.

Iran also called for changes to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Iraq, Lebanon and Syria voiced support for Tehran’s “peaceful” nuclear programme and demanded that Israel join the NPT “without conditions”.

Khamenei branded the United States an “atomic criminal” in a message read out by an aide at the nuclear disarmament conference, Tehran’s answer to a summit held in Washington earlier this week.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went a step further and called for Washington’s suspension from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) along with all other nations which possess nuclear arms.

“Only the US government has committed an atomic crime,” said the message of the all-powerful Khamenei who formulates Tehran’s foreign policy, including its nuclear strategy.

“The world’s only atomic criminal lies and presents itself as being against nuclear weapons proliferation, while it has not taken any serious measures in this regard,” he said.

Ahmadinejad, under whose presidency Iran has defiantly pushed ahead with its controversial nuclear programme despite three sets of UN sanctions, attacked the present structure of the UN Security Council, the IAEA and the NPT.

“An independent international group which plans and oversees nuclear disarmament and prevents proliferation should be set up,” he told the conference attended by several foreign ministers and UN officials.

He said those countries which “possess, have used or threatened to use nuclear weapons should be suspended from the IAEA and its board of governors, especially the US”.

Ahmadinejad’s remark was expected to irk allies Russia and China.—AFP

Iran is no longer called a "rogue state" by US State Department by order of the Obama Administration which believes in conciliatory speech, which Iran sees as weakness.  Not a good thing.

Iran Begins Enrichment of Uranium

TEHRAN, Feb 7: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday ordered Iran’s atomic chief to begin higher uranium enrichment, raising the stakes in a dispute with the West days after seeming to accept a UN-drafted nuclear deal.

Mr Ahmadinejad’s declaration drew immediate fire from Britain, which said it was ”clearly a matter of serious concern”, while US Defence Secretary Robert Gates called for mounting “international pressure” on the Islamic republic.

In a speech at an exhibition on laser technology broadcast live on state television, President Ahmadinejad blamed world powers for the stalemate over the nuclear fuel deal, but left the door open for possible negotiation over the proposal.

“I had said let us give them (world powers) two to three months and if they don’t agree, we would start ourselves,” he said.

“Now Dr (Ali Akbar) Salehi, start to make the 20 per cent with the centrifuges,” the hardliner told Iran’s atomic chief, who was in the audience, referring to high-enriched uranium required as fuel to power a Tehran reactor.

Britain said that if Iran ploughed ahead with higher uranium enrichment, it would be in breach of five United Nations Security Council resolutions. “Reports that Iran is planning to enrich some of their fuel to 20 per cent level of enrichment are clearly a matter of serious concern,” a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said in a statement issued in London.

Mr Gates, meanwhile, called on the international community to stand united against Iran. “The international community has offered the Iranian government multiple opportunities to provide reassurance of its intentions. The results have been very disappointing,” he said after meeting his Italian counterpart Ignazio La Russa in Rome.

“If the international community will stand together and bring pressure on the Iranian government, I believe there is still time for sanctions and pressure to work. But we must all work together.”

Analysts called Mr Ahmadinejad’s comments an attempt to pressure Washington and drive a wedge between the six world powers, some of whom are still hesitant to back fresh sanctions against Tehran.

“Ahmadinejad wants to put pressure on the West, especially the US. He was responding to those in the West who do not want Iran to strike a deal,” Iranian analyst Mohammad Saleh Sadeghian said.

“I think that Iran prefers a swap deal over the option of producing the fuel” of 20 per cent enriched uranium itself, he added.

A Western analyst who asked not to be named said Iranian declarations such as the one on Sunday were attempts to “delay potential sanctions by dividing the six world powers without backing down on the nuclear programme”.

Tehran and world powers are locked in a stalemate over the UN-drafted deal, which envisages the Iran’s 3.5 per cent LEU being sent to Russia and France for enrichment to 20 per cent and then returned as fuel for the Tehran reactor.
President Ahmadinejad insisted that world powers “unconditionally” accept exchanging Iran’s LEU for high purity 20 per cent enriched uranium to be used as nuclear fuel for the Tehran reactor, which makes medical isotopes.
His statement comes after he indicated in an interview on state television last Tuesday that Iran was ready to send its LEU abroad for conversion into 20 per cent nuclear fuel.—AFP

Iran Boasts of Military Might

TEHRAN, Feb 4: A senior Iranian military official told Gulf states on Thursday not to squander money on US missiles, saying that Iran could render them useless, the state news agency Irna reported.

Tehran on Wednesday slammed plans by the United States to beef up defence in the Gulf against potential Iranian missile attacks, with the Islamic republic insisting it posed no threat to its neighbours.

“Installing anti-missile Patriot missiles is a new trick to empty the pockets of rich Persian Gulf countries,” said General Hassan Firuzabadi, the joint chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.

“Patriot missiles can be rendered ineffective by simple tactics, and I advise the regional countries, especially Islamic states, not to waste their money on these missiles which have not worked anywhere,” he said.

US President Barack Obama’s administration is reportedly placing ships with missile-targeting capabilities off Iran’s coast, and anti-missile systems in at least four Gulf states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Bahrain acknowledged on Wednesday that Gulf defence capabilities were being upgraded but urged Iran not to see them as plans for attack.

The moves come as Iran remains locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear programme, which many world powers believe is masking a weapons drive.

Iran has vehemently denied this. Iran has carried out frequent war games in the Gulf and paraded an array of home-grown missiles over the past years.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards official also said on Wednesday that Iran had developed anti-armour weapons which could combat US Apache helicopters and armoured tanks.


“The enemy should not think their Apache helicopters can have the same power that they have in Iraq and Afghanistan in Iran,” Naser Arab-beigi, who heads the self-sufficiency organisation of the Revolutionary Guards, told Fars news agency.—AFP

US on Iran Nukes: Diplomacy and/or Bombs

WASHINGTON, Jan 10: A top US military commander responsible for the Middle East and the Gulf region has said the United States has developed contingency plans to deal with Iran’s nuclear facilities, insisting that they “can be bombed”.

“Well, they certainly can be bombed,” Gen David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, told CNN television as he commented on suggestions that Iranian nuclear facilities were heavily fortified.

“The level of effect would vary with who it is that carries it out, what ordnance they have, and what capability they can bring to bear,” he added.

The network has released some excerpts of the interview.

Gen Petraeus did not elaborate on the plans, but he said the military had considered the impact of any action taken there, CNN said. “It would be almost literally irresponsible if Centcom were not to have been thinking about the various ‘what ifs’ and to make plans for a whole variety of different contingencies,” he said.

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but the United States and other Western nations fear Tehran wants to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israel has called Iran’s nuclear programme a major threat. Gen Petraeus declined to comment about Israel’s military capabilities, according to CNN.

Gen Petraeus said he thought there was still time for the world powers to engage Iran in diplomacy, noting there was no deadline on the enactment of any US contingency plans, CNN noted. But he added that “there’s a period of time, certainly, before all this might come to a head, if you will.”—AFP

Russia Tests Long-Range Missile

MOSCOW:  Today Russia successfully test launched a nuclear-capable missile that struck its target across the country in the Russian Far East, Russian news agencies said, citing the defence ministry.

‘Pre-launch operations, the launch and flight went strictly according to plan,’ a spokesman for Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel Vadim Konval, was quoted by Interfax as saying.

‘The test hit the intended target area on the Kamchatka peninsula with astounding accuracy,’ he said.

The RS-20V Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missile — known by the Nato codename Satan — launched at around 0630 GMT from Orenburg in the south Urals and hit its hypothetical target on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the spokesman said.

The test firing aimed to check the missile's flight and technical characteristics to extend the service life of the Voevoda-type systems up to 23 years, he told ITAR-TASS.

The land-based RS-20V missiles, developed in 1988, can be equipped with 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads and has a maximum 11,000 kilometres range.

Earlier this month, the latest test launch of Russia's new nuclear-capable Bulava missile failed over the White Sea, resulting in a mysterious plume of light that appeared in the sky over Norway on December 10.

The Bulava missile is central to Russia's plan to revamp its ageing weapons arsenal, but has been dogged by persistent technical problems.


From here.