Salon.com > IAEA

Israel suspected of leaks to incriminate Iran

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:51:00 +0000

Israel is suspected of carrying out leaks aimed to implicate Iran in nuclear weapons experiments, according to the Guardian Monday. It is believed that Israel is responsible for leaking to the AP a graph, which, despite its farcically primitive appearance, was trumpeted as evidence for Tehran's nuclear program.

As the Guardian reported:

The leaked diagram raised questions about an investigation being carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors after it emerged that it formed part of a file of intelligence on alleged Iranian nuclear weapons work held by the agency.

The IAEA's publication of a summary of the file in November 2011 helped trigger a new round of punitive E.U. and U.S. sanctions.

Western officials say they have reasons to suspect Israel of being behind the most recent leak and a series of previous disclosures from the IAEA investigation, pointing to Israel's impatience at what it sees as international complacency over Iranian nuclear activity.

International Atomic Energy Agency reports being hacked

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:20:00 +0000

VIENNA (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency has acknowledged that one of its servers has been hacked.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog commented Tuesday after a previously unknown group critical of Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program posted contact information for more than 100 experts working for the IAEA.

A group called "Parastoo" — Farsi for a swallow bird and a common Iranian girl's name — claimed responsibility for posting the names on its website two days ago.

Israel is commonly acknowledged to possess nuclear weapons — something it neither confirms nor denies. It says Iran is secretly working on nuclear arms — something Tehran denies — and describes the Islamic republic as the greatest threat to the Mideast.

Iran and Arab countries, however, say the Jewish state's nuclear capacities pose the greatest menace.

US, Russia bridge differences on Iran at nuke meet

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:00:00 +0000

VIENNA (AP) — The United States and its Western allies have persuaded Russia and China to support a resolution critical of Iran's nuclear defiance in hope of showing Israel that diplomacy is an alternative to military force in pressuring Tehran, diplomats said Wednesday.

The resolution, which demands that Iran stop activities that could be used to make nuclear arms, cannot be enforced by the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, even if approved by vote or consensus as expected Thursday. But with Israel increasingly floating force as an alternative to failed international efforts to curtail suspected Iranian nuclear activities, the document is significant in seeking to show world-power resolve in pursuing a diplomatic solution to the standoff.

Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a mortal threat, citing Iran's persistent calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, its development of missiles capable of striking Israel, and Iranian support for Arab militant groups.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. But it refuses foreign offers of reactor fuel if it stops making its own through uranium enrichment — a process that worries the international community because it could also be used to arm nuclear warheads.

Nuclear Iran wouldn’t be the end of the world

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:00:00 +0000

United Nations inspectors released new documents on Tuesday containing what is supposed to be a bombshell. “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The report is the most damning the agency has ever issued.

Unsurprisingly, hawks have jumped on the news to argue that America needs to attack Iran. “If we are in a position where Iran is close to getting a nuclear weapon, then action needs to be taken,” declared Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum. “A nuclear Iran poses a challenge to U.S. influence that cannot be tolerated,” argued Commentary magazine’s Jonathan Tobin. Liberals and leftists, by contrast, claim the report is not as harsh as what is being reported. The report will “not likely” contain a “smoking gun,” wrote Robert Dreyfuss of the Nation.