UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council on Monday adopted its third resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for its refusal to cease enriching uranium, an activity that the West suspects Iran may be using to create fuel for a nuclear weapon...
Earlier on Monday in Vienna, Mohamed ElBaradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear monitor, said newly disclosed intelligence reports that Iran had secretly researched how to make nuclear weapons were of “serious concern” and would be pursued by his office.
“Iran continues to maintain that these alleged weaponization studies related to conventional weapons only are fabricated,” Dr. ElBaradei said in a speech to the agency’s 35-country policy-making body. “However a full-fledged examination of this issue has yet to take place.”
...The studies were described last Monday, in a briefing by Olli Heinonen, the agency’s senior inspector.
That's what the kids at Pravda say. But what about the real and full statement from the IAEA itself?
...Regarding IAEA verification of Iran´s nuclear programme, Dr. ElBaradei said that since his November Board report, "the Agency was able to clarify important outstanding issues regarding the scope and nature of Iran´s declared enrichment programme - the acquisition of P-1 and P-2 centrifuge technologies." He then noted that the Agency has been able to clarify all but one of the remaining outstanding issues relevant to Iran´s past activities. "The one outstanding issue that is relevant to Iran´s past activities is the so-called alleged studies involving possible weaponization activities. These alleged studies, which are among the issues which the Security Council directed the Agency to clarify, came to the Agency´s attention in 2005. After a period during which Iran was reluctant to fully discuss this issue, Iran finally agreed in the work plan to address it. Iran continues to maintain that these alleged studies either relate to conventional weapons only, or are fabricated. However, a full-fledged examination of this issue has yet to take place."
Dr. ElBaradei then noted that the Agency will follow the required due process in continuing to clarify both the authenticity of the documentation related to the alleged studies, to the extent possible, and the substantive matters concerned. He then called on Iran to be as "active and as cooperative as possible in working with the Agency" to clarify matters related to its past nuclear activities.
Which somehow is a statement completely different in tone than touted by Pravda above, or in the press releases on the topic given to Pravda from the Bu$hies.
But regardless of the hand-wringing and the hysteria, like the IAEA,
...a new assessment by American intelligence agencies... concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.
There are more sanctions against Iran. There is more bile in Washington tonight, and more happy saber rattling by the iron triangle. None have anything to do with the facts.
All point to the distinct possibility expanding the war to Iran may mean we have to take Iraq all over again. Which, when you profit from every round fired, is positively gleeful news.
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