Diplomats: Iran began second nuclear plant 7 years ago
Iran started building recently plant in 2002, paused for two years in 2004and resumed construction in 2006.
By The Associated Press Tags: Iran nuclear Israel newsIran's recently revealed uranium enrichment hall is a highly fortified underground space that is a year away from completion after fitful construction that first started seven years ago, diplomats told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The diplomats also said that a recent inspection of the facility near the holy city of Qom by the International Atomic Energy Agency has reinforced suspicions that it could have been planned as part of a secret military nuclear program. Iran says it wants to enrich only to make atomic fuel, but Israel, the United States and other Western countries fears the Islamic Republic could retool its program to churn out fissile warhead material.
One of the diplomats - a senior official from a European nation - says thehall is too small to be able to house the tens of thousands of centrifuges needed for peaceful industrial nuclear enrichment but the right size for the few thousand advanced machines that could generate the amount of weapons grade uranium needed for a military nuclear program.
The construction timeline of the facility, near the holy city of Qom is also important because it could help shed light on Tehran's ultimate nuclear aims and reflect its determination to keep its activities secret as far back as the initial revelation seven years ago that Iran had a clandestine nuclear program. Iran says it wants to enrich only to make nuclear fuel but the West fears it could turn its program toward making fissile warhead material.
The diplomats said Thursday that Iran started building the plant near Qom in 2002, then paused for two years in 2004 before resuming construction in 2006.
Those years jibe with the years Iran's secret nuclear program was initially revealed, its suspension of enrichment - a key international demand - and its resumption of the activity.
All of the diplomats have access to information compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency. They demanded anonymity in exchange for discussing confidential matters.
Iran acknowledged in September that it was building the facility in a restricted note to the IAEA only a few days before the U.S., British and French leaders jointly denounced Tehran for keeping its existence secret. IAEA inspectors visited the planned enrichment plant last month.
Iran maintains it fulfilled its legal obligations in revealing it was being built, but IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said Tehran was outside the law and should have informed his agency when the decision to construct it was made.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
... of its wonderful, but captive and brow-beaten citizens. The Islamic Republic of Iran has innocently dug yet another hole in the ground and is going to very expensive military measures to protect this sandbox too just for the fun and excitement of it according to the educated ElBaradei, its philanthropic, crack Revolutionary Guards Al Quds force has just stamped yet another goodwill shipment of Caliphate Caviar to starving Hezbollah freedom fighters in Lebanon who unfortunately have been jobless since their last conflict with the IDF, and its Ministry of Misinterpreted Matrimony is busy hastily arranging one-(last)-night marriages of beautiful, freshly detained Iranian virgins to burly Basiji prison guards (who otherwise could not even think of scoring these dates partly due to their poor Farsi language skills, but excellent and despised Arabic), as everyone, even hired-hands, deserves happiness in the new, inspirational, and to be emulated Republic of true religious practices.
Seven years and they still have not started installing equipment. This is clearly not a 'crash' project. I know what will be said by the war hawks. That this isn't the 'real' 'secret' facility. Yet this IS the facility which the US and other powers claimed WAS the SECRET facility. Some folks think Iran is fantastically rich and may expend unlimited money on secret facilities which would require James Bond to blow up. This is silly. The facilities they imaging would take Derek Flint to destroy.
who sets the rules in the world? those who got any sort of destructive weapons and still dare to tell others you cant have this and that? doesnt matter if you are evil so as long as you have might because the might is always right. you can kill and destroy for oil you can blindly support others who commit war crime and still be a democratic country . the might is right
Because, my Israel bashing friend, Iran signed the NPT.
Besides why can't Iran have a nuclear weapon if Israel can?
That was when the Bush junta was talking about taking down Iran as soon as they were out of Iraq.
Iran look bad enough by it own actions or lack there of, so why try to guess what may or may not be complete right. Iran wants ability to make nukes it needed but I have yet to see any information that they have started making them. If Iran wants 1 or 2 nukes they could just buy them and most likely have but they want to become a nuclear power and that with take afew more years.
Many small and widely dispersed facilities are better than one big when you are effectively involved in a 'cold war' with 2 other countries - so the argument about this one being 'too small' is weak. Hardened facilities also take time to build - even the dig out, build, and bury type Iran seems to like, (especially if you go slow so as not to make the job of photorekky staff too easy by moving lots of heavy machinery around) - so the time argument is weak too. To turn the argument around a bit - it could be said that this plant is of such low priority the Iranians spent 7 years building it!