Iran tried to buy nuclear bomb from Pakistan as early as 1987
New documents reveal how a close ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei bid $10bn for ready-made weapons.
By Yossi Melman and Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel news Iran nuclearIran attempted to buy a nuclear bomb from Pakistan as early as 1987, a leading Middle East analyst has told Haaretz.
Documents obtained by Simon Henderson, a research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former journalist, offer crucial evidence that Iran's nuclear program is not wholly for civilian purposes as it claims - but aimed at developing an atomic bomb.
Henderson told Haaretz he has acquired material written by the scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan - popularly known as the father of Pakistan's bomb program - while under house arrest between 2005 and 2009.
Khan was arrested by Pakistani authorities after it emerged he had for years been operating an 'atomic supermarket', touring the Middle East to peddle nuclear know-how to the highest bidder.
During his detention, Khan provided Pakistani security services with a wealth of detail on his sale of nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya in the late 1980s and 1990s, much of which is now in the hands of British and American intelligence.
But according to Henderson, Pakistan omitted to pass to its Western allies a sensitive report detailing visits to Pakistan in the late 80s by two Iranian officials, who Khan said offered $10 billion in exchange ready-made atomic bombs.
While Libya in 2003 publicly declared its nuclear program at and end, Western powers still suspect Iran of seeking a bomb, a charge it denies.
The report, obtained by Henderson, reveals that in 1987 or 1988 Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a former senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard and minister of defense from 1997 until 2005, arrived in Pakistan with an entourage of officials.
Shamkhani offered to buy the nuclear devices on the spot and came prepared to take them home with him, Khan said.
The newly revealed material appears to confirm speculation that Khan, who despite his arrest remains a popular hero in his home country, did not act alone in selling Pakistani nuclear expertise to Iran and Libya, as Pakistan has claimed. Shamkhani's meetings suggest that Pakistani intelligence was aware of Khan's activities, as may have been the prime minister at the time, Benazir Bhutto.
Pakistan apparently refused Iran's offer - but Khan later traveled to the Middle East, where he auctioned his services as a private adviser. It was Khan who first provided Iran with designs for the centrifuges with which it continues to enrich uranium at its plant in Natanz.
Khan's other customer, Libya, eventually agreed to wind up its nuclear program and passed the CIA details of its transactions with the scientist. American intelligence was able to trace an elaborate smuggling operation in which the Pakistani had transferred bomb technology using front companies in Dubai.
In the Gulf emirate, Khan opened bank accounts under a variety of false names, including 'Khaidar Zaman', through which Iran paid him $5 million for his assistance.
As well as providing technical aid, Khan also gave the Iranians a list of Western suppliers of high-tech components vital to the enrichment process, who had helped Pakistan with its own bomb program.
As well as casting doubt on Iran's claims about the purpose of its nuclear research, Henderson's material could shed light on the thinking of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei is believed initially to have opposed plans to acquire a bomb ? only to become convinced of its necessity in the early 1980s during a bloody war with Iraq, in which Saddam Hussein unleashed chemical weapons on Iranian troops.
Shamkhani, who now heads the Center for Strategic Research in Tehran and has been touted as a candidate for the presidency, is thought to be a close confidant of the Supreme Leader. His role at the center of Iran's attempts to gain a bomb may point to Khamenei's personal role in an Iranian bomb program.
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isnt this reporter working for israeli lobby and therefore there is no credibility to his report?!
when Iraq was supported by all five superpowers and had its own nuclear weapons program. Former Iran president Khatami admitted this in 2003. Iran was evidently desperate as Pakistan hadn't tested its nuclear device yet (they wouldn't until 1997).
Mad Mullahs, like they got rid of the democratically elected Iranian leader back in the 50's? should be really easy, they've had 50 years to perfect their techniques...
...in a suitcase.? Ten billion dollars..? Was that the off the shelf price per bomb..? Somehow, I do not believe a word. Sorry..! Good day from snowy Swiss Alps.
Iran has had nuclear weapon ambitions before the short ugly man, with the hard to spell and harder to pronounce name, was appointed PM. It also calls into question the idea of whether Moussavi is the "saviour" the west is looking for, as he takes the PM job shortly after 87 if I am not mistaken. Now if Iran wishes to get out of NPT, have it return the technology that it was able to buy as a result of signing this treaty. Have it exile the experts, technicians etc... who were trained as a result of Iran signing NPT. The idea that you can you just drop out of NPT is nonsense, if it is not backed with a return of Product, i.e. human capital and hardware, and yes you should not get a refund, you should lose the assets as a result of breach of treaty.
"Iran attempted to buy a nuclear bomb from Pakistan as early as 1987, a leading Middle East analyst has told Haaretz" I don't blame Iran for wanting the bomb back then. They needed it for defense. Iraq had started the war, at the behest of the U.S. We were "disgruntled" because the Shah, our appointee, had been thrown out. Today Persia doesn't want, nor need, the bomb. But they do need the knowledge and technology to build one in case some incredibly paranoid hate-monger attacks them. President Obama acknowledged that the U.S., a nuclear superpower, was the only one to use this weapon on civilians. "With this comes the responsibility to never let this happen again." Whole heartedly agree. Don't give Persia a reason to build one and use it. Believe it or not, Peace is a good thing. Is that thought so alien? To some people maybe. Salaam/Shalom
Correction... :-)
".. lets open up the US nuclear programme to international inspections as well." I AGREE! "After all US was and still is the only country ever to use the Bomb killing hundreds of thousands innocent Japanese man , women, and children." Didn't it shorten th' War? Save millions? "It would be called a genocide if any natuion used nuclear weapons today.." Yes. WMD's are illegal. "..US is above all..Afganistan and kill innocent children and women and nothing happens. Invade iraq to steal its oil and kill more than a million iraqis..Israel should just leave that sinking ship.." And then Israel will open up for inspections? Or get rid of it's illegal WMDs? WOW!! What a good idea. We agree on so much. Except perhaps - you don't agree with 'th war on trrrrr'? You'd rather Hussein was still shooting scuds at Israel? That Afghanistan was still a trrrrst training base? That the Taliban don't hide behind civilians, only Pal trrrsts do that? Right?
"The fact remains that the Iranian dictatorship has once again been caught lying" Oh? Same folk are they? AMAZING!!! "Its claim that it does not want nukes and is not trying to build them is now totally discredited" 'does' (allegedly) and 'did' (also could be allegedly) are the same? WOW!! "Nothing that anyone can say will obscure the importance of that fact" 23 years have passed...that IS a FACT. The 'importance' of your 'fact' is highlighted by the inability to discern between past/present and alleged/proven.
The world loves to tout Moussavi as if he is the saviour of Iran for the West. As if he is the one who will neutralize the Persian bomb. but analysis of this shows that it is complete BS. It is in my opinion the BS espoused by those who see the issue but do not wish to be too involved in any solution and believe the best solution will come from within. Though I think that is true the majortiy of the times when it is available, Iran is not one of these situations. Moussavi started Iran's nuclear program in the late 80s and now information is showing the Khomeni was at it even b4 Moussavi. The answer is simply that the entire regime must go or be monitored. Once it signed NPT, it agreed to this monitoring, and now that evidence has shown its interests to be incongruent to NPT, should it wish to get out of NPT, it must return the technology and exile the minds that were trained in this techonlogy as a result of signing NPT. To cite israel as hypcrisy is BS, Israel never signed NPT.
This is as credible as the Niger Yellowcake invoice. Or the Majestic 12 documents. Anyone want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn? Will someone produce this document so that it can be examined?
The first four comments are all trying in different ways to change the subject. The fact remains that the Iranian dictatorship has once again been caught lying. Its claim that it does not want nukes and is not trying to build them is now totally discredited. Nothing that anyone can say will obscure the importance of that fact.
Sure Michael.. but lets open up the US nuclear programme to international inspections as well. After all US was and still is the only country ever to use the Bomb killing hundreds of thousands innocent Japanese man , women, and children. It would be called a genocide if any natuion used nuclear weapons today.. but then again US is above all. It can invade Afganistan and kill innocent children and women and nothing happens. Invade iraq to steal its oil and kill more than a million iraqis.. again US is above all.. nothing can touch the US. Your time has come and the US is falling apart. Israel should just leave that sinking ship
Today's Israel is not what it was 20 or 30 years ago. It seems to be becoming increasingly relgious, nationalistic and extreme. Just as I'd rather Iran didn't have nukes, I'd now rather Israel didn't have them either. It's time to open up Israel's nuclear programme to international inspection, as a prerequisite for any further progress on limiting Iranian nukes.
Israel never threatened to annihilate Iran and Iran can kill own people and expand his grip on the ME without nukes.
What I see and hear is one group of people fanatical about their cause, but armed with nuclear weapons and god knows what else, complaining about a bunch of other zealots that do not have nuclear weapons but may feel threatened enough to eventually make one. Unlike some people I see all fanatics and zealots as bad. I have seen Israel time and again resort to collective punishment, bomb an entire apartment building to assassinate one person, take out an old paraplegic with an air to ground missile, attack a U.S. Navy ship and try to kill everyone on board. So I already feel very wary about a nuclear armed Israel. I do not think Iran would be crazy enough to initiate a nuclear conflict and unlike Israel has not threatened anyone except to respond to threats. If Iran had nukes then Israel would have to think twice about using such weapons. I cannot see the downside to this. Israel does not have dialogue with those it has conflict with so there is always conflict. Try something different!
It is very simple to make entire Middle East free from nuclear weapon is need only that Israel which repeated like a parrot that he will nt be the first state in the area to introduce this kind of weapon to sign NPT and allow inspectors of IAEA. to come to Dimona.