Putin: Russia has no evidence Iran trying to build nukes

Why should it be surprising that Russia has no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons? No one else has any credible evidence of an Iranian effort to build nukes. Not the U.S., not Israel, not Britain, not Micronesia or Mexico or Angorra.

Far more important than Putin's statement that Russia has no evidence that Iran is trying to build nukes, is the the systematic censorship of detailed information which shows that is probable. I know what has not been published. The details which show that information which Israelis have been lead to think was 'secret' is in fact in the open literature. I also am aware of the systematic censorship of such information by Haaretz. How a collective refutation was censored, and how each individual refutation was censored in an effort to find the 'offending' detail. The systemic and broad basis of censorship proved that NO single detail or proof that what was claimed to be a damning secret was in fact nothing but common knowledge was the cause of Haaretz censorship. It leaves me to question if freedom of speech and inquiry in Israel is dead. If the fact that something is public knowledge - many things are public knowledge - is subject to censorship, what isn't?

Yonatan, Tony Silver misses no chance to claim that Iran NEVER signed the Additional Protocols. When he was the Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA, the current head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, signed the Additional Protocols on 18 December 2003. In 2005, after threats to attack Iran were being made by both Israel and the US, Iran withdrew from the NPT and it's Additional Protocols. It has returned to the NPT for very sound reasons and will eventually forced to return to the Additional Protocols if it wants the current UN Sanctions removed. Tony has an opinion, and that's his right. But he lacks the knowledge to justify that opinion.

The US came clean with what it had to the IAEA last spring and it wasn't very convincing, but was suggestive and the IAEA was pleased. Questions were sharpened and few answers were forthcoming. But there is NO nation which has revealed ANYTHING which proves an Iranian bomb program. The North Korean, Pakistani, Indian and even South African programs were quickly outed. Overhead photint of certain facilities in the Negev have been available for decades. Why has such information not been leaked to the press as it was with those programs? William of Occam would bet that it was because no one had the goods rather than a vast conspiracy by all interested nations to hide the truth. Sorry folks, all you have is third hand speculation and as far as I can tell you are not even familiar enough with the subject to know what to look for. Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then start researching the subject. You might, in a year or two of hard work learn to separate wheat and chaff.

is arming Iran while Iran arms hamas and Hezbollah to shoot rockets at Israel.

....just big explosive tyres. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

Putin said: " That Russian authorities would act very harshly to root out militants. We have enough resolve and firmness for that" But on the other hand he sells arms to Iran and Syria that are the supporters of the Terrorists such as Hamas and Hezbollah and who knows if these are not the one that train the Chechens.

Unless Russia is shown irrefutable evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons programme there are not going to be any further meaningful sanctions on Iran. The western democracies will not bomb Iran on Israel's behalf. Looks like put up or shut up time for israel.

Putin lives in fantasyland.

Why do you oppose an ISraeli pre-emptive strike against Iran? Because you think Israel cannnotdestroy the Iranian nuclear threat without a ground attack? And do you think Israel incapable of mounting a combined air- sea- and ground attack? What do you think the IDF has been training for during the past few years?

I wonder how he got thelast name Silver. Silver is very often a Jewish surname. Some of the worstr Inquisitors were Jews who had converted to Catholicism.

who is killing off opposition newspapermen and women in Russia. Does anyone really believe him? Oh yes, I forgot. There are those who WANT to believe him.

the reset button has NOT worked..removing the missile shield from poland and czechoslovakia was a useless and idiotic move with nothing in return. Russia and china MAY support "sanctions" BUT rest assured, they will be watered down and toothless. now iran is talking of 10 more plants..not exactly unclenching the fist eh? and qom? started in 2002, not 3 yrs ago as they recently lied about... the IAEA has explicitly said, that iran has stonewalled with respect of high altitude detonation simulations they were caught having, as well as ballistic missile applications as well as multi detonation warheads. The whole reset button is just so ridiculous...and yet, lincoln keeps on justifying all this crap...why? can you be so flippant with Israel's survival? you supposedly live in texas...but if the crap hits the fan, you'll hurt to way down in texas too...

What would you be looking for to detect a nuclear weapons program? Inexplicable changes in the production or import of certain raw materials? A sudden interest in explosive hydroforming? What if that hydroforming involves a second stage of explosives detonated by the plate of metal being formed? How about the purchase or fabrication of equipment used in the Purex Process? (or, if the nation was really retarded, the Bismuth Phosphate method originally used by the US?). I have recently been disturbed by a deal between Iran and Bolivia to develop Lithium reserves and some odd purchases of extremely high-grade Mercury. Iran may be ramping up battery production in the future, or it could need freshly mined Lithium from which Li-6 can be separated using the Colex process which requires large quantities of pure Mercury. You can bet that EVERY nuclear power AND the IAEA are watching for these things AND many more. So far there are only possible evidences of an Iranian weapons program.

"Do as you would have others do unto you. Israel is in exactly the same position as Iran on non-declaration of nuclear sites" (Tony Silver) "exactly the same", eh Tony? What did Israel say equivalent, never mind exactly, with: from the media (LA Times): "In a series of national sermons on December 15, 2000 and later in January 2001, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared that "The cancerous tumor called Israel must be uprooted from the region....and the perpetual aim of Iran is the obliteration of Israel." On December 14, 2001, former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that it might be a good thing to strike Israel with nuclear weapons. "The application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel, but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world," Mr. Rafsanjani said. "Jews shall expect to be once again scattered and wandering around the globe the day when this appendix [Israel] is extracted from the region and the Muslim world." (1)

I was most amused some years back when there was a big flap about Iran acquiring some beryllium from Britain because it was 'used in initiators' of atomic weapons. There are far better uses for beryllium in atomic weapons than to replicate the primitive "Abner' initiator used in the Little Boy and Fat Man bombs. Compact Accelerator Neutron Tubes are manufactured by many companies and are common in Oilfield Services (and what is Iran's major export?). The Beryllium story leaked by US sources four years ago was absurd on the face of it. It would be far harder to develop a Beryllium/Polonium initiator than to use the far more suitable CAN. But lots of folks spun lurid headlines and spread fear with that ridiculous propaganda.

The antagonistic relationship between Russia and the US which had developed has been reversed. The FACT is that no substantial evidence exists of an Iranian weapons program. There are several points which cause suspicions that one exists, I share them. The important point is that both Russia and even China are not opposed to future sanctions if Iran remains totally intransigent. Both nations do not want to see Iran become a nuclear weapons power. You should all bear in mind that Russia was the original target of what became Al Queada. Russia has actually fought wars on it's own soil against Islamist Terrorist Insurgencies. So is China. . .

has is of plenty of $ if they turn a blind eye to Iran.

All that outreach! Hitting the "reset button"! unclenching fists! Insane how the obama effect works!! he's just so wonderful!! On display for all to see and hear, medvedev IS a puppet, and the real man behind the curtain(pardon the pun)is lo and behold, the ex kgb psycho who rules with an iron fist, murders his neighbours and devours opposition journalists. obama is too smart to be this naive, his outreach was PR and slick marketing which anyone with half a brain knew was bulldust..russia is a disgrace playing this game of chicken with the west and all of our lives as opposed to dealing with the MAD MULLAH freaks ..if we all go down, you can squarely blame russia, china, Germany and the US. Does anyone know that a 1/3 of all related parts for irans nuke program come from the former reich? go figure..anti semitism is alive and well..denying this saying it's a too often used jewish reflex is too simplistic. It exists and its on the rise again, fueled by euro guilt & resentment

All that outreach! Hitting the "reset button"! unclenching fists! Insane how the obama effect works!! he's just so wonderful!! On display for all to see and hear, medvedev IS a puppet, and the real man behind the curtain(pardon the pun)is lo and behold, the ex kgb psycho who rules with an iron fist, murders his neighbours and devours opposition journalists. obama is too smart to be this naive, his outreach was PR and slick marketing which anyone with half a brain knew was bulldust..russia is a disgrace playing this game of chicken with the west and all of our lives as opposed to dealing with the MAD MULLAH freaks ..if we all go down, you can squarely blame russia, china, Germany and the US. Does anyone know that a 1/3 of all related parts for irans nuke program come from the former reich? go figure..anti semitism is alive and well..denying this saying it's a too often used jewish reflex is too simplistic. It exists and its on the rise again, fueled by euro guilt & resentment.

That's exactly what Russia and the rest of the World will get if they allow Iran to develop their own nuclear energy, retaining the rods, and the other associated radioactive gizmos. Iran just set aside 20 Million Dollars for Terrorists. What does Russia think Iran will do with the Spent Rods?

No one is permitted to make nuclear weapons. Not being an NPT member does not mean certain attack. Look at Israel, North Korea, India, and Pakistan; no one attacks their nuke sites.

Do as you would have others do unto you. Israel is in exactly the same position as Iran on non-declaration of nuclear sites, so what is good for the goose.