Iran twitchy since Israel strike on Syria nuke reactor
Der Spiegel: Iran has demanded Syria return uranium delivered to it prior to the Israeli attack.
By Ofer Aderet Tags: Iran nuclear Israel news Israel Syria attackBERLIN - Relations have been tense between Iran and Syria in recent weeks, according to the German weekly Der Spiegel, which quotes Western intelligence sources. Iran has demanded that Syria return the uranium delivered to it prior to the Israeli bombing of the Syrian reactor two years ago, says the weekly.
Moreover, Iran reportedly wants the radioactive material restored in its entirety and without Syria's receiving compensation in any form, as it has remained unused since the destruction of the reactor.
The Der Spiegel article says Syrian President Bashar Assad considered recently an unusual political move: to publicly expose his nuclear program to the West - but without revealing the collaboration between Syria, Iran and North Korea in the field. The idea was to follow in the footsteps of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddhafi, who was rewarded by the international community for his candor in a thawing of relations with the West.
According to the report, North Korea was quick to dispatch a senior envoy to Assad when it learned of his intentions, warning that all cooperation with Damascus on chemical weapons would cease if he proceeded with unveiling his nuclear program.
Tehran was reportedly more severe in its response: Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, sent a letter to Assad on behalf of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: "Unacceptable; end of the strategic alliance; severe blow to relations."
The article in Der Spiegel was written by veteran journalist Erich Follath, who is considered well-connected in the Middle East. He told Haaretz on Tuesday that "this is very interesting news." In May, he broke the news that a secret United Nations report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, which concluded that the killing was not the work of Syria but of Hezbollah.
The report on friction between Iran and Syria completes a Der Spiegel expose earlier this week on the Israeli bombing of the Syrian reactor. The weekly uncovers the events on the night of September 6-7, 2007 in the Syrian desert near Deir al-Zur "as one of the greatest mysteries of modern history." The article, entitled Operation Orchard, is based on the name given to the operation by Israel.
The article claims that the incriminating evidence on activities at the Syrian reactor was collected by the Mossad by hacking into the computer of a senior Syrian official and by tapping into conversations between Syrians and North Koreans at the nuclear installation.
A month prior to the bombing, a special Israel Defense Forces unit went into Syria, and collected on site intelligence.
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Syrian FM Walid Al-Moallem, left, and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki. |
| Photo by: AP |
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We have never seen any real evidence that there was in fact a reactor.
One could guess Israel probably hijacked the material, and Syria does not want to admit it because they might get whacked?
Oh sure, give up Israel's water source and it's strategic heights for a promise of Peace? Syria is a fragmented country of many ethnic tribes. It's a house of cards with a neophyte president. Israel just needs to wait it out until Assad's downfall. Syria does not have the capability to do anything to Israel and that's why they didn't retaliate.
By associating Syria with rogue states & terrorist organizations who settle disagreements & betrayals by assasinations, Bashar Assad can only put his own life on line if he deviates from the will of his more powerful & more determined allies. Holding to his survival will prevent him from cutting these links as long as his "friends", in particular Iran but also Norh Korea are able to threaten him. One can remember North Korea agents kidnapping people outside Korea's borders & Iran's murders in foreign countries like Argentina to guess that these events must be on Assad's mind when he makes decisions.
It is clear from Assad's consideration of a Libya-like disclosire that he has a string desire to extract his country from the claws of Iran and move into the western camp. He's like the guy trying to decide between marrying the girl with a rich father but he doesnt love and the girl who he is really in love with. But many of his advisers tell him its a waste of time, the west will only reject him. Without Syria on its side, Iran's efforts in the area would be crippled. It is essential for Israel and the USA to come up with a plan to win Assad over. We cant ve short-sighted here. Lets give some signs he will receive face-saving results about Golan and Kinneret, financial aid, acceptance, integration in banking system etc. This will do far more for Israel's security than the current approach.
The trouble with this guy is he is content to be used by intelligence agencies regardless of the veracity of the story they are pushing. He first backed Bush Jnr on Syrias responsibility for the Hariri killing back in 2005 then conveniently before the recent Lebanese elections came up with another scoop laying the blame firmly at Hezbolla's door. Both stories died quite deaths. Based on nothing but 'supposed' insider information. Der Spigeel is hardly National Enquirer, but it is clearly not an objective source either. What is important here is why he is being fed this story. Who pays his wages, the CIA or Mossad?
Interesting they want the uranium back, my guess is they don't have anywhere near the quantities they claim of low enrhiched uranium in Iran and now there lie is in danger of being discovered with the deal to ship low grade out of Iran to Russia and France for processing. It is all about face and saving it!
all the antisemites and arab supporters claimed that syria never, ever had a nuclear reactor.
But Armchair terrorists on this site will deny Iran has any evil intentions and everything is made up. Israel is the problem because it bombed a secret Syrian-Iranian reactor.