Investigating Iran’s nuclear program
Yukiya Amano, Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently stated that he meant to “alert the world before nuclear proliferation actually takes place” in Iran. He also stressed the need for Iran to engage in “serious” talks about its nuclear program and stated that he would like to send a high level mission to Iran in order to address the growing concerns about its nuclear activities.
Amano made his comments at the IAEA’s 35-nation governing board meeting where six major powers – the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China – were set to draft a resolution addressing the “deep and increasing concerns” about Iran’s nuclear program. Notwithstanding the IAEA chief’s blunt statements, Russia and China have remained unmoved and unsupportive of efforts to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive.
At this late stage in the game, it’s absolutely essential that the West recognize that Iran is not just Israel’s problem – despite obstruction from Russia and China. Since Israel has taken a leading role in alerting the world to the dangers of Iran’s nuclear program, many people think the problem is ours alone to solve. The reality is that if the current Iranian regime attains nuclear weapons, it could spell the end of the western world and all its freedoms as we know it today. Israel cannot be expected to thwart this danger alone on behalf of all western civilization.
Comments (6) »Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 2:30 PM | David Kuner
IAEA: Iran worked on nuclear bomb
Technicians measuring parts of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant (Photo AP)
According to a report released today by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has continuously worked to produce a nuclear bomb since 2003:
Comments (5) »The IAEA report reveals that Iran has been working toward building a nuclear weapon. The report, which was handed over to the 35-member states of the IAEA Board of Governors, details a series of tests, acquisition of materials, and technology that suggests Iran has continuously worked to produce a nuclear weapon since 2003.
A diplomatic source in Vienna told Haaretz that this is “the most damning report ever published by the IAEA and the conclusion arising from it is one: Iran is working to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
The report contains an appendix which details Iran’s nuclear work which is said to have “military dimensions.”
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 12:47 PM | Stand for Israel
Iran and the IAEA
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits uranium enrichment facilities(Photo:HO/AFP/Getty Images)
The International Atomic Energey Agency (IAEA) is set to release a report in the coming days that, according to leaked portions, will accuse Iran of taking significant, overt steps toward the development of nuclear weapons. We’ll discuss these leaks in a post later today, but first we thought you might appreciate a bit of background on the whole issue of Iranian nuclear weapons.
The IAEA was created in 1957 amid concerns about the proliferation of nuclear power and nuclear weapons. In addition to a number of technical and scientific responsibilities, the IAEA acts as the world’s primary nuclear inspector.
The document that identifies the IAEA as the agency tasked with inspecting nations’ nuclear sites is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1968. As of today, 189 countries – nearly the entire world – is signed on to the NPT. The only non-signatory countries are India, Pakistan, and Israel with North Korea having withdrawn from the NPT. India, Pakistan, and North Korea are all known to possess nuclear weapons. Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity although they are universally believed to have weapons. Countries that have signed the NPT reap a number of technical and educational benefits that are denied to non-signer nations. It is worth noting that Iran signed the NPT in 1968 and has never withdrawn.
The NPT gives all signatory nations the right to develop non-weaponized nuclear power under an inspection regime of the IAEA. What that means is that if a country decides to build a nuclear reactor, they have to disclose it to the IAEA and allow for frequent, thorough inspection of the reactor by IAEA inspectors. Countries that do not initially disclose are in violation of their treaty obligations. Countries that hinder or deny inspection are in violation of their treaty obligations. There’s a common English word for countries that sign a treaty and then violate it: liars.
Iran is a serial liar. They began to build their nuclear program in the late 1980s without disclosing the fact to the…
Read More » Comments (10) »Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 2:02 PM | Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg
What should Israel do about Iran?
Mahmoud Ahmadinajad
In Israel, the debate rages about what to do about Iran.
I often hear pro-Israel Americans suggest that Israel should just bomb Iran. This is to be expected because most of us who love Israel are rightly proud of her outstanding record of self-defense and the heroic feats of her past.
Most people know that Israel destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak in 1981 and the al-Kibar reactor in Syria in 2007.
But Iran is not Iraq. Or Syria. For starters, Iran has significant military capabilities which could be deployed in responding to an attack. Shortly before President Obama’s inauguration, Iran launched a rocket into space, indicating the attainment of a level of technological achievement Israel’s other enemies can only dream of. They have an impressive stockpile of long- and medium-range missiles. These would almost certainly be used against Israel in response to an attack.
Iran has other military tools at its disposal. Tehran is the major benefactor of the terror groups Hizballah and Hamas. These groups, which sit on Israel’s northern and southern borders and control their own vast arsenals of rockets and mortars, would almost certainly be part of any response to an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran and Hizballah were also responsible for the bombings of the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1990s. We would have to assume that Hizballah’s international reach would be utilized by the Iranians and that Jews and Jewish institutions the world over would be targeted in response.
Iran also – unlike other rogue regimes that have pursued nuclear weapons in recent years – sits along the coast of the Persian Gulf and controls one side of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of the world’s oil supply flows every day. In fact, in 2008 Iran built a large naval base on the Strait which would allow them to block the 34 mile-wide passage with limited effort. Think about what it…
Read More » Comments (16) »Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 11:12 AM | Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg
U.S. congressional committee approves Iran sanctions
Following the arrest of two Iranians plotting to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S., a congressional committee has approved legislation which will require President Obama to impose further sanctions against Iran. The bill, which is expected to pass in the House of Representatives, will block from the US economy any foreign bank involved in transactions with Iran’s Central Bank.
There’s a Hebrew word for Iran’s actions: “chutzpah.” Iran’s brazenness should be a wake-up call to any responsible western leader, especially in light of an impending International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report due to come out next week that’s expected to reveal that Iran is closer to attaining a nuclear weapon than most western leaders would like to believe.
The U.S. is not the only country sounding the alarm. Officials from Britain’s defense ministry recently stated that “the window (of opportunity to destroy Iran’s nuclear program) is closing and the U.K. needs to do some sensible forward planning.” British armed forces have stepped up their contingency plans for a potential military strike against Iran’s nuclear facility.
In Israel, there’s a public consensus that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons at all costs. It’s understood that any attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities would lead to a regional war in which all Israeli cities will come under direct fire from missiles that carry a much heavier payload than the rockets that have been fired at us from Gaza. We know the price could be high. But from where we sit, the alternative – inaction – could lead to our paying a price that’s even higher.
Comments (2) »Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 2:58 AM | Amichai Farkas
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