Posted by Tina Grazier
Wednesday, Feb. 6, Moscow followed Washington in voicing concern that the launch of Irans Safir-1 space rocket Monday, Feb. 4, attested to the existence of a nuclear weapons program. This diametrically contradicts the US National Intelligence Estimate of last December, which concluded Iran had shelved its covert military nuclear program in 2003.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Irans space missile was cause for worry. Such technology, she said, is the same as that needed to deliver a nuclear bomb. *** Wednesday, Feb. 6, Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Losyukov followed suit. He commented that Mondays test launch of Irans Safir-1 (Explorer-1) raises suspicions over Tehrans claims of peaceful nuclear intentions and suggested its possible desire to create a nuclear weapon.
Follow the link to the DEBKAfile article.
Related story from the AP: Vienna, Austria – Iran has developed its own version of an advanced centrifuge that churns out fissile material much faster than other machines and has started testing them, diplomats and experts said Thursday. Few of the IR-2 centrifuges were operating and testing appeared to be in an early phase. ** More significant, said those with knowledge of the issue, was the fact that Tehran has appeared to combine know-how and equipment bought on the nuclear black market with domestic ingenuity.
Was the NIE report a stinkin’ political ploy? My nose is curling up!