US, UK, Israel, France Target Iran Nuclear Scientists



By Herb Brandon
Israel News Agency

London --- February 22, 2009...... It is being reported by several security sources that the US, the UK, France, Israel and other Western democratic nations have created a joint covert team to neutralize Iran's nuclear scientists and engineers. A 'decapitation' program designed to assassinate Iran officials and scientists involved in nuclear activities was supposed to have gone into effect two years ago.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper revealed new details on the covert operation inside Iran, quoting US intelligence experts and an unnamed former CIA agent.

The London daily said that Israel "is using hitmen, sabotage, front companies and double agents," to destroy any kind of nuclear weapon not being built in Iran. Additional security sources have reinforced that statement to say that "Israel is not working alone" on 'decapitation'.

The deaths of several figures in Iran nuclear program, including a scientist who died under mysterious circumstances in 2007 are now being reported.

Reuters was told last year by an intelligence source in the Middle East that Israel planned to target Iran nuclear scientists with letter bombs and anthrax-tainted packages and had set off explosions in Iran.

"From mobile phones, pens, cars and cotton shirts to food, computer laptops, juice, books and toilet paper those who are working on a nuclear programme to hit Tel Aviv, London or Paris will not finish their work," said a security analyst. "Their families will not be touched, but they will find themselves involved in work accidents that no one can save them from. If they seek the honor of finding 72 virgins and becoming a shaheed (martyr) Western agents have been in place to help them."

Iran's official news agency stated today that Iran's first nuclear power plant will begin preliminary phase operation on Wednesday.

The report by the IRNA agency says "pilot stage operation" of the power plant will start on Wednesday during a visit by the head of Russia's state Rosatom Atomic Corporation, Sergey Kiriyenko.

The 1,000-MW power plant, which was built in the city of Bushehr with the help from Russia under a $1 billion contract, was expected to become operational in fall of 2008.

Some 700 Iranian engineers were trained in Russia to operate the plant.

 

Israel responded today to the most recent IAEA report regarding Iran and Syria.

A communiqué from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: "The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published two periodic reports yesterday on investigations that the agency is conducting in Iran and Syria. The report on Iran indicates that Iran is continuing to enrich uranium, in violation of a UN Security Council resolution, while refusing to cooperate with the IAEA. The agency is trying to determine whether Iran's nuclear program is intended for military purposes, as suspected."

The statement from Jerusalem continued: "The facts detailed in the report are similar to those in previous reports. However, the ramifications, in the face of Iran's continuation of its nuclear program - particularly the stockpiling of enriched uranium, while ignoring the demands of the international community are more serious. Israel reiterates its call to the international community and its institutions to increase the pressure on Iran to abandon its program, which threatens to achieve nuclear weapon capability. Regarding the Syria facility that was apparently built in secret, Israel expressed concern about the report's findings, which include the presence of uranium at the site, indicating that the facility was nuclear. Israel expects the IAEA and its head to continue its impartial investigations, including visits to additional sites that Syria until now has not allowed to be inspected. These two states operate clandestinely in the nuclear realm in a way that endangers regional and world peace while flagrantly violating their international commitments."

The new Obama administration is creating every diplomatic opportunity and bridge to address the threats from Iran and Syria.

Days before becoming the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama made it vividly clear that Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons was "unacceptable" and he would "respond appropriately" to a congratulatory letter from Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Obama also said that Iran must stop supporting "terrorist organizations."

The President confirmed that he had been sent a letter from Ahmadinejad following his historic victory.

"I am aware that the letter was sent," Obama said in response to the only question of a press conference about foreign policy. "I will be reviewing the letter from President Ahmadinejad and we will respond appropriately."

"It has only been three days since the election," he added. "Obviously, how we approach and deal with a country like Iran is not something that we should, you know, simply do in a knee-jerk fashion.

"I think we've got to think it through."

Asked whether he would send low-level envoys to US foes such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba to see if presidential-level talks could be "productive," Obama responded by condemning Iran's nuclear program.

"Let me repeat and state what I stated during the course of the campaign," he said. "Iran's development of a nuclear weapon I believe is unacceptable. We have to mount an international effort to prevent that from happening."

Last Friday, Washington accused Tehran of violating international regulation and called on the international community to "work together" on and address Iran's nuclear issue as soon as possible.

"This is an urgent problem that has to be addressed and we can't delay addressing," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, after a UN report claimed Tehran has been still carrying out its uranium enrichment activity.

In a report submitted Thursday to the UN Security Council, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran still refused to fulfill UN's requirement of stopping its uranium enrichment activity.

"The report represents another lost opportunity for Iran as it continues to renege on its international obligations. Absent compliance, the international community cannot have confidence that this program is exclusively of a peaceful nature," Gibbs said.

"It does underscore the urgency with which the international community must work together to address these enrichment activities," said the spokesman.

Responding to the IAEA report, Iran has vowed to continue its nuclear work.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in Iran on Saturday that US President Barack Obama's administration was a "good opportunity" for Iran to ease tensions with the West, the Mehr news agency reported. During his presidential campaign, Obama called for dialogue with Iran. That was a clear shift from former president George W. Bush, who rejected talks unless Iran halted uranium enrichment, the process that makes fuel for nuclear power plants but can also be used for the core of an atomic bomb.

Last month, Obama said "if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fists, they will find an extended hand from us."

France President Sarkozy has stated that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "unacceptable" and that the only response was to tighten sanctions while being open to talks if Iran suspended nuclear activities.

"This initiative is the only one that can enable us to escape an alternative that I say is catastrophic: the Iran bomb or the bombing of Iran," he said, adding that it was the worst crisis facing the world.

Israel Prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu declared during the Israel election campaign that the Iran nuclear program is an "existential threat" to Israel, and that "Iran will not arm itself with a nuclear weapon, and that includes all that is required so that this possibility will not materialize." Netanyahu stated that Iran is the most urgent issue in a future dialogue with the Obama administration.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to destroy Israel using such statements as to "wipe Israel off the map."
Israeli INTEL has taken these Islamic Jihad threats from Iran as serious and in real time.
Until now, Iran was limited to using proxy terror organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad against Israel.
In the last three years, Iran backed Hamas has launched over 8,000 missiles into Israel from Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in an unilateral peace move three years ago.
The Israel security establishment believes that if Iran is so reckless to hit Israel cities and towns from Gaza, it would not hesitate to attack Tel Aviv from Iran.

A renewed offer was made to Iran last year by the US, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany, known as the P5+1 (the permanent five on the Security Council plus Germany) or the E3+3 (the European three plus the three others from the Security Council). It builds on a previous offer of 2006 and says that if Iran suspends uranium enrichment, then talks can start about a long-term agreement.

On offer is recognition of Iran's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and the treatment of Iran in "the same manner" as other states under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran would get help with developing nuclear power stations and be guaranteed fuel for them. It would also be offered trade concessions, including the possible lifting of US sanctions preventing it from buying new civilian aircraft and parts. Iran President Ahmadinejad responded by saying that the demand was "illegitimate".

Many view that the purpose of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to China was to secure support on a global defense against Iran. Iran, which is close to completing a nuclear bomb, has already displayed its weapons delivery system with the launch of a "research and telecoms" satellite called Omid two weeks ago.




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