Tag Archive for Parchin

Phillip Pasmanick | March 10, 2012
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“You Don’t Use a Neutron Generator to Make Popcorn”

Former Chief of Staff to PM Netanyahu: Iran’s headed for nuclear weapons. Devastating sanctions are needed now.

 

Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, responded on Thursday to the reports that Iran had cleaned up the Parchin military site from radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger.

Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Naftali Bennett, former Chief of Staff for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Speaking to Fox News, Bennett explained that there is no other explanation for the evidence that was found other than the fact that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon.

“As the UN inspector said, the Iranians are testing a neutron generator,” Bennett said. “You don’t use a neutron generator in order to make popcorn. It’s got only one use, and that’s to detonate a nuclear weapon.”

“Iran is racing toward acquiring a nuclear weapon,” he added. “It’s tripled the pace of its production of high-grade uranium just over the past few months, and it’s installed recently 2,600 new centrifuges underground.”

Bennett said that while Iran is racing toward a nuclear weapon, the sanctions “are way too slow and way too soft” to stop it.

“What’s needed now,” he said, “is shock-and-awe type sanctions that’ll bring Iran to the brink of collapse.”

Bennett called for two primary actions to take place against Iran: Implementation of new sanctions right away and no talks with the Islamic Republic until it allows inspections of its nuclear sites.

He said that Iran is quickly headed towards a situation in which its nuclear facilities will be underground and then it would be immune against any Israeli strike.

“We cannot hand over our fate to President Obama, that’s not going to happen for any sort of deal,” Bennett said, referring to reports that Obama offered Netanyahu advanced weapons in exchange for a delay of an attack on Iran. “I don’t believe there’s a deal on the table of that sort.”

He explained that Iran is using “maneuver and delay tactics” and said the situation right now is like a policeman knocking on a drug dealer’s door, and the drug dealer telling the policeman to come back later, after he’s flushed the drugs down the toilet.

“That’s exactly what’s happening right now in Iran, it’s ridiculous,” said Bennett. “It’s time to apply devastating, paralyzing sanctions on Iran. That’s the only chance to avert the need of an attack on Iran. If that doesn’t work, there will be a need to stop them with force.

 

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By Elad Benari, Canada

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: ,
Phillip Pasmanick | March 8, 2012
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Report: Iran Tried to Clean-Up Traces of Nuclear Tests

Diplomats say satellite images from show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the Parchin military site.

Satellite images of an Iranian military facility appear to show trucks and earth-moving vehicles at the site, indicating an attempted cleanup of radioactive traces possibly left by tests of a nuclear-weapon trigger, diplomats told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The diplomats who spoke to the news agency are all nuclear experts accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano - Photo by Reuters

Two of the diplomats told AP the crews at the Parchin military site may be trying to erase evidence of tests of a small experimental neutron device used to set off a nuclear explosion. A third diplomat could not confirm that, but said any attempt to trigger a so-called neutron initiator could only be in the context of trying to develop nuclear arms.

The diplomats also said they suspect attempts at sanitization, because some of the vehicles at the scene appeared to be haulage trucks and other equipment suited to carting off potentially contaminated soil from the site.

The images, provided by member countries to the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, are recent and constantly updated, one diplomat told AP.

While the IAEA has already identified Parchin as the location of suspected nuclear weapons-related testing, noted the report, it did not mention a neutron initiator as part of those tests.

In contrast, the intelligence information shared with AP by the two diplomats linked the high-explosives work directly to setting off a neutron initiator at Parchin.

One official from an IAEA member country with good intelligence on Iran, told AP the Parchin neutron initiator experiments were conducted between 2003 and 2010. Another said any such tests were closer to 2003, adding it was not clear whether they were successful.

The news comes a day after Iran said it will allow IAEA inspectors to visit the Parchin military complex near Tehran. Iran said, however, that the visit will not be allowed until an agreement is reached on inspection guidelines.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany later said they are set to resume nuclear talks with Iran. Israeli officials welcomed the resumed nuclear talks between but at the same time remained skeptical.

 

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By Elad Benari

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,