Mar 03 2008
The ElBaradei Show
Captain Ed (at his new digs) talks nukes:
Specifically, the Iranians have never given any satisfactory response about their “Green Salt” project. They also have blocked access to Parchin, where some suspect that the Iranians perform most of their military efforts on nuclear technology.
In fact, it’s instructive to look at both Green Salt and Parchin in light of the NIE. The New York Times mentions neither, but both arose as issues during the period of time when the latest NIE asserts that Iran had stopped pursuing nuclear weapons. In 2005, two years after the supposed cessation, the US started making intelligence public about Green Salt, which is a mid-state between uranium ore and useful fissile material. The next year, Iran finally released information it had deliberately hidden from the IAEA on their processing, but refused to provide any further explanation.
Parchin’s involvement in the nuclear program came to light in 2003. The IAEA conducted a preliminary inspection at Parchin, but Iran refused access in 2005 to any further inspections. The facility reportedly hides a large underground R&D laboratory dedicated to nuclear-weapons development. However, last November, a series of mysterious explosions there occurred, leaving many wondering exactly what happened and what might be left.
Of course, the ElBaradei has insinuated–after, I’m sure, thorough investigation– that nothing fishy is going on at Parchin. And to be fair, the biggest smoking gun regarding comments made by former Majlis MP Ahmad Shirzad came to us in the fall of 2003 (he has a blog, if you can do Farsi). Shirzad is often labeled as a “reformer,” so take that for its worth. One could presume, even if something was going on at Parchin, that their behavior remains consistent with the NIE. We simply don’t know enough.
But that’s the problem, and it’s really the broader dilemma we face in the global reality show that is the IAEA. When you have a global institution that’s more interested in patenting non-proliferation than actually achieving it, then you know something has gone astray. Perfunctory pomp is now mistaken for deliberation, and it has consumed the United Nations.
