12-22-2003, 04:48 AM
Pak <b>nexus in Iran's nuke programme revealed</b>
New evidence in a probe of Iranâs secret nuclear programme âpoints overwhelminglyâ to Pakistan as the source of crucial technology, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The incriminating evidence and the subtle pressures in its wake from the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) prompted Islamabad to detain three of its top nuclear scientists recently for several days of questioning. American intelligence experts reportedly participated in the questioning session.
Quoting US and European officials, the paper says that documents provided by Iran to UN nuclear inspectors since early November have exposed the outlines of a vast, secret procurement network that successfully acquired thousands of sensitive parts and tools from many countries over a 17-year period.
Iran has not directly identified Pakistan as a supplier, but Pakistani individuals and companies have been strongly implicated as sources of key blueprints, technical guidance and equipment for a pilot uranium enrichment plant.
The three Pakistani scientists have not been charged with any crime, and Islamabad itself continues to insist that it never wittingly provided nuclear assistance to Iran or anyone else. Yet, the alleged transfers years ago have complicated the relationship between the US and Pakistan, the Post noted.
Some experts reportedly see the detention of senior scientist Farooq Mohammed and two of his colleagues as a hopeful sign, suggesting that Pakistan is preparing to increase its cooperation with IAEA investigators.
Apart from Pakistan, the Iranian programme is said to have received significant contributions from China and Russia.
The Iranian blueprints reviewed by the IAEA reportedly depict a type of centrifuge that is nearly identical to what Pakistan had used in the early phase of its nuclear programme.
According to David Albright, a former IAEA inspector and now president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based research group, the Iranian centrifuge is a modified version of the one built decades ago by Urenco, a consortium of the British, Dutch and German governments.
A draft report by Albrightâs group, quoted by the Post, says the design was âone of several known to have been stolen in the 1970s by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khanâ. Pakistan, says the report, modified the Urenco design and manufactured a number of the machines before abandoning the centrifuge for a sturdier model.
New evidence in a probe of Iranâs secret nuclear programme âpoints overwhelminglyâ to Pakistan as the source of crucial technology, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The incriminating evidence and the subtle pressures in its wake from the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) prompted Islamabad to detain three of its top nuclear scientists recently for several days of questioning. American intelligence experts reportedly participated in the questioning session.
Quoting US and European officials, the paper says that documents provided by Iran to UN nuclear inspectors since early November have exposed the outlines of a vast, secret procurement network that successfully acquired thousands of sensitive parts and tools from many countries over a 17-year period.
Iran has not directly identified Pakistan as a supplier, but Pakistani individuals and companies have been strongly implicated as sources of key blueprints, technical guidance and equipment for a pilot uranium enrichment plant.
The three Pakistani scientists have not been charged with any crime, and Islamabad itself continues to insist that it never wittingly provided nuclear assistance to Iran or anyone else. Yet, the alleged transfers years ago have complicated the relationship between the US and Pakistan, the Post noted.
Some experts reportedly see the detention of senior scientist Farooq Mohammed and two of his colleagues as a hopeful sign, suggesting that Pakistan is preparing to increase its cooperation with IAEA investigators.
Apart from Pakistan, the Iranian programme is said to have received significant contributions from China and Russia.
The Iranian blueprints reviewed by the IAEA reportedly depict a type of centrifuge that is nearly identical to what Pakistan had used in the early phase of its nuclear programme.
According to David Albright, a former IAEA inspector and now president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based research group, the Iranian centrifuge is a modified version of the one built decades ago by Urenco, a consortium of the British, Dutch and German governments.
A draft report by Albrightâs group, quoted by the Post, says the design was âone of several known to have been stolen in the 1970s by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khanâ. Pakistan, says the report, modified the Urenco design and manufactured a number of the machines before abandoning the centrifuge for a sturdier model.