New York Times: US used unconfirmed intelligence to manipulate votes against Iran
Iran-USA, Politics, 11/15/2005

Iran today said that claims by the US that it has evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons lack credibility.

The New York Times reported two days ago that the US made secret presentations to selected members of the International Atomic Energy Agency in an effort to influence their vote against Iraq, including a secret presentation to the director of the IAEA.

The New York Times said the evidence the US used, was a reported computer laptop obtained by the US intelligence, that supposedly has computer files in it that shows experimental data, supposedly by Iran trying to develop a nuclear warhead.

The report said "American officials have said little in their briefings about the origins of the laptop, other than that they obtained it in mid-2004 from a source in Iran who they said had received it from a second person, now believed to be dead."

The US would not say who the source computer, and reportedly was unable to confirm the authenticity that the computer belongs to the Iranian government, and is not a hoax by a group or another country to create negative attitude towards Iran. The US used this alleged evidence to sway the votes of several countries against Iran. Iran suspects Israel and the US to be behind this. The Iranian official news agency reported that "The laptop scenario is another ploy of US and Israel to spoil atmosphere ahead of the forthcoming meeting of Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scheduled slated for November 24."

IRNA said: Iran's Under-Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Javad Vaidi said that like before, a few days before an IAEA meeting on Iranian nuclear program, the US and Israel have fabricated a new scenario. Once, they said that Iran produces nuclear arms at Kolahdouz base, then, they said Parchin was the center for Iran's nuclear arms and another time they introduced Lavisan as the center for nuclear weapons.

"After such false allegations about geographical places turned out to baseless by IAEA inspectors, now, they have resorted to a laptop which, according to them, proves Iran is seeking nuclear arms. Even the western allies of Washington and Israel have dismissed the credibility of such a claim."

The New York Times report said "R. Nicholas Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, who has coordinated the Iran issue with the Europeans, also declined to discuss the intelligence, but insisted that the Bush administration's approach was one of 'careful, quiet diplomacy designed to increase international pressure on Iran to do one thing: abandon its nuclear weapons designs and return to negotiations with European countries.'"

Previous Stories:
  Larijani: IAEA should stay away from politics   (11/14/2005)
  Ahmadinejad says Iran to press ahead with its rights to nuclear development   (11/12/2005)
  Iran Supreme Leader: Iran will not give in to US bullying on nuclear issue   (10/21/2005)
  US: Iran will be prevented from rights it has   (9/27/2005)
  On US tactics against Iran developing nuclear technology   (9/23/2005)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search