By Pooya Stone
While the Iranian government’s officials frequently claim that their nuclear program is fully peaceful, however, they evade explaining why they are ready to bear the consequences of “economic war?”
On January 5, Iranian authorities announced their decision that they will no longer abide by “restrictions in the number of centrifuges, the capacity, percent, and level of enriched uranium and research and development,” in their nuclear program as a practical departure from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In this regard, following Iran’s practical withdrawal from the nuclear deal and abandoning its commitments, Britain and Germany formally triggered the dispute resolution mechanism as the first step towards reinstating international sanctions. This move, however, is adopted as the harshest measure taken by European signatories. Now, the European powers insistently seem to see Iran as in breach of the deal and they’re expected to study punitive sanctions regulating the deal.
The three countries announced that they are not joining the “maximum pressure” campaign and are hoping to “bring Iran back into full compliance with the JCPOA obligations.” However, the Iranian government looks to insist on confronting the international community’s will for non-proliferation. This matter is possible to compel Iran’s counterparts who still remain in the 2015 nuclear deal to reinstate the international sanctions.
A Glance at Clandestine Activities of Iran’s Nuclear Projects
Since late 1980s, Iranian authorities continually attempt to achieve nuclear technology used in weapon construction. In June 1991, the Iranian resistance coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), revealed the Iranian government’s efforts of illicit nuclear activities.
Evidence shows that the Islamic Republic’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini considered nuclear weapons acquisition as a pillar of his strategic and fundamentalist doctrine for regime survival and expansion. In this context, all decisions on nuclear activities have always been made at the highest level and implemented by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as the most loyalist forces to the governing system.
In March 2013, the NCRI delivered a detailed report of Iran’s nuclear activities explaining how authorities since 1981 managed their policy to obtain a nuclear weapon. Subsequently, the report shed light on the background of obscure efforts of the Iranian government for achieving the Atomic bomb as deterrence and guarantee for the ayatollahs’ rule and a powerful means for terrorizing and blackmailing the world, particularly neighboring countries.
Since 2002, the NCRI has held dozens of press conferences in Western capitals revealing various clandestine advancement of Iranian authorities’ nuclear plans. The Iranian Resistance also provided details over top-secret nuclear sites and information about key personnel involved in nuclear projects.
The NCRI also continued revealing the Iranian government’s suspicion activities in the following years. Representatives of the Iranian Resistance say they could obtain reliable, sensitive data inside the ruling system by using their vast domestic network linked to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
In 2003, the NCRI exposed an enrichment project going on at the Lashgar-Abad site near Karaj. After a 2004 inspection by the IAEA, it was discovered that work was being done at the site on a laser enrichment project. In 2004, the resistance coalition disclosed the existence of a nuclear facility at Lavizan (Lavizan II) and enrichment-related activity at the Parchin site. In 2008, the NCRI exposed a command and development center for nuclear weapons at the Mojdeh site, along with its various components, which included laser enrichment. In 2010, the NCRI exposed details of a nuclear enrichment site at Abyek. In 2012, the Iranian Resistance exposed secret details of the role of the Revolutionary Guards in the government’s nuclear weapons projects.
The reality is lack of transparency regarding Possible Military Dimensions and the work at the secretive agency that directs the nuclear weapons program are the main concerns of the international community. In this context, Iranian authorities never clarified their nuclear programs despite benefiting from uncountable privileges of the JCPOA. Therefore, there is now time for the six major powers to show appropriate response to many years of concealing and secrecy of the ayatollahs.
