Iran Focus: Iran has been advancing its project to build a nuclear bomb for at least 20 years, a report from the International Committee In Search of Justice has said.
Iran Focus: Iran has been advancing its project to build a nuclear bomb for at least 20 years, a report from the International Committee In Search of Justice has said.
The ISJ said that for the past two decades Iran’s nuclear program has had two faces – a civil system fronted by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and a secret military system aimed at creating nuclear weapons.
A 100-page investigative report released at a press conference in Brussels said: “These two structures, much like two concentric circles, have worked side by side with the nuclear military system at the heart of this program.
“The outcome of research, achievements and advances in the unconcealed section has been used in the military section which has been the ultimate beneficiary of the advancements and experiences.
The ISJ’s revelations, presented by its president and nuclear physics professor Dr Alejo Vidal-Quadras, come on the eve of the November 24 deadline to achieve a nuclear deal between the P5+1 countries and the Iranian regime.
The findings are based on IAEA reports, disclosures by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, reports by other credible NGOs and the Iranian regime’s responses to 10 major issues surrounding it nuclear program, the ISJ said.
Other speakers at the press conference included John Bolton, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Joseph, former US Under-secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr Joseph hailed the ISJ document as an ‘extremely important report at a very crucial time’.
He said: “Under the guise of a peaceful program, Iran has put in place an enrichment capacity able to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons. In parallel, Tehran has for years stonewalled the IAEA in its investigation of Iran’s suspected weapons activities – from work on detonators to the design of a ballistic missile warhead.
“The ISJ report makes clear that the quest for a nuclear weapon has been, and remains, at the heart of Iran’s program. The report thoroughly documents the evidence of Iran’s grand deception and serves as a warning for the future.”
Mr Bolton added: “Iran is clearly still determined to reach its long-time goal of obtaining deliverable nuclear weapons. The regime’s strategies have shifted, its tactics have evolved, and its public statements have varied, but its objective has never changed. The ISJ report makes this clear. For the rest of the world to ignore the mullah’s single-minded determination would be extraordinarily dangerous for international peace and security.”
The ISJ report also showed that Tehran has carried out specific programs on all essential aspects of the nuclear weapon, including enrichment, weaponization and launching a warhead.
Diagrams and plans in the report shows how the regime has developed dual-use technology and equipment for the ultimate objective of the military aspect of the program, and equipment has been procured for the military section of the nuclear project with this exact cover and pretense.
Involvement in the program also extends to the highest levels of government, where officials up to the president’s office are involved in scheming to skirt sanctions and procure equipment for the nuclear project.
Universities under the control of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Defense Ministry have also played a key role in acting as a bridge between the two sections.
The ISJ report has identified many individuals involved in the nuclear program, including the military and IRGC commanders.
The report concludes: “Scores of the personnel involved in Tehran’s nuclear program are from the military and particularly from the command structure of the IRGC.”
The report also presents pictures of over a dozen such IRGC commanders.
Dr Vidal-Quadras stressed that the Iranian regime has advanced ‘a strategic scheme of deception’, and he urged against making concessions to the regime in the nuclear negotiations because Iran never halted the project nor has any intention of doing so.
The regime was even resorting to more secrecy to preserve its illicit program to achieve its ultimate objective of obtaining a nuclear weapon, he said.
Dr Vidal-Quadras said that although the declared goal of the US is to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, policy over the past six years has only brought the regime closer to its goal.
Any agreement with the regime must now include the implementation of all Security Council resolutions, a complete halt of all enrichment in Iran, acceptance of the Additional Protocol, and snap inspections of suspicious sites. Any concessions concerning these requirements or any agreement that falls short of implementing them would leave open the path for the regime to attain the nuclear bomb, he said.
The ISJ was formed in 2008 as an informal group of EU parliamentarians to seek justice for the Iranian democratic opposition. In 2014 it was registered as a non-profit NGO in Brussels expanding its membership beyond elected parliamentarians to former officials and other dignitaries with an interest in promoting human rights, freedom, democracy, peace and stability. ISJ’s campaigns have enjoyed the support of over 4000 parliamentarians on both sides of the Atlantic.
