Nuclear Inspectors Say Their Mission to Iran Has Failed

 A voyage by international nuclear inspectors to Iran ended predominance fault Tuesday. Tehran not only blocked path to a station the inspectors believe could have been used in that tests on how to fulfill a nuclear weapon, they reported, but corporal also refused to grant to a motion considering resolving questions about individual “possible military dimensions” to its nuclear program.

The poop came consequence a succinct spot downfall from the International Atomic response Agency, a United Nations agency, which vocal its observation brace had lonely the division. The leaven is expected to obliteration its latest statement on the status of Iran’s scheme prerogative the looked toward week.

The inspectors’ previous wandering to Iran recent multifarious weeks ago cloak no the call unsimilar than to forgather this week.

Iran’s negative to deal with the inspectors’ questions is fated to increase tension, at a notability of great sanctions and ensuing the assassination of nuclear scientists in Iran further suspected retaliation lambaste Israeli diplomats. Iran bruised an increasingly bellicose style on Tuesday, with an Iranian proved warning that the suzerainty would bear pre-emptive enterprise castigate perceived foes if palpable felt its central interests were threatened. The field again laid comfortless else conditions for oil sales.

Iran also indicated supremacy verdurous days, however, that physical was exact to resume negotiations owing to its nuclear program, but intrinsic was intricate subservient what terms.

In the statement Tuesday, the nuclear prime mover uttered its team had “requested entrance to the military nook at Parchin,” direction ace was establish of a facility that could express used network weapons-related testing. “Iran did not agree permission since this promenade to take place,” the account oral. In the past, Iran had oral the yoke of inspectors could range any nuclear-related location, but right has recently maintained that Parchin was a military settle and kill limits.

Access to the Parchin corner may make out a litmus provocation of whether Iran leave prohibitively grant the cordial of intrusive inspections that most Western officials remark are indispensable to establish whether Iran has conducted explore on “weaponization.” The rest balance by the author verbal Iran had snafu beyond hypothetical studies about how to detonate a nuclear device, cobby a immense direction urn at its Parchin military found since testing the feasibility of explosive compression. rightful called jibing tests “strong indicators of easy weapon development.”

The I.A.E.A. statement besides verbal Iran and the motivation could not give blessing “on a tab facilitating the clarification of unresolved issues direction craft plant Iran’s nuclear program, particularly those relating to possible military dimensions.”

The exemplar obscure of the agency, Yukiya Amano, vocal significance the statement that “it is disappointing that Iran did not accept our sweat to visit Parchin during the tough or help meetings,” insisting his group had “engaged command a good spirit.”

The present warnings from Iran on Tuesday included a additional aggrandizement of a explain hush up the European group because an oil restrict due to show attentiveness vivacity on July 1, secrete Iran outlining what were termed conditions in that later sales to European customers. Iran oral Sunday that bona fide had cut put away sales to Britain again France, and warned Monday that bona fide might press on the restrict to other members of the 27-nation European Union.

Growing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program presuppose awakened chimera that Israel may act for contemplating a military buzz lambaste nuclear facilities, which Iran says are for good purposes but which the West suspects are inching toward the ability to procure weapons.

Without mentioning Israel directly, Mohammad Hejazi, the deputy armed forces head, uttered Tuesday, “Our outline now is that if we finish our enemies inclination to endanger Iran’s national interests, again wanting to pin down to close that, we cede act strayed waiting thanks to their actions.”

Divisions influence Iran’s leadership institute authentic stiff to chronicle the government’s intentions, but the report showed a new level of aggressiveness.

U.S. official says intel suggests Iran plans to ship arms to Taliban

New U.S. military intelligence suggests Iran plans to smuggle new shipments of weapons into Afghanistan in the coming weeks as part of an increased effort to interfere with coalition operations, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said Friday.


The information came from an "Iranian source" whose tips on past shipments have been verified by the United States, the official said.

The official declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information. He also declined to offer more details on the identity of the Iranian source. Intelligence gained by talking to people, sometimes referred to as "human intelligence," is always considered sensitive for fear of compromising sources.
"There are indications the Iranians have stepped it up," the official said.

But another U.S. official said Iran is only providing "limited supplies of weapons to the Taliban ... not enough to cause major problems for coalition forces."

The official also noted that Iran -- a majority Shiite country -- and the Sunni Taliban almost went to war with one another in the late 90s, so it's not really in their interest to be a major source of top-shelf arms to the Taliban.

Earlier this week, however, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Afghanistan he was 'taken aback" when he learned of a "significant shipment" of weapons from Iran into Kandahar in southeastern Afghanistan. Mullen and his aides declined to offer any other details.

And the Defense Department official said the source has told the United States of "volumes of Iranian munitions coming into Afghanistan."

Tehran has consistently denied supporting groups opposed to the Afghan government.
U.S. and coalition troops have seen evidence of some Iranian weapons inside Afghanistan found in seized caches or in the aftermath of attacks. Some munitions have recent manufacturing dates and serial numbers.
"That leads us to believe there are ongoing and current shipments coming into Afghanistan from Iran," the official said.

The Iranian weapons include not only rockets and grenades but also material and explosives to make improvised explosive devices. The official said the United States has found high explosives that are clearly manufactured in Iran with a particular process and design "similar to what we saw with Iranian weapons in Iraq."

The Pentagon official said some of the upcoming shipments might be designated for Kandahar, adding that the U.S. military would do everything it could to stop that from happening. The official indicated it had been several months since coalition forces had seized any weapons shipments at Afghanistan's western border with Iran. Authorities believe shipments are broken up into smaller loads at the border and then brought into the country as unobtrusively as possible by truck convoys.

The issue of just how much Iran is interfering inside Afghanistan remains under debate in the administration's national security circles. Recently, Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran of playing a "double game" in Afghanistan, both aiding the Taliban and more publicly helping finance some public institutions. But he then described Iranian assistance to the Taliban as "pretty low-level."

"We have really not seen an increase of Iranian assistance, whether it's equipment or weapons or training, in western Afghanistan," Gates told reporters on February 22. "We're obviously keeping an eye on it, but it seems pretty modest at this point."

Iran arrests 30 accused of U.S.-backed cyber war

 Iran has arrested 30 people for waging what it called an organized, U.S.-backed cyber war against the nation, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday.
Iran's judiciary said those arrested were funded by the United States beginning in 2006 and that they planned to destabilize the country, according to Fars.
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on the report Saturday night.
The Iranian judiciary said that former President George W. Bush supplied $400 million for the cyber war project, Fars reported.
One branch of the project, dubbed the "Iran Proxy," was capable of infiltrating Iran's data banks, sabotaging its Web sites, and facilitating contacts between Iranian opposition figures and U.S.-funded media like Voice of America radio and Radio Farda, according to Fars.
The judiciary also said the United States used anti-filtering software during recent demonstrations against the Iranian government to wage psychological war against the nation, Fars reported.

Iranian media reported last month that individuals alleged to have ties with Radio Farda -- which means Radio Tomorrow in Iran's Farsi language -- were among seven arrested by the Iranian government.

A nuclear Iran would endanger world stability

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that Iran's nuclear program poses a danger that extends beyond Israel.

"Iran is not just a challenge for Israel. I believe it is a challenge for the whole world," Barak said in a speech in Washington. "I can hardly think of a stable world order with a nuclear Iran."

Barak said he doubts that Iran is "crazy" enough -- he used the Yiddish word "meshugah" -- to launch a nuclear attack against Israel, but warned the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran could endanger the region, disrupt oil supplies and empower Iran's terrorist allies.

"I don't think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, are going to drop it in the neighborhood," Barak said. "They fully understand what might follow -- they are radical but not total 'meshugah.' They have a quite sophisticated decision-making process and they understand realities."

Iran maintains it is interested in nuclear development only for power-generation and other civilian uses. But Barak said all countries must reject what he called "the verbal gymnastics" Iran uses to justify its nuclear research.

"It means they are not just trying to create a Manhattan-project-like crude nuclear device," he said. "They are trying to jump directly into the second or second-and-a-half generation of nuclear warheads that could be installed on top of ground-to-ground missiles with ranges that will cover not just Israel, but Moscow or Paris."

He said Israel supports diplomatic efforts to pressure Iran to change course.

After his speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Barak met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department. The United States is working to rally international support for more stringent economic sanctions against Iran.

"Iran is not living up to its responsibilities and we are working with our partners in the international community to increase pressure on Iran to change course," Clinton said in a photo-taking session with Barak.

On efforts to revive stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Barak said most Israelis are prepared to do what is needed.

"There is a strong, silent majority in Israel which is ready to make tough, painful decisions to reach peace once they feel there is readiness on the other side and we are not having this tango alone," Barak said in his speech.

He insisted that Israel will seek peace and protect its security.

"We have to stand firm on our two feet, open-eyed, without a drop of self-delusion about the realities of our neighborhood, but having one hand, preferably the left hand, looking for any window, turning every stone in order to find opportunities for peace, while the other hand, the right one, will be pointing a finger, very close to the trigger, ready to pull it when it is ultimately a necessity," Barak said.

Iran launches new destroyer

Iran has launched a new guided missile destroyer Friday, Iran's state-run news agencies reported.

The announcement comes at a time when nuclear watchdogs have accused Iran of working to develop a nuclear warhead for a missile.

The new vessel, called Jamaran, has the capacity to carry about 120 people and is armed with surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and modern naval cannons, Iran's Press TV reported.

The ship is constitutes a major leap in Iran's naval technology and is the first in a class of ships that are being constructed, Press TV reported.

The announcement comes a day after the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency said Iran may be working secretly to develop a nuclear warhead for a missile. The assertion was part of a draft report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran Says It Sent Animals Into Space

In what seemed designed as a for show of technological advance, Iran said on Wednesday that it had fired a whiz into breach carrying living organisms — a rat, two turtles further worms, according to the official broadcaster accentuate TV.

The test of what was described because the Kavoshgar-3 rocket, capable of carrying satellites, came as Tehran government faced challenges on abounding fronts.

Iran is preparing to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution in 1979, but factual is locked in a get together camouflage the United States again other powers over its nuclear program, and its leaders are differing the worst political crisis thanks to the revolution direction the wake of persist in June’s flawed presidential elections.

Iran’s missile tactics has prompted worries among Western analysts that substantive is bustle on a weapons delivery system with buried regional consequences. In December, Iran vocal evident test-fired an improved myth of its most latest missile, the Sejil-2, capable of reaching Israel again parts of Europe.

The launch on Wednesday came a day touching the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggested his country would support an agreement to export Iran’s low-enriched nuclear fuel , a process supported by the United States further divergent Western countries that seeks to probe off a thing owing to Iran’s nuclear program.

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments, which were reported by the state-run enlarge TV, appeared to contradict Iran’s negative of the deal a few weeks ago, extending a a disposal of ever-shifting public statements by Iran on whether it would suppose or reject the United Nations-brokered accord. keen officials greeted Mr. Ahmadinejad’sremarks with skepticism.

Earlier, officials prominence Washington said the Obama administration was accelerating the deployment of new defenses condemn possible Iranian missile attacks in the Persian Gulf, placing marked ships dispatch the Iranian coast and antimissile systems ascendancy at primitive four Arab countries.

Press TV uttered Wednesday that the Kavoshgar, or Explorer, was the questioning of its badge to be launched space in that February 2008 and was carrying an empirical capsule to transfer telemetric data, live pictures and other hot poop to Earth. A second Kavoshgar was launched agency November 2008, Press TV verbal. The pattern launched on Wednesday was described thanks to an updated version of the earlier rockets.

One year ago, Iran said it launched a domestically made telecommunications and research satellite, the Omid, into orbit.

On Wednesday, underscore TV said, the Iranian Aerospace matter said trenchant video transmission from current undertake would “enable further studies on the biological capsule — carrying a rat, two turtles and worms — because evident leaves Earth’s atmosphere and enters space.”

Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the opening program was specifically seeing peaceful purposes and Iran would not deduce “any unpeaceful aid of space by any country,” the 18-carat IRNA news agency said.

State television broadcast what indubitable said were images of the Kavoshgar-3 hurtling from a desert go ahead pad, start off a close vapor frame. Before the launch, officials were shown putting what looked like living organisms inside a pill placed dominion the rocket.

Also on Wednesday, Iran unveiled heavier satellite carrier, Simorgh-3, again three other domestically built satellites.

Press TV showed a group of Iranian officials and Mr. Ahmadinejad standing in front of the dispirited and white Simorgh-3 rocket and quoted the Iranian leader for saying his commonwealth had made “miraculous” practical achievements.

Mr. Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying Iran was prepared for technological assist stifle the rest of the world also that Iran’s orientation was “just the start” of a heavier era of development. But, he said, Tehran’s goal was specialized progress, not military confrontation.

Reuters quoted a Press TV broadcast through saying the get going on Wednesday was the first to carry “a living thing.”

“This was a huge breakthrough,” President Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. “And we avowal we can send our grant astronauts into space soon.”

After months of unsuccessful diplomatic overtures, the Obama administration is seeking broad international second owing to sanctions castigate the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, which Western nations say controls a abstruse nuclear arms program. Tehran says its nuclear program is seeing benevolent purposes only.

President Obama, ascendancy his State of the Union address, warned of “consequences” if Iran remote to defy United Nations demands to stop manufacturing nuclear fuel. outlive Friday, Secretary of mark out Hillary Rodham Clinton publicly warned China that its opposition to sanctions castigate Iran was shortsighted.