| NYCTrancefan |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- "International inspectors have discovered uranium enrichment centrifuge parts in Iran that are much more sophisticated than the type Tehran has admitted to having, a senior Bush administration official said Thursday.
International Atomic Energy Agency officials found "P-2" centrifuge parts that are "far superior, more sophisticated than anything" that the Iranians have revealed publicly, the official said.
A P-2 centrifuge can produce much more uranium appropriate for production of nuclear weapons than a P-1, which the nation confirms it has.
In Tehran, Hamid Reza Assefi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, denied Iran had the sophisticated centrifuges.
"There are no P-2 centrifuges in Iran, either at civilian or military installations," he told reporters.
Assefi repeated the Iranian contention that the country's nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
Officials with the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, declined to comment.
Administration officials say the P-2 parts are similar to those found in Libya, and might have been obtained by Iran through the nuclear black market sales organized by the institute headed by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan. However, the officials caution that the source of the materials is not known at this time.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan would not say whether the administration had specific information about a new IAEA discovery in Iran.
But he said the White House was tracking reports that the IAEA had discovered new information about "enrichment activities or technology" and said that "underscored our serious concerns. We have long said our belief is Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program under the cover" of a civilian energy program.
He said it is critical that the IAEA press for more answers from Iran.
The newspaper USA Today, which first reported the story, said the discovery was made at Doshen-Tappen Airbase in Iran. Senior officials told CNN they could not confirm that. One official warned against "leaping to conclusions" about who made or designed the centrifuge parts.
A report on IAEA inspections in Iran is expected to be given to the agency's board of governors March 8. The United States might ask that the agency refer the matter to the U.N. Security Council, although U.S. officials say they have not yet made that decision."
--- I personally can care less about whether or not Iran wants a nuclear weapon, with that said anyone who thinks that they are not in pursuit of nukes is surely kidding themselves. Iran wouldn't be stupid enough to pose a threat with any nuke they develop directly to the United States, however just what the world needs, these repressive mullahs with nuclear weapons as if their political repression of Iranians wasn't enough for them. I say let the whole world have nukes then humanity will truly show how stupid we are while trying to destroy each other. Help us all when the runts of runts North Korea has nukes but cannot feed its own people, truly pathetic inhumanity on display. Where is the world arbitor the U.N. to solve this problem.U.N(IAEA) North Korea=failed, Iran=looming failure, Pakistan and India(who the hell knows where their nukes came from. Many more failures out there I'm sure |
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