Iran sets up secret team to infiltrate UN nuclear watchdog, say officials

[emad]

By Con Coughlin, Defence and Security Editor
(Filed: 30/01/2006)

Iran has formed a top secret team of nuclear specialists to infiltrate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the UN-sponsored body that monitors its nuclear programme, The Daily Telegraph has been told.

Its target is the IAEA's safeguards division and its aim is to obtain information on the work of IAEA inspectors so that Iran can conceal the more sensitive areas of its nuclear research, according to information recently received by western intelligence.

Teheran insists that the sole purpose of the controversial programme is to develop alternative energy sources. But many western governments, including Britain and the United States, believe it is secretly developing a nuclear arsenal.

The operation to target the IAEA is being run by Hosein Afarideh, the former head of the Iranian parliament's energy committee.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/30/wiran30.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/30/ixworld.html

[Kagemusha]

1. And why shouldn't they?...

They know what happened with the Iraq team!

[RufusEarl]

2. And why should I believe the USA and Britain?

[Earth_First]

3. This is any different from the US/UK monitoring the UN Security Council...

...during the lead up to the Iraq occupation how, exactly?

[daleo]

5. Daily Telegraph = Right wing propaganda

"An IAEA spokesman refused to comment on the intelligence reports. However, an official who confirmed that a number of Iranian nuclear engineers were working at the IAEA's headquarters said the agency had set up stringent safeguards to ensure that no country had access to the inspection teams investigating its nuclear facilities.

"We have a firewall system that prevents any member state finding out how the inspection teams working on that country operate," said the official."

I bet the U.S. and U.K. routinely spy on the IAEA, though. It would be a great vector for planting phony evidence too.

[EuroObserver]

6. Yes. "The Daily Telegraph has been told...

...According to western intelligence reports."

Make of it what you will.

[DBoon]

7. to pre-emptively discredit any international effort

So even if Iran is declared "clean", Bush still has an excuse to bomb them,

[It was not a pretzel]

4. you're right

after what happened in Iraq and WMD they need a slightly improved excuse