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'Very clear' signs of Iran sanitizing military site, Western diplomat says

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donsutherland1

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From MSNBC:

U.N. nuclear inspectors displayed new satellite imagery on Wednesday indicating that some small buildings had been dismantled and other possible clean-up work undertaken at an Iranian military site they want to visit.
One image from May 25 showed signs that "ground-scraping activities" had taken place at the Parchin facility, as well as the presence of a bulldozer, according to diplomats who attended a closed-door briefing by U.N. nuclear agency officials.
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World News - 'Very clear' signs of Iran sanitizing military site, Western diplomat says

If Iran's nuclear activities were truly within compliance of its NPT obligations, one very likely would not be witnessing the kind of activities described in this story. Given this latest development, I believe the operative assumption should be that Iran is engaging in illicit nuclear activities. Diplomatic and broader policy strategy should at least take into consideration such a scenario.
 
bomb them /sarcasm
 
Iran needs to be bombed back to the stone age.
 
donsutherland1 said:
From MSNBC:



World News - 'Very clear' signs of Iran sanitizing military site, Western diplomat says

If Iran's nuclear activities were truly within compliance of its NPT obligations, one very likely would not be witnessing the kind of activities described in this story. Given this latest development, I believe the operative assumption should be that Iran is engaging in illicit nuclear activities. Diplomatic and broader policy strategy should at least take into consideration such a scenario.
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a bulldozer performing ground scraping activities = building nuclear weapons
got it
 
justabubba said:
a bulldozer performing ground scraping activities = building nuclear weapons
got it
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at times, you have to wonder about the mental state of some people.....
 
dontworrybehappy said:
Huh? 12345
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it takes a special kind of evil to want to bomb millions of people back to the stone age. maybe you were being sarcastic, but I see far too many militant libertarians to give you the benefit of the doubt.
 
ARealConservative said:
it takes a special kind of evil to want to bomb millions of people back to the stone age. maybe you were being sarcastic, but I see far too many militant libertarians to give you the benefit of the doubt.
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I don't mean the Iranian people, I mean their military and nuclear installations.
 
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dontworrybehappy said:
I don't mean the Iranian people dingbat I mean their military.
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you said Iran needs to be bombed back to the stone age. there is only one way to interpret that, and it wouldn't be with precision strikes taking out only their military.

to take a nation back to the stone ages, you are talking about taking out infrastructure, and making the nation as a whole pay.
 
dontworrybehappy said:
I don't mean the Iranian people, I mean their military and nuclear installations.
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Oh, so you only want to kill SOME people who aren't doing anything to harm you in any way. Murder is okay, so long as it's done vicariously through our military, and it's doubly okay if we only murder some people with no provocation at all. Got it.
 
donsutherland1 said:
For some satellite photos of Iran's activities:

http://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/Parchin_site_activity_May_30_2012.pdf

These activities are not the activities one normally witnesses around civilian nuclear facilities. How often does one witness such activity around European or U.S. nuclear plants? There is no benign explanation for them.
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oooh
evidence
evidence of nuclear weapons development

buildings torn down. bulldozer tracks. dirt roads
must be the iranians developing nuclear weapons
such proof
much less than what secretary of state Colin Powell presented to the UN insisting that the iraqis were developing nuclear weapons
and we know how that turned out
 
donsutherland1 said:
From MSNBC:



World News - 'Very clear' signs of Iran sanitizing military site, Western diplomat says

If Iran's nuclear activities were truly within compliance of its NPT obligations, one very likely would not be witnessing the kind of activities described in this story. Given this latest development, I believe the operative assumption should be that Iran is engaging in illicit nuclear activities. Diplomatic and broader policy strategy should at least take into consideration such a scenario.
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Ask Colin Powell what he thinks about obvious satellite imagery.

Bubba beat me to it.
 
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Construction work most definitely proves the existence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program in violation of the NPT. :roll:
 
Khayembii Communique said:
Construction work most definitely proves the existence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program in violation of the NPT. :roll:
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It doesn't prove the existence of such a program, but it is a worrisome development. First, the activities are unlike those one finds around the world's civilian nuclear installations. Second, what one has is evidence of attempts to "sanitize" sites. Third, those activities, including the razing of facilities, creates additional questions that IAEA must examine. Fourth, Iran's stonewalling inspections amplifies concerns. In short, even as the new data is not proof of such a program, it raises new questions. It most definitely does not make Iran a model of cooperation with regard to its international obligations.
 
First, the activities are unlike those one finds around the world's civilian nuclear installations.
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Parchin is a military base, not a "nuclear installation". Further, Parchin as far as the IAEA has stated has never contained any nuclear material. The most that they have claimed is that there is a blast chamber at Parchin, over which the IAEA has no jurisdiction, even if they suspect it is linked to the Iranian nuclear program (about which they have provided zero evidence).

Second, what one has is evidence of attempts to "sanitize" sites.
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There is absolutely no evidence that anyone is covering up anything. You are speculating that the presence of a bulldozer and the dismantling of small buildings at a military site is signs of a cover up when there is no indication to even suggest so.

Fourth, Iran's stonewalling inspections amplifies concerns.
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This was already covered in another thread. Regardless, IAEA inspectors do not have complete open door access to anywhere in the country.

The only people whose concerns would be amplified are those who consider the presence of a bulldozer and some construction work at a site completely unrelated to a nuclear program to be smoking gun evidence of a vast nuclear cover up by the Iranian government, i.e. loonies and liars.

It most definitely does not make Iran a model of cooperation with regard to its international obligations.
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Iran has cooperated well within the bounds of its obligations to the international community.
 
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donsutherland1 said:
It doesn't prove the existence of such a program, but it is a worrisome development. First, the activities are unlike those one finds around the world's civilian nuclear installations. Second, what one has is evidence of attempts to "sanitize" sites. Third, those activities, including the razing of facilities, creates additional questions that IAEA must examine. Fourth, Iran's stonewalling inspections amplifies concerns. In short, even as the new data is not proof of such a program, it raises new questions. It most definitely does not make Iran a model of cooperation with regard to its international obligations.
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Blindly believing Iranian claims to "peaceful nuclear energy" is akin to Clinton et.al. believing those same claims from North Korea. The fact that Iran first invites IAEA inspections, while basically razing those sites the IAEA have requested access to is more than troubling. The international community dithers and hand-wrings because if it acknowledges the probable reality of the facts they are shown, then they must either embark on a stronger course of action or acknowledge that the UN and IAEA are toothless tigers with no realistic means of enforcing the international treaties which Iran, and others, have signed.

This development is not surprising to me, nor will I be surprised when a "stunned" world is informed that Iran has tested its first nuclear weapon.
 
DiAnna said:
The fact that Iran first invites IAEA inspections, while basically razing those sites the IAEA have requested access to is more than troubling.
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The IAEA has absolutely zero jurisdiction over Parchin. The Iranian government is in full compliance with international obligations in completely denying them access to sensitive national security installations that in absolutely no way pertain to the Iranian nuclear program and which the IAEA has absolutely no basis for requesting a visit.
 
Jetboogieman said:
Not every problem can be solved with bombing.
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I agree. I still believe that a robust deterrence regime could be feasible. Such a regime would work as follows:

Any nuclear attack or attempted nuclear attack against the U.S. or its Mideast allies would result in guaranteed, automatic nuclear destruction of Iran.

I do not believe Iran's leaders are suicidal. If Iran knew that the odds of such retaliation were assured, it would have every incentive to refrain from such attack, much less avoid proliferating nuclear materials knowing that it would be held accountable for almost any attempted or actual nuclear attack. The exception would be if the U.S. had traced a missile attack or attempted missile attack that originated from another nuclear power. In terms of ambiguity, Iran would be held responsible.

Although that framework might seem unfair, effectiveness not fairness is the overriding goal. The goal would be to minimize any prospects that Iran would attempt such an attack. In fact, such terms could make it prohibitively risky for Iran to possess such weapons in the first place. Hence, under such a stark framework, deterrence would have the greatest prospect of succeeding.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
The IAEA has absolutely zero jurisdiction over Parchin. The Iranian government is in full compliance with international obligations in completely denying them access to sensitive national security installations that in absolutely no way pertain to the Iranian nuclear program and which the IAEA has absolutely no basis for requesting a visit.
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While that is true, Iran is fully accountable for the consequences of its actions e.g., if the international community chooses to maintain or further tighten sanctions, etc.
 
Any nuclear attack or attempted nuclear attack against the U.S. or its Mideast allies
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Anyone that believes this is even a plausibility is beyond reason. You apparently exist only to spread misinformation and to obfuscate to such an extent to justify unnecessary and unjustified intervention against Iran.

While that is true
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If this is true then why would you start such a dishonest, partisan hack thread?
 
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DiAnna said:
This development is not surprising to me, nor will I be surprised when a "stunned" world is informed that Iran has tested its first nuclear weapon.
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I'm not surprised either. Iran's strategy has been to use negotiations not to resolve the dispute, but to buy time for whatever it is pursuing. One should not be surprised that no breakthroughs were achieved in the latest round of talks nor that Iran has already warned that there is little prospect of a breakthrough in the upcoming round.
 
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