Monday, February 04, 2013

Iran's Nuke Site Loss Panics Iranian Leadership


'PANICKED' IRAN MAKES POWER MOVE AFTER NUKE-SITE LOSS

Two days after WND’s exclusive report on the devastating explosions at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, Tehran informed the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog it was going to install thousands of modern centrifuges at another of its nuclear facilities in an apparent move to restore its bargaining position.

In a Jan. 23 letter to the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, Iran said it plans to install thousands of its upgraded centrifuges at the Natanz facility.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow today that Iran has every legal right under its obligations to the IAEA to enrich uranium, even with the more modern centrifuges.

Iranian media viewed Lavrov’s remarks as supportive of the decision. But the Russian minister also urged the Islamic regime to “freeze enrichment operations” during the negotiations with the 5-plus-1 countries, the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.

The White House this afternoon called Iran’s decision “provocative.”

Iran, whose economy has been battered by the international sanctions brought by its illicit nuclear program, apparently has lost much of its negotiating position since the incident at Fordow.

The facility, deep under a mountain and immune to conventional airstrikes and most bunker-busting bombs, already had the more modern centrifuges, which could enrich uranium two to three times faster to the 20-percent level, a critical step to weaponization grade.

As reported by WND Jan. 24 with updates on Jan. 27, 29 and 30, explosions rocked the Fordow site Jan. 21, trapping scores of workers, including 16 North Korean technicians and military attaches. The source for the information, a member of the security forces, said rescue efforts were delayed several days because of the fear of radiation.

The source said today some workers have been rescued and there have been casualties. He said a secret, underground tunnel with a stone-covered entrance door about two and a half miles away from the main entrances at Fordow is being used for the rescue efforts.

The source added that regime intelligence agents, since the explosion, have arrested dozens of security force members in charge of protecting Fordow.

The tunnel was built after the secret facility was revealed in 2009. The source said he would provide more information in the coming days to verify the explosions. The U.S. and Iran have denied the incident took place.

Iran’s unusual notification to the IAEA two days after the Fordow incident likely is an indication of panic by the regime. The incident at Fordow must have badly damaged its ability to enrich uranium to the 20-percent level.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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