Iran and weapons of mass destruction

Nuclear Weapons

The Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program goes back several decades. However, in recent years, due to global political changes Iran is finding its program under severe scrutiny and even facing charges of developing a nuclear weapon capability.

Iran had maintained that the purpose of its nuclear program was the generation of power; any other use being a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which it is a signatory. The U.S. had insisted late in 2003 that Tehran be "held accountable" for allegedly seeking to build nuclear arms in violation of its agreements. Since then Iran's nuclear development program has taken a center stage in Middle Eastern as well as world politics.

The U.S. has also alleged that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear missiles.

After three years of continued controversy and pressure, mostly in the Western media, as of January 2005, neither IAEA has found any evidence to support the charges that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, nor has the US or any other countries provided any evidence to support such claims.

Background

The foundations for Iran's nuclear program were laid in the 1960 under auspices of the US within the framework of bilateral agreements between the two countries. In 1967 the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) was built and run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The TNRC was equipped with a US supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor. Iran signed and ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. With the establishment of Iran's atomic agency and the NPT in place plans were drawn by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Iran's King) to construct up to 23 nuclear power stations across the country together with USA by the year 2000.

By 1975, The US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, had signed National Security Decision Memorandum 292, titled "U.S.-Iran Nuclear Cooperation," which laid out the details of the sale of nuclear energy equipment to Iran projected to bring U.S. corporations more than $6 billion in revenue. At the time, Iran was pumping as much as 6 million barrels of oil a day, compared with an average of about 4 million barrels daily today.

President Gerald R. Ford even signed a directive in 1976 offering Tehran the chance to buy and operate a U.S.-built reprocessing facility for extracting plutonium from nuclear reactor fuel. The deal was for a complete "nuclear fuel cycle".

The shah, who referred to oil as "noble fuel," said it was too valuable to waste on daily energy needs. The Ford strategy paper said the "introduction of nuclear power will both provide for the growing needs of Iran's economy and free remaining oil reserves for export or conversion to petrochemicals."[1]

Iranian Side

Iran claims that nuclear power is necessary for a booming population and rapidly industrialising nation. It points to the fact that Iran's population has more than doubled in 20 years, the country regularly imports gasoline and electricity, and that burning fossil fuel in large amounts harms Iran's environment drastically [1]. Additionally, Iran questions why it shouldn't be allowed to diversify its sources of energy, especially when there are fears of its oil fields eventually being depleted. It continues to argue that its valuable oil should be used for high value products, not simple electricity generation. Iran also raises financial questions, claiming that developing the excess capacity in its oil industry would cost it $40 billion, let alone pay for the power plants. Harnessing nuclear power costs a fraction of this, considering Iran has abundant supplies of accessible uranium ore [2].

Iran has a legal right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the NPT. Iran, and many other developing nations who are signatory to the NPT, believe the Western position to be hypocritical, claiming that the NPT's original purpose was universal nuclear disarmament. ([3]) Iran also compares its treatment as a signatory to the NPT with three nations that have not ratified the NPT. Each of these nations developed an indigenous nuclear weapons capability: Israel by 1968, India by 1974, and Pakistan by 1998.

US Claims

Since 2002, the US has countered that Iran does not need nuclear power due to its abundant oil reserves since, the US argues, nuclear power is more expensive to generate than oil power.

However, one theory behind US resistance lies in Middle Eastern geopolitics. In essence, the US feels that it must guard against the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapons capability. Furthermore, the particular type of nuclear power Iran is pursuing is termed by critics as being dual-use technology—i.e. it can be used for peaceful energy generation, but the same technology, it is argued, could also be used to develop nuclear weapons, the same sort of situation which resulted in India's own nuclear weapons programme in the 1960s.

International Response

The claims and counter claims have put an immense amount of pressure on Iran to reveal all aspects of its nuclear programme to date. A great deal of this pressure has come from Iran's trade partners: Europe, Japan, and Russia. Iran has been slow to respond, claiming the pressure is an attempt by the US government to prevent it from obtaining nuclear technology.

Since the involvement of the IAEA, under the auspicies of Mohamed ElBaradei and the UN, Iran has responded to the American accusations by cooperating with the agency. But the degree of cooperation has varied depending on other geopolitical issues: at times the IAEA has had to admonish Iran, while at other times it has praised it.

Israel has been trying to convince the U.S. administration to influence Iran regarding its nuclear program, believing Iran to be sensitive to pressure. According to The Sunday Times, Israel had discussed with American officials its plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomatic methods fail.[4] However, after his visit to George W. Bush's ranch, in April 2005, Ariel Sharon made it clear that this was not the case. In an interview with Fox News, Sharon noted that he had heard similar rumours, but that Israel was "not even thinking about it." Sharon insisted that it was the world's responsibility to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, since the issue affected everyone in the world.[5][6] [7] In December 2001 former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who, as the Chairman of the Assembly to Discern the Interests of the State, is the Islamic Republic’s number two man after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated that the establishment of Israel was the "worst event in history," and declared "In due time the Islamic world will have a military nuclear device, and then the strategy of the West would reach a dead end, since one bomb is enough to destroy all Israel."[8] [9] [10] The Iranian press service later issued a different version[11] of the quote: "If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave any thing in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world." [12]

Geopolitics

Note: there have been significant developments since this report has been published. [13] IAEA finds enriched uranium samples are not Iranian. Iran signs the additional protocol etc.

Iran Nuclear Timeline

1967: The Tehran Nuclear Research Center is built and run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

July 1968: Iran signs the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and ratifies it. It goes into effect on March 5, 1970.

1970s: Under the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Iran's King), plans are made to construct up to twenty nuclear power stations across the country with U.S. support and backing. Numerous contracts are signed with various Western firms, and the German firm Kraftwerk Union (a subsidiary of Siemens) begins construction on the Bushehr power plant in 1974.

1975: Massachusetts Institute of Technology signs a contract with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to provide training for Iranian nuclear engineers.

1979: Iran's Islamic revolution puts a freeze on the existing nuclear program and the Bushehr contract with Siemens AG is terminated as the German firm leaves.

1980-1988: The program is halted due to the Iran-Iraq war.

In 1990, Iran begins negotiations with Russia regarding the re-construction of the Bushehr power plant.

In 1992, Iran signs an agreement with China for the building of two 950-watt reactors in Darkhovin (Western Iran). To date, construction has not yet begun.

In January 1995, Iran signs an USD $800 million contract with the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (MinAtom) to complete reactors at Bushehr under IAEA safeguards. [14]

In December 2002, the U.S. accuses Iran of attempting to make nuclear weapons. An anti-Iranian terrorist organisation, the MKO (Mujahideen al-Khalq Organization) releases pictures of two nuclear-related facilities at Natanz and Arak.

In October 2003, Iran begins to hold negotiations with IAEA members with respect to a more stringent set of nuclear inspections.[15]

On October 31, 2003, The IAEA declares that Iran has submitted a "comprehensive" declaration of its nuclear program. [16]

On November 11, 2003, The IAEA declares that there is no evidence that Iran is attempting to build an atomic bomb. [17]

On November 13, 2003, Washington claims that the IAEA report is "impossible to believe". The UN stands behind the facts provided in the report. [18]

In June 2004, Kamal Kharrazi, Iran's foreign minister, responding to demands that Iran halt its nuclear program, says: "We won't accept any new obligations. Iran has a high technical capability and has to be recognised by the international community as a member of the nuclear club. This is an irreversible path." [19]

On July 31, 2004, Iran states that it has resumed building nuclear centrifuges to enrich uranium, reversing a voluntary October 2003 pledge to Britain, France, and Germany to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities. The United States contends that the purpose is to produce weapons-grade uranium. (Reuters)