Iranian Centrifuges Show Weapon Intent, Group Says

Pakistan’s acknowledgement that former top nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan provided Iran with enrichment centrifuges demonstrates Tehran’s intent to develop nuclear weapons, an Iranian opposition group said yesterday (see GSN, March 10).

“Today’s acknowledgement by the government of Pakistan once again reveals the clerical regime’s pattern of lies and deception to the world community and as the Iranian resistance had reiterated earlier, leaves no doubt that the mullahs are in pursuit of nuclear weapons,” said the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The group called for Iran to be “immediately” reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, saying that any delay would only help Tehran “further down the road to acquire the A-bomb” (Agence France-Presse /SpaceWar.com, March 10).

Meanwhile, Pakistani opposition lawmakers today criticized the government’s admissions on Khan, saying they were only meant to gain U.S. support, according to Agence France-Presse.

“Once again Pakistani leadership is playing in the hand of the United States to serve its sinister motives against Iran,” said opposition lawmaker Liaquat Baloch. “This is part of a conspiracy to defame national heroes and our scientists” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, March 11)

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