Iran Reportedly Continues Nuclear-Related Purchases

Iran has purchased nuclear-related technology through a South Korean company on at least two occasions since signing a nuclear freeze agreement with the European Union last fall, Der Spiegel reported yesterday (see GSN, July 25).

The Iranian Partoris company in December purchased 300 units of nickel 63, a radioactive material used in the ignition of nuclear weapons, from Kung-Do Enterprises in South Korea. Civilian applications for nickel 63 include use in smoke detectors, but the isotope proportion requested by Tehran was too high for such use, according to Der Spiegel. In addition, Partoris used a false name — “Parto Namaje Tolua” — to conduct the sale.

The second deal involved tritium targets, a dual-use material that could be used to trigger the nuclear chain reaction in a weapon. Tehran purchased the targets through a South Korean intermediary from the French firm EADS Sodern, Der Spiegel reported (Der Spiegel/BBC Monitoring, July 25).

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