Global Security Newswire

The Obama administration yesterday announced it would look into an alleged Iranian internal document indicating that the nation has worked to develop a neutron initiator for detonating nuclear weapons, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 15).

If authentic, the memorandum could help confirm Western suspicions that Iran's nuclear program is aimed in part at developing a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran, which has consistently maintained that its atomic ambitions are strictly peaceful, denied the report's assertions.

"There's been a public report about an issue related to ... Iran's nuclear program. It's safe to say the United States government will be investigating those reports," said U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

Iran's late disclosure of work on a new uranium enrichment facility, the nation's plans to build additional enrichment sites and the "revelation this week about nuclear triggers ... all adds up to the fact that Iran has yet to really come to ... the international community and address our concerns in a meaningful way," Crowley said. The uranium enrichment can produce nuclear-weapon material as well as fuel for civilian applications.

Crowley refused to expound on Iran's alleged neutron initiator development in greater detail, stating he would not "discuss intelligence matters."

Addressing his stance on a London Times report that revealed the document's existence this week, Crowley stated: "It was a fine piece of journalism. Enough said."

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security issued an analysis calling for additional scrutiny of the alleged memorandum, "in particular to confirm the document’s date and with how the document fits with other information regarding Iran’s nuclear weaponization activities both prior to 2003 and any work afterwards" (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, Dec. 15).

The document could indicate that Tehran continue nuclear-weapon research at least through 2007, though a U.S. intelligence report found that such activities had stopped in 2003.

However, the ISIS analysis states that “the document does not mention nuclear weapons, and we have seen no evidence of an Iranian decision to build them."

Even if the document's authenticity can be confirmed, it remains uncertain whether it would serve to shed additional light on Iran's nuclear program, intelligence officials told the New York Times.

“This information’s been sloshing around for well over a year. It’s not new to the intelligence people. They’ve taken account of it. If, in fact, the document’s on the level, it shows the Iranians at some point were interested in testing an initiator. That’s not a warhead or the core of a bomb. It’s another reminder -- as if one were needed -- that the Iranians have a lot of explaining to do when it comes to things nuclear,” a U.S. official said.

“It’s very troubling -- if real,” added Thomas Cochran, a scientist working on nuclear matters for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Although some observers consider the document to be "smoking gun" evidence that Iran intends to build a nuclear bomb, "others say it will be very hard to prove if it’s authentic,” a European official added yesterday.

“If it’s a forgery, it’s very good,” said former CIA analyst Richard Barlow (Broad/Sanger, New York Times, Dec. 15).

Meanwhile, Iran indicated it would only provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with access to nuclear information and facilities when it is legally required to do so, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

Following calls by Iranian lawmakers, Tehran intends to restrict its work with the agency, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to state media. The U.N. nuclear watchdog is charged with ensuring that non-nuclear weapons states do not illicitly work to develop military nuclear capabilities.

Salehi reaffirmed Tehran's intention to delay declaration of new enrichment sites until six months ahead of their launch (see GSN, Dec. 4).

The IAEA governing board last month endorsed a resolution denouncing Iran's delay in disclosure of work on its Qum uranium enrichment facility (Xinhua News Agency/China View, Dec. 15).