Iran Promises to Restart Nuclear Weapons Work as Tehran Identified as Top Global Threat

Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi / Getty Images

 

U.S. intel: Iran, Russia, China leading cyber charge against U.S.

Senior Iranian leaders on Thursday signaled the country is on the brink of restarting its contested nuclear weapons program, disclosing the Islamic Republic is prepared to restart the full-scale enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon, if it does not continue to receive cash windfalls from European countries still committed to the landmark nuclear agreement.

Uranium One: FBI Refuses To Release Three-Dozen Secret Memos Involving Clintons, Russia And Obama

 

The FBI has refused to declassify 37 pages of materials related to the Uranium One deal, citing national security and the privacy issues, reports The Hill‘s John Solomon. The documents are thought to contain information regarding then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s involvement, as well as the Obama administration’s knowledge of the controversial deal.

The existence of the documents became known after a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release of related material contained an entry entitled “Uranium One Transaction.” The publicly available portion includes benign material, such as public letters from members of Congress who demanded information on the Uranium One approval. 

U.S. spy agencies: North Korea is working on new missiles

© Planet/James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International… A May 28 satellite image of a building that U.S. analysts believe is a secret uranium enrichment facility near North Korea’s capital.

 

U.S. spy agencies are seeing signs that North Korea is constructing new missiles at a factory that produced the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, according to officials familiar with the intelligence.

Newly obtained evidence, including satellite photos taken in recent weeks, indicates that work is underway on at least one and possibly two liquid-fueled ICBMs at a large research facility in Sanumdong, on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe classified intelligence.

Iranian President Reopens Nuclear Plant: “We Will Bring The US To Its Knees”

 

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday: “We will bring the US to its knees in this battle of wills.” The Iranian government is continuing to warn of harsh retaliation against the United States after the Trump administration pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

According to PressTV, the threat comes as Washington continues to attempt to bully its allies into halting imports of Iranian oil after Donald Trump unilaterally quit the cornerstone international nuclear agreement instituted by his predecessor, Barack Obama.  Iran has previously said there would be consequences should the US decide to withdraw from the agreement.

Iran poised to resume enrichment at deep Fordow facility

 

After Iran warned it will leave the nuclear accord unless benefits are forthcoming, an atomic energy official in Tehran said that uranium enrichment would resume at Fordow – if that happens.

Pompeo in stark warning: We won’t let Iran develop a nuclear weapon

 

“We’re watching reports that Iran plans to increase its enrichment capacity,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Thursday, June 7. “We won’t allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran is aware of our resolve.”

Iran to increase uranium enrichment. US-Israeli strike on nuclear facilities comes closer

 

Iran is to inform the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna on Tuesday, June 6, of its decision to increase uranium (UF6) enrichment capacity in response to the US exit from the 2015 nuclear accord. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, announcing this, did not mention a date for this process to begin or the grade of enrichment. Supreme ruler Ayatollah Khamenei’s said Monday night: “I have ordered Iran’s atomic energy agency to be prepared to upgrade our (uranium) enrichment capacity” if the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers falls apart after the US withdrawal. Chairman Ali Akhbar Salehi of the atomic organization forecast this development some days ago.

Iran Threatens To Restart Nuclear Enrichment Program

 

Iran is threatening to restart its controversial nuclear enrichment program, as the head of the Islamic Republic’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) revealed on Sunday that they have maintained the ability to quickly restart the full-scale enrichment of uranium “within 4 days,” reports FARS news.

“If senior Islamic Republic officials issue an order to resume the 20 percent enrichment, we can do it in Fordo within 4 days,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI – referring to the Fordo nuclear facility in northern Iran. Of note – 20 percent enrichment is considered above the required level for nuclear energy production, however it is still well below the 80-90 percent required for a nuclear weapon.

Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal paved way for nuclearization of entire Mideast

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington on March 6. / Reuters

 

The signing of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 opened the floodgates for all Mideast regional powers to pursue their own nuclear programs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

US May Open Path For Saudi Arabia To Acquire Nuclear Weapons

The U.S. is in a catch-22. Either step in, and in some sort of restricted way, help the Saudis build a nuclear program, or allow the Russians and Chinese to fill the vacuum in giving the Kingdom a path to nuclear weapons. The latter would likely mean the end of a U.S.-Saudi alliance and see relations in Riyadh shift to the Moscow-Beijing axis.

This isn’t the first bit of news regarding Saudi Arabia’s quest for nuclear weapons, either. Saudi Arabia has always seeked nuclear weapons as a hedge against Iran. In doing so under a low profile, Saudi Arabia has financed Pakistan’s nuclear program in exchange for technology transfer should the need arise to acquire them one day.

Allowing for Iran to proliferate opened the gates to Saudi proliferation, which will without a doubt, pave the way for other nations in the region to acquire. In the end, you can’t say you weren’t warned of the consequences.

More information can be found in the following previous posts:

Saudi Nuclear Weapons ‘on order’ from Pakistan

Saudi Arabia Says it Won’t Rule Out Building Nuclear Weapons

Saudi Arabia to Extract Uranium for ‘Sel-Sufficient’ Nuclear Program

Fallout from Iran ‘nuclear deal’: Saudis becoming ‘more active’ in developing WMD

Iran’s rising influence raises Saudi eyebrows

Saudi prince: Getting nukes an option if Iran breaks deal

Saudi Arabia Versus Iran

Saudi Arabia Admits it Has NUCLEAR BOMBS; Will Test Within Weeks!

Is Saudi Arabia building an ‘Islamic NATO?’

As Predicted, the Iran Deal Has Begun to Wreck Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Efforts

Saudi Arabia to buy nuclear bombs from Pakistan: report

Saudis to warn Obama they will match Iran’s nuke buildup

 

Nuclear weapons [file photo]

 

Saudi Arabia is moving swiftly to become the next country in the Middle East with nuclear power. The Kingdom is on the verge of striking a deal with the US for the purchase of nuclear reactors despite concerns over its refusal to accept stringent restrictions against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

In a blow to Trump, Europe seeks gas supplies from Iran

The European Commission vice-president for energy union,Maros Sefcovic, said during a visit to Azerbaijan last week that the European Union was ready to negotiate Iran’s participation in the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), a system of pipelines designed to pump Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to southern Italy via Georgia, Turkey, Greece and Albania.

The European bloc is keen to get its hands on Iranian gas and has already held talks with Tehran on the issue. This means it is unlikely that the EU will budge on its opposition to US President Donald Trump’s demands for revising the Iran nuclear deal.

Cold War: U.S., Russia, China in Polar Race

 

Experts Believe As Much As $35 Trillion In Untapped Oil And Natural Gas Lurks In The Arctic Circle.

In what is being described as the “New Cold War,” the U.S., Russia, and China are all angling for the greatest share of influence and control in a part of the world few can even access.

Rep. Gaetz: “We Are at Risk of a Coup d’Etat in This Country” Unless Mueller Resigns or is Fired

 

House Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) called on Special Counsel Robert Mueller — who is investigating alleged Russian collusion with the Trump 2016 campaign — to resign because there is an apparent conflict of interest involving Mueller and an alleged campaign to undermine the president and force him from office.

Rep. Gaetz also called for a special prosecutor to investigate the Uranium One scandal, the Clinton Foundation, and the Fusion GPS firm, which produced the “Russian dossier” alleging Trump-Russia collusion and which was paid by Obama for America’s law firm, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation is, in part, based on the Fusion GPS-provided “dossier.” 

Saudi Arabia to Extract Uranium for ‘Self-Sufficient’ Nuclear Program

The Kingdom Tower stands in the night in Riyadh / REUTERS

 

ABU DHABI (Reuters) — Saudi Arabia plans to extract uranium domestically as part of its nuclear power program and sees this as a step towards “self-sufficiency” in producing atomic fuel, a senior official said on Monday.

Extracting its own uranium also makes sense from an economic point of view, said Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani, head of the Saudi government agency tasked with the nuclear plans, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).

Iran & Russia Agree on Joint Production of Nuclear Fuel

Photo: RIA Novosti / A. Solomonov

 

The Iranian and Russian authorities have agreed on joint production of nuclear fuel, the ISNA news agency reported, citing Vice President of the republic and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi.

…

He also noted Teheran managed to agree on consultations with the Russian side. “Thus, after the long and intensive negotiations, which have been lasting more than two years, our understanding resulted in a roadmap,” the head of the AEOI said, keeping in mind the visit of his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi to Moscow in late January.