Israel Matzav

ElBaradei: Israel biggest threat to Middle East

On Sunday, the New York Times reported on the International Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to cover up the fact that Iran is capable of building a nuclear weapon. The Times disclosed details of a 'secret annex' to the last report issued by the IAEA, which shows that the Iranians have acquired “sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable” atom bomb. The secret annex - whose release IAEA chairman Mohamed ElBaradei has worked hard to prevent - also "presents evidence that beyond improving upon bomb-making information gathered from rogue nuclear experts around the world, Iran has done extensive research and testing on how to fashion the components of a weapon."

The report, titled “Possible Military Dimensions of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” was produced in consultation with a range of nuclear weapons experts inside and outside the agency. It draws a picture of a complex program, run by Iran’s Ministry of Defense, “aimed at the development of a nuclear payload to be delivered using the Shahab 3 missile system,” Iran’s medium-range missile, which can strike the Middle East and parts of Europe. The program, according to the report, apparently began in early 2002.

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Most dramatically, the report says the agency “assesses that Iran has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device” based on highly enriched uranium.

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The excerpts of the analysis also suggest the Iranians have done a wide array of research and testing to perfect nuclear arms, like making high-voltage detonators, firing test explosives and designing warheads.

There are more excerpts of the report here.

But on Sunday, feckless IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei - who let Iran get away with developing nuclear weapons for years until it was waved in his face - told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Israel, which has allegedly had nuclear weapons in its arsenal for more than 40 years without using them, is the biggest threat to use nuclear weapons in the Middle East (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

At a joint press conference with Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran, ElBaradei brought Israel under spotlight and said that the Tel Aviv regime has refused to allow inspections into its nuclear installations for 30years, the report said.

"Israel is the number one threat to the Middle East given the nuclear arms it possesses," ElBaradei was quoted as saying.

Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear capabilities, although it refuses to confirm or deny the allegation.

"This (possession of nuclear arms) was the cause for some proper measures to gain access to its (Israel's) power plants ... and the U.S. president has done some positive measures for the inspections to happen," said ElBaradei.

If Israel did not use nuclear weapons in 1967 or 1973 - when the country's very existence was threatened, I doubt it will use them in any other circumstance except in connection with an attack on Israel that uses weapons of mass destruction.

The problem isn't nuclear weapons in the hands of democracies. The problem is nuclear weapons in the hands of dictatorships, particularly in cases where the dictators have apocalyptic visions.

The sooner ElBaradei leaves his position, the better off the world will be.

I finally figured out whom ElBaradei brings to mind.

Let's go to the videotape.



So if I already gave you Part 1, here's Part 2:



And here's Part 3:



Anyone else think ElBaradei looks like Egghead? The 'most brilliant criminal mind of all time'? ElBaradei may well be.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:44 AM