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Monday, October 11, 2010

IAEA: 'We approved delivery of helium leak detector to Iran'

You will recall that on Saturday night, I reported on the delivery from Holland to Iran of a helium leak detector, which is 'dual-use' equipment, in violation of UN sanctions against the delivery of such equipment to Iran. Now the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that it approved the delivery - which it claims is necessary to operate a 'cancer therapy project.'
“We’ve issued a statement on this issue” on the IAEA website and the “statement confirms that this was equipment for a cancer therapy project,” an IAEA spokesman wrote the Post by e-mail on Friday.

When asked why the IAEA ordered the equipment even though it is illegal under EU law to supply such a device to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the IAEA spokesman wrote: “Sorry, can’t add more.

I would, however, caution against assuming that the equipment is from the Netherlands, which is a major transportation hub.”

The IAEA website’s Press Room responded to the Post report under the headline “IAEA on news report on equipment purchase for Iran.”

...

The Dutch authorities jump-started an investigation to determine if the exporter of the helium-leak detector and pressure meter equipment for Iran’s sanctioned gas and oil sector faces criminal penalties.

An IAEA spokesman declined to comment on whether the helium-leak detector has a military application, and whether the IAEA had asked that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization return the device to the IAEA’s Vienna- based headquarters.
As you may recall from the previous report, was ordered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in line with its technical cooperation program with Iran, [but] was shipped to a banned recipient, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). AEOI oversees Iran's nuclear proliferation program.

Even assuming that the detector is intended to be used for a cancer therapy project, as claimed, should AEOI be entrusted with it? What could go wrong?

The picture at the top is for illustrative purposes only.

2 Comments:

At 8:50 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It sure doesn't appear to take very long to buy off the IAEA head. I always have said, count the number of suitcases they have upon arrival, then count how many they come home with.

 
At 6:12 PM, Blogger Ton M said...

I do work with plasma processing and vacuum equipment and therefore I often do use an helium leak detector. But where does cancer treatment equipment use vacuum.....?!? That is the big question here....

 

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