Iran using Dubai to smuggle nuclear components

Iran is using the Gulf port of Dubai to smuggle sophisticated electronic and
computer equipment for its controversial uranium enrichment programme that
are banned under United Nations sanctions.

By Con Coughlin The Sunday Telegraph
Published: 8:00AM BST 06 Jun 2010
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7805736/Iran-using-Dubai-to-smuggle-nuclear-components.html

In the latest deal, an Iranian company associated with the regime's nuclear
programme has acquired control systems from one of Germany's leading
electronics manufacturers. The deal was negotiated with a prominent Dubai
trading company, which then sold Iran a range of electronic equipment for
use at its Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Details of the deal have emerged amid mounting concern in the West that
Tehran has ended its self-imposed suspension of its nuclear weapons
programme. A National Intelligence Estimate issued by US intelligence
agencies in late 2007 concluded that Iran had suspended its attempts to
build an atom bomb in 2003.

But a detailed assessment of Iran's recent declarations to the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna has led Western officials to conclude
that Iran has ended its self-imposed suspension, and has now resumed work on
its military programme.

This would explain Iran's renewed attempts to smuggle banned equipment
through Dubai. In the latest deal, details of which have been obtained
exclusively by The Sunday Telegraph, high-grade German equipment including
computers, controllers, communication cards and cables have been smuggled
into Iran.

The equipment was sold to Iran without the knowledge of its German
manufacturer by a Dubai-based intermediary using false end-user certificates
for companies in Asia, even though the sale of technology that can be used
in Iran's nuclear programme is banned under UN Security Council resolutions.

The equipment was delivered to Kalaye Electric, an Iranian company which is
also subject to sanctions because of its close association with Iran's
nuclear
programme. Kalaye Electric is responsible for the procurement and
development of the centrifuges that are used at Natanz to enrich uranium.

The smuggling accusations were denied by Iran, which insists its nuclear
programme is entirely peaceful. Its ambassador to London, Rasoul Movahedian,
added that the country had no need to import or smuggle technical
components.

American and UN officials last month launched an investigation into how Iran
had managed to acquire nuclear valves and other restricted components from
Western companies in breach of UN resolutions. They have now extended their
inquiry to Dubai, which is already under intense pressure from Washington to
prevent the transfer of technology to Iran.

Last year the Dubai authorities blocked the sale to Iran by the Dubai-based
company Scientechnic of equipment manufactured by the German electronics
company Siemens, which has since given an undertaking not to supply any of
the corporation's equipment to Iran.

"The Iranians are still managing to smuggle sophisticated technology through
Dubai for its nuclear programme by using false certificates and unscrupulous
intermediaries," said a senior UN source. "We need the Dubai authorities to
be more rigorous in preventing the transfer of this equipment to Iran."

The equipment is vital for the Natanz enrichment facility, which last year
experienced technical difficulties with the centrifuges used to enrich
uranium.

The allegations that Iran is continuing its efforts to acquire banned
electronic technology for its nuclear programme comes as Tehran attempts to
avoid a new round of UN sanctions.

Iranian officials have presented the IAEA with details of a proposal to ship
stockpiles of enriched uranium to Turkey as part of a deal negotiated with
Brazil to resolve the international crisis over Iran's nuclear programme.

Under the terms of the proposed deal Tehran would ship about half of its 2.5
tonne stockpile of enriched uranium to Turkey. In return the West would
provide Iran with processed nuclear material for its medical research
reactor in Tehran.

Iran originally agreed to ship its stockpiles of enriched uranium to Russia
under the terms of an agreement negotiated in Geneva last October, as part
of a confidence-building measure to defuse the crisis. But the deal was
blocked by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now Tehran is proposing to
send a smaller quantity of its enriched uranium to Turkey, which has only
limited nuclear processing facilities.

Western officials believe Iran has only made the offer in a last-ditch
attempt to avoid the implementation of a new round of UN sanctions after US
President Barack Obama secured the backing of China and Russia for a new
security council resolution.

Futhermore there is mounting concern among Western counter-proliferation
experts that Iran has resumed its nuclear weapons programme, which was
halted in 2003 following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Iraq.

Western officials have been conducting a rigorous re-assessment of Iran's
nuclear programme since the CIA published its controversial National
Intelligence Estimate in 2007 which questioned whether Iran still had an
active weapons programme.

Following an exhaustive investigation of the reports on Iran compiled by UN
nuclear inspectors working for the IAEA, Western officials are convinced
that Iran has secretly resumed work on building an atom bomb.

"When you look in detail at Iran's declarations on its nuclear programme,
the only logical conclusion that can be drawn is that Iran has only one aim,
and that is to build nuclear weapons," said a senior Western
counter-proliferation official.