A new batch of European intelligence reports revealed Iran’s efforts to circumvent US and EU sanctions in order to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with the aim of testing a nuclear bomb.
According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first published translations of the intelligence documents on its website, the security agencies of Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany revealed sensitive data during the first six months of 2023 on the Iranian regime’s illicit nuclear weapons proliferation activities.
The reports mainly cover Iran’s alleged illegal conduct in 2022, according to the US-based Fox News.
The most shocking revelation in the trove of intelligence data was from the Netherlands General and Intelligence Security Service (AVID) that determined Iran’s astonishingly fast development of weapons-grade uranium “brings the option of a possible [Iranian] first nuclear test closer.”
“Last year, Iran proceeded with its nuclear program,” the Dutch report noted.
“The country continues to increase stocks of 20% and 60% enriched uranium. By means of centrifuges, this can be used for further enrichment to the 90% enriched uranium needed for a nuclear weapon,” it added.
According to the Netherlands' intelligence report, “Iran is further ignoring the agreements that were made within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). And by deploying increasingly more sophisticated uranium enrichment centrifuges it is enlarging its enrichment capacity.”
The US and other world powers reached an agreement (JCPOA) with Iran in 2015 to provide Tehran with over $100 billion in sanctions relief in exchange for temporary restrictions on Tehran’s alleged atomic weapons programs.
The Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 because, according to President Trump, the deal did not stop Iran’s rulers from attempting to build nuclear weapons and impose an end to its state-sponsored terrorist activities.
“The reality is that Iran has not in any way backed off from its efforts to build nuclear weapons, has taken every opportunity to advance its technological capabilities to this end and has for years misled the international community and lied about its intentions while at the same time widely publicizing its goal to legitimately attain nuclear-threshold status and continues doing so to this day,” Ayelet Savyon, director of MEMRI’s Iran Media Project, wrote.
European intelligence agencies have documented prior to 2015 and after the JCPOA was agreed upon that Iran continued efforts to illegally secure technology for its atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs.
