Iran nuclear claim sets off new fears Advance could speed building of a bomb 1R Edition

• Published in: International herald tribune
• Main Author: William J. Broad and David E. Sanger
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris New York Times Company 18.04.2006
• Edition: International edition
• Subjects: Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud; Khan, Abdul Qadeer; Musharraf, Pervez
• ISSN: 0294-8052

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]'s statements, and those of other senior Iranian officials, are always viewed with suspicion by American and international nuclear experts because Iran has, at various times, understated nuclear activities that were later discovered and overstated the capabilities. Analysts and U.S. intelligence officials, bruised by their experience in Iraq, say they are uncertain whether Ahmadinejad's claim represents a real technical advance that could accelerate Iran's nuclear agenda or political rhetoric meant to convince the world of the unstoppability of its atomic program. The new claim focuses renewed attention on Iran's rocky relationship with [Abdul Qadeer Khan], who provided it with much of the enrichment technology it is exploiting today. If Ahmadinejad's claim is correct, it probably indicates that relationship went on longer and is far deeper than previously acknowledged. Khan and his nuclear black market supplied Iran with blueprints for both the more elementary machine, known as P-1, and the more advanced P-2. There are other indications that Khan may have been dealing with Iran as recently as six years ago. The president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, disclosed recently that he fired Khan in 2001 after discovering that the national hero credited with developing Pakistan's bomb was attempting to arrange a secret flight to the Iranian city of Zahedan, known as a center of smuggling.