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A network of illicit sales of nuclear equipment to Iran

Iran has managed to substantially advance its nuclear-weapons program in recent years by using a network of middlemen to carry out illicit purchases of nuclear equipment in other countries.

Germany Charges Two Over Iran Equipment Deal THE WALL STREET JOURNAL By DAVID CRAWFORD APRIL 8, 2010 BERLIN—Federal prosecutors in Germany have charged two men with delivering to Iran embargoed tools that were intended to build missiles capable of carrying a nuclear payload.

A spokesman for the German federal prosecutors’ office said Wednesday that a 52-year-old Iranian businessman, whom authorities identified only as “Mohsen A.”, and a 49-year-old engineer with dual Iranian and German citizenship, whom prosecutors called “Behzad S.,” were charged with violating Germany’s export-control law.

The pair allegedly delivered a vacuum sintering oven to Iran in July 2007. Such an oven can be used to harden rocket parts to withstand the heat of rocket launch and re-entry.

Word of the indictments comes amid growing concern in Washington and other capitals that Iran has managed to substantially advance its nuclear-weapons program in recent years by using a network of middlemen to carry out illicit purchases of nuclear equipment in other countries. In compliance with United Nations sanctions against Iran, Germany prohibits the unlicensed export of such equipment to the country.

The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating a case involving the suspected shipment of dual-use valves to Iran in violation of U.N. sanctions. The valves can be used to enrich nuclear fuel, a key step in making a nuclear bomb.

Germany Charges Two Over Iran Export – WSJ.com

April 8, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, uranium