New details surface on Iran nuclear explosion -- WND, Reza Kahlili

[bsteadman]

New details surface on Iran nuclear explosion

Many said to be trapped underground

WND
Reza Kahlili
1/28/2013

Excerpt:

Sixteen North Koreans, including 14 technicians and two top military officers, are among those trapped after a Jan. 21 explosion destroyed much of Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, a source reveals.

The source who provided the initial information on the explosion at Fordow has now provided details of the explosion and the degree of the destruction at one of Iran’s most important nuclear sites.

The report, published exclusively on WND on Jan. 24, is being covered internationally by major media, with independent intelligence sources confirming the explosion for the Times of London and the German Die Welt. - (Bold emphasis added. Links given in original article.)

But White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Monday: “We have no information to confirm the allegations in the report and we do not believe the report is credible.”

The short White House response, the source said, is an indication that the United States wants to steer away from the subject as any covert operation against the regime’s nuclear installations will have consequences, including retaliation.

The Islamic regime’s media, in a coordinated effort, reflected a similarly short response Sunday night in its denial, and Monday remained silent.

A senior researcher and director of the Centre for Arab & Iranian Studies in London, Dr. Ali Reza Nourizadeh, who has many contacts in Iran, confirmed that the explosion had trapped many inside.

According WND’s source, a member of the security forces protecting Fordow, 36 North Korean technicians and military officers arrived in Tehran on Jan. 15 and 17 and subsequently visited two Iranian nuclear sites under heavy security. One site, still unknown to the West with its vast installation of centrifuges, will be revealed soon on WND. At the other, the Fordow site, the North Koreans were to witness the startup of six cascades of 174 new-generation, speedier centrifuges.

Hamidreza Zakeri, a former member of the regime’s Intelligence Ministry, said 17 technicians and two military supervisors are stationed at the secret site and 14 technicians and two military officers were at Fordow.
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View the complete article, including video, at:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/new-detai...ear-explosion/

[bsteadman]

Sabotage alert: Iran moves to secure nuke facilities

Fears West, Israel will target sites before next talks

WND
Aaron Klein
1/29/2013

Excerpt:

JERUSALEM – Iran fears Western or Israeli sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and is currently working to strengthen the protective measures around its nuclear sites, according to Egyptian security officials.

The Egyptian security officials said they did not have any confirmation that Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordow suffered an explosion, but they were continuing to look into the reports, which originated with a WND article.

Jordanian security officials also contacted by WND said they had no information about an explosion at Fordow.

The Egyptian and Jordanian officials, meanwhile, said Iran has also stepped up its on-the-ground support for the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Egyptian officials said Iranian Revolutionary Guards units are operating openly to protect Syria’s missile sites.
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View the complete article at:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/sabotage-...ke-facilities/

[bsteadman]

U.N. won't deny explosions at Iran nuke plant

Appears to backtrack after indicating it affirmed Tehran's denial

WND
Reza Kahlili
1/30/2013

Excerpt:

Responding to WND, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, refused to deny that Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordow has been rocked by several explosions.

WND reported exclusively Jan. 24 that its source said explosions had devastated the Fordow facility and that over 200 people, including North Korean technicians and military personnel, were trapped inside the facility, which is deep under a mountain.

In a statement to Reuters, IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor implied the U.N. agency had inspected the site after the reported explosions and affirmed Tehran’s insistence that the report was false.

But when asked by WND, Tudor would not confirm or deny the incident.

“The agency does not evaluate matters in Iran other than those directly relating to its nuclear verification work, so although we’re aware of these media reports, we are not in a position either to confirm or deny them,” Tudor said in an email to WND.

“That said,” she continued, “I’m sure you are aware that agency inspectors regularly visit Iranian nuclear facilities under the IAEA’s safeguards agreement with that country. (You will find more information on the IAEA’s safeguards mandate and activities in Iran at http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus...an/index.shtml.)

“We understand Iran has denied that there has been an incident at Fordow, and this is consistent with our observations,” Tudor said.

However, in a follow-up inquiry by WND to verify if the IAEA had inspected the site since the report of the explosions, Tudor refused to answer.

“I’m very sorry but I can’t go into any further details on ongoing safeguards work, which is conducted with a high level of confidentiality,” she replied.
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View the complete article at:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/u-n-wont-...an-nuke-plant/

[bsteadman]

Even Iran diplomat confirms nuke plant blast -- WND, Reza Kahlili

Even Iran diplomat confirms nuke plant blast

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad says his bomb is ready if Israel attacks

WND
Reza Kahlili
2/6/2013

Excerpt:

A European intelligence agency, an Iranian diplomat and a Latin American intelligence source have joined the growing list of those who have confirmed to WND the deadly explosions at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site.

Media and unofficial speculation points to Israel as the culprit in its efforts to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons. Several Iranian leaders have said repeatedly in the past it is their duty to wipe out the Jewish state.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in interviews Wednesday with media, said the Islamic regime has already achieved nuclear capability but is not interested in attacking the “Zionist entity.” If Israel attacks first, he said, Iran is ready destroy it.

WND reported the Jan. 21 explosions exclusively on Jan. 24, with updates on Jan. 27, 29, 30, 31, and Feb. 3. The blasts at first trapped 219 workers, including 16 North Koreans: 14 technicians and two military attaches. A Fordow security source told WND that as of three days ago, at least 40 people have been killed, including two North Koreans, and more than 60 injured, some in critical condition.

The foreign services division of a European intelligence agency, in confirming the explosions, said its information was verified by assets in Iran’s government. The Islamic regime is now cleaning up the site and assessing the damage. The agency above cannot be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, which could derail talks scheduled for Feb. 26 in Kazakhstan between Iran and the 5-plus-1 countries: the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.

A high-ranking Iranian diplomat serving in an Iranian consulate in Asia, whose name cannot be revealed due to security, told WND that an order from Iran’s Foreign Ministry was issued days after the explosion to all of its embassies, ambassadors, deputy chiefs and spokesmen that no interviews on Fordow can be given to news agencies and that any response to queries by reporters should refer only to a statement by the White House and a report by news agencies on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters last week, “We have no information to confirm the allegations in the report and we do not believe the report is credible.”
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View the complete article at:

http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/iran-dipl...fordow-blasts/