 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Taiwan probes alleged sales of nuclear parts to Iran: report
Taipei (AFP) Dec 12, 2009 Taiwan is probing allegations that local companies might have sold specialised equipment to Iran that could be used to make nuclear weapons, a report said Saturday. "We are looking into the matter," Hsu Chun-fang, a spokesperson for Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade was quoted by the Taipei Times as saying without elaborating. Export of sensitive items or to sensitive regions are restricted by the bureau and require permits, officials said. Hsu was responding to a Daily Telegraph report that Iran's defence officials have met Taiwan-based firms to purchase hundreds of pressure transducers that can be used to make weapons-grade uranium. The report said Iran had tried unsuccessfully to buy the equipment for more than a year from European and American firms before turning to a Taiwanese company. The company acquired and "secretly shipped" to Tehran 100 transducers originally produced in Europe, the report said, adding Iran is now trying to obtain more highly restricted equipment from Taiwan. UN officials are investigating whether the European companies conducted proper checks of end-user certificates for the equipment, it said. "This is a serious loophole, as it enables Iran to acquire sophisticated equipment that can help it develop its nuclear programme," a UN source was quoted by the paper as saying. "Pressure needs to be applied to the companies involved to stop doing business with Tehran while it is still refusing to co-operate with the UN." The international community has warned Iran to stop construction of its second uranium enrichment plant on suspicions that it is trying to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran rejects the charges and says it wants to build up a civil energy programme. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Syria defends Iran nuclear plansDamascus (AFP) Dec 3, 2009 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad defended Iran's controversial nuclear programme on Thursday, during a visit to Damascus by Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and promised that cooperation between the two countries would continue. Assad asserted "the right of Iran and other countries that are signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich unranium for civilian purpo ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook