In possible violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, German intelligence charged that Iran made 32 attempts last year to obtain technology that could be used for proliferation programs, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
According to one intelligence report Iran made “32 procurement attempts … that definitely or with high likelihood were undertaken for the benefit of proliferation programs” in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Benjamin Weinthal reported Monday for Fox News. The report states that Iran is a country involved in proliferation meaning that it is “spreading atomic, biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction.”
The North Rhine-Westphalia intelligence agency reported that Iran used front companies based in United Arab Emirates, Turkey and China, to evade restrictions to obtain nuclear and missile-related technology.
The 32 reported attempts occurred in 2016. The nuclear accord with Iran was implemented in January 2016. Weinthal observed that the German report “calls further into question Iran’s compliance with the agreement.”
A year earlier, the intelligence agency reported 141 similar attempts by Iran to obtain illicit proliferation-related technology.
Another intelligence report from the German state of Hessen, charged that Iran, along with several other countries, has used “guest academics” to obtain information about nuclear and other weapons programs. “An example for this type of activity occurred in the sector of electronic technology in connection with the implementation of the enrichment of uranium,” according to the report.
Unnamed German diplomats told Weinthal that they did not believe that Iran was violating the nuclear deal, but expressed concerns about its ballistic missile development which has continued in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231. “Having said that, we remain worried by Iran’s missile program,” the diplomats told Weinthal. “The aforementioned report, as well as reports from regional intelligence authorities, shows that Germany is highly vigilant in this regard and will continue to do so.”
[Photo: Fars News]