How Many ‘Loose Geeks’ Like the ‘Foreign Expert’ Who Helped Iran’s Nuclear Program Are Out There?
- Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:00am by
Liz Klimas
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Yesterday, the United Nation‘s International Atomic Energy Agency released a report about Iran’s nuclear weapons program that officials hoped would present a clearer picture if Iran was making nuclear weapons.
According to the Associated Press, with the report the agency seems to be suggesting that Iran is using the cover of a peaceful nuclear program to produce atomic weaponry. The 13-page annex to the IAEA’s regularly scheduled report on Iran included evidence that suggests the Islamic republic is working on the clandestine procurement of equipment and designs to make nuclear arms.
(Photo: AP/Ronald Zak)
“While some of the activities identified in the annex have civilian as well as military applications, others are specific to nuclear weapons,” the report said.
But the report refers obliquely to “a foreign expert” who worked “in the nuclear weapon programme of the country of his origin.” That expert, whom the IAEA interviewed, helped Iran from 1996 to 2002 research a kind of “high explosives initiation system” used in nuclear devices. And it’s this “foreign expert” what Wired hones in on coming right out to say who it apparently is:
Congratulations, Vyacheslav Danilenko: You’re infamous. Danilenko, a former Soviet weapons scientist, was reportedly found by the International Atomic Energy Agency to have tutored the Iranians “on building high-precision detonators of the kind used to trigger a nuclear chain reaction.”
[...]
While that isn’t a smoking gun, it makes it harder for the Iranians to maintain their cover story that their nuclear research is designed strictly to meet their civilian energy needs. “The Agency is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran,” the IAEA report reads, “and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”
What Wired wants to call attention to is that there could be many “foreign experts” who are “ ripe for hiring by rogue states or terrorist groups.” It reports that after the fall of the Soviet Union, an aid program was established to make sure knowledge of Russian nuclear scientists had as well as the materials to make nukes were secure. Wired states that while this program worked well there are some like Danilenko:
Danilenko is an outlier among Russian scientists. But other so-called Loose Geeks — very, very different ones from the Russians — have emerged. And no one knows precisely how many of them there are. Consensus estimates run alarmingly high.
[...]
Most of those scientists aren’t going to be contacted by a rogue state or a terrorist group. The vast majority of those who actually are will probably say no. But then there are scientists with nuclear know-how in chaotic countries like Libya and Iraq. And it’s not exactly the greatest economic climate for nuclear physicists.
“The problem is the economy sucks,” Toma continues. “People aren’t getting paid a lot. Bribery happens. Corruption is rampant. Mistakes happen.” Boom: a nuclear version of Walter White from Breaking Bad.
Wired notes that no one knows how large the “loose geek” problem is, but that this U.N. report will at least call attention to it.
In other news for the report itself, it cited preparatory work for a nuclear weapons test, and development of a nuclear payload for Iran’s Shahab 3 intermediate range missile — a weapon that can reach Israel. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said there was a government directive not to comment until Israel has studied the findings in depth. A day before the U.N. report was released Israel‘s defense minister warned of a possible Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear program and rejected suggestions the Jewish state would be devastated by an Iranian counterattack.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency dismissed the U.N. findings, accusing IAEA chief Yukiya Amano of including “worthless comments and pictures provided by the intelligence services.” In Vienna, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s chief IAEA delegate, called the report “unbalanced, unprofessional and prepared with political motivation and political pressure by the United States.”
Watch the AP report with Ahmadinejad’s response to the report:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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GilbertAcct
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 10:26amThe Iran threat is largely a myth… watch Scott Horton tear down the myth in this debate… the video is about 6 minutes long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb4etdm86Qg
Report Post »MR_ANDERSON
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 11:21amYea, because Iran would never lie.
Oh BTW, Scott Horton didn’t even believe everything of what he was saying.
He knew he was telling lies in the video you posted.
Report Post »Kaoscontrol
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 8:18pmWho is Scott Horton and why should we believe he knows anything? I don‘t think some dude on Youtube claiming it’s a myth is any reason to doubt Iran is building nuclear weapons. A number of idiots also claimed the Titanic was unsinkable.
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 7:10amIsn’t there an old Beach Boys song that kind of sounds like, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran?
Report Post »http://youtu.be/_iKuMVqht4U
smackdown33
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 6:22amIsrael has multiple, and many, nukes. Are they special?
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 6:51amyes
Report Post »Melvin Spittle
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 11:09amYour attempt at moral equivalence is pathetic. Let me get the crayons out and draw a picture you can understand: Iran has stated to the world that their intent is to wipe Israel off the face of this planet, an offensive motive whereas Israel is purely defensive.
Nice try.
Report Post »crypticguise
Posted on November 16, 2011 at 2:43pmOf course, Israel is special. They are the only Democratic Nation in the Middle East. Jews, Arab Muslims and Christians are citizens and live together in peace. They have been attacked multiple times ‘48, ‘67, ‘73 and continuing since their Founding as a Nation.
Israel has NEVER threatened any other nation with their Nuclear Arsenal, but I believe they will use it if they are facing an existential threat like Iran and are forced to defend themselves against Nuclear Weapons.
Muslim Nations are incapable of sustaining a Democracy because of the intolerance of Islam and Muslims. Muslim Nations are also incapable of feeding themselves today. They are dying, slowly but inexorably. When Muslims are allowed to leave Islam without threat of death Islam will disappear from the face of the earth.
Report Post »smackdown33
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 6:20amThey are just fanning the flames for war, just like Iraq. Nothing new. We know why. It’s the same old people. They need to complete their plan. http://www.iasps.org/strat1.htm
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 6:58amIran is run by 12ers. That’s a dooms day cult.
They are not pursuing these weapons for defense.
Once they have them, they will use them.
They’re primary objective will be to try to start a nuke war.
Their Prez as already publicly stated as much to his own people – don’t just pay attention to what he tell the US and UN.
He has also expressed desire to wipe Israel off the map, well more of a mission statement actually.
Anyone who thinks it’s OK for these guys to get nukes is uninformed, unintelligent, and/or unbalanced.
Report Post »NI6HTHAWK
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 5:46pmBy “They” I am assuming that you mean Israel? Sorry I’m not clicking the reference. I’m not seeing the Iraq connection….maybe you just meant “The Jews” in which case you would be wrong, but then you might actually be making sense….
The mission in Iraq was primarily to locate the WMD’s (chemical weapons) we supplied Iraq during the Iran – Iraq War. We did not learn that they were in fact discovered until the Wikileak‘s cables were released which pointed out that the components were discovered however much of them were already used on the Kurdish population of Iraq when Saddam Insane decimated the Kurds in the 90’s.
Get a clue
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:56amAs an ExSuperGeek, I can tell you that Geeks work to overcome a Technical Challenge… and Right & Wrong never comes into consideration!
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 7:03amWhat challenge is there in re-inventing something that’s well known, 70 years old and been banned from grade school science fairs?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 8:44am70 years old… and I always created a unique solution… because Mathematics is really an Art Form… and no two created Computer Programs are identical.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:49amI think it’s pathetic how it is that people think that God is going to give the earth to a particular race of people. It only means people haven’t been cured of their demons. Whatever DNA is still walking the earth, that DNA will inherit the soul of those who are the cream of the crop. You might come back as a black man for all you know, or an Asian or a Caucasian. Does it matter?
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:52amAll that should matter to people is being the cream of the crop in their soul.
Report Post »restorehope
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:24amThe “loose geeks” remind me a little of the postal workers who went postal. Some of them might be helping the bad guys out of a sense of dissatisfaction with their own careers. Scarey to think that they are out there; but ‘loose lips sink ships’ and you’d hope someone would expose them before they do any damage. Those who developed the atomic bomb so many years ago set the world on this destructive path. Too bad they couldn’t stick around to see the fear and havoc that their creation brings to mankind.
Report Post »oldtech
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 5:58amThe Japanese refused to surrender. The Germans were months away from their own nuke. We had no choice.
Report Post »refriedscott
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 4:12pmWhile it sucks that The Bomb exists, don’t think for a minute that if the U.S. hadn’t built it, no one else would have. Russia and England (England contributed to The Manhattan Project as well) had their own programs, and would have eventually developed The Bomb even if WWII had not been a catalyst. And at OLDTECH: the Germans, while they did have a Nuclear research program, they were not “months away” from Nuclear Weapons. Their program was not a priority and they had lost much of their research capability to conscription and fleeing of scientists to other countries. They were years away at best. I do agree that the Japan might not have readily (or ever) surrendered. The Bomb, I believe, saved countless American Servicemen’s lives, my grandfather likely one of them. He was on the beach in Oregon preparing to ship out when the bombs were dropped.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:14amHow many “loose geeks” are out there? For the love of God, and the worthlessness of the UN, it only TAKES ONE TO GET IT RIGHT!!!
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:26amHow right you are. For the United States to decrease our weapon power at this time is foolish. We need to build a stronger and up to date system to be prepared for the worst scenario. The hell with the UN. They do not support us yet we are the major financer for the UN. WHY? As far as these other countries that are developing such power, for the most part they are our enemies, and we should never forget that. How anyone could think that if we cut back and agree to decrease our weapons it would set an example for the rest of the world is beyond me. On the contrary, we must remain #1 period or we will suffer the consquences. Our military deserves the best and finest equipment and training that is possible. That should be a top priority. Most of the world hates us and would like nothing better than to destroy us.
Report Post »banjarmon
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:05am“While that isn’t a smoking gun, it makes it harder for the Iranians to maintain their cover story that their nuclear research is designed strictly to meet their civilian energy needs.”
WHAT DO THEY WANT….A MUSHROOM CLOUD???
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:09amI’d say the earth has been through worse things.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:10am“Woe to those who say God will not do good, and neither will he do evil.”
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:13amI think the human race will be lucky just to get off the hook with one mushroom cloud. Because I think a drastic reduction in human population is right around the corner.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:22amOne thing annoys me to no end with the worthless UN; they speak of “mistakes happen” as if such stuff as nuclear devices just happen to vanish every day. With these things when a “mistake” is made, it may be only discovered when one or more cities with a few million people disappear in a massive fireball and the land glows for a few million years.
Report Post »phillipwgirard
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 1:25amI thinketh ELIASIM IS RIGHT ABOUT THAT
Report Post »Captain Crunch
Posted on November 10, 2011 at 3:08am“Wars and Rumours of Wars” Your time is growing shorter to accept Jesus as Lord who rose from the dead for you. Beginning of the end. And the weapons shall be used as the restraint is lifted. And His love for us will remain true.
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