Why is David Albright "pumping' the IAEA report?

"The IAEA conclusions in some ways match those of the two US National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) on Iran in 2007 and earlier this year, which found that Iran had halted a weapons program in late 2003, and had made no decision to go for a bomb."  CSM

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On the Newshour tonight Albright, somone I know and respect, spoke of this report and gave the general impression that Iranian research and design work on warheads has continued unabated since the Iranian government ordered a halt in 2003-4.

This CSM article says the opposite.  pl

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Report-says-Iran-nuclear-weapons-work-continued-til-2009

Comments

[FB Ali]

It is worth keeping in mind the following extract from a Vienna US Embassy cable (in Wikileaks) regarding Yukiya Amano, the DG of the IAEA:

"Amano reminded Ambassador on several occasions that he would need to make concessions to the G-77, which correctly required him to be fair-minded and independent, but that he was solidly in the U.S. court on every key strategic decision, from high-level personnel appointments to the handling of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program."

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/230076?CMP=twt_gu)

[robt willmann]

I have not been able to find the International Atomic Energy Agency report of today, 8 November, on its website at www.iaea.org. Some news reports have spoken of "restricted distribution" of the report.

However, here is the alleged report on a different website; if it is authentic, then its distribution is no longer restricted--

http://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/IAEA_Iran_8Nov2011.pdf

The website appears to be that of David Albright. I have been somewhat cautious about Mr. Albright's statements in the past about Iran and the NPT, but the first step is to get a genuine text of the report, and then demand much more specificity regarding the "information" and documentation forming the basis of the markedly hedged wording about "possible" military dimensions of Iran's activities.

[Babak Makkinejad]

Mr. Obama's Iran policy is at a dead-end; has been so for a while.

He has to show some movement to keep his (anti-Iran) constituents satisfied.

What he has accomplished is that he has stablized Mr. Bush's Iran policy at the level of Not War - Not Peace. The United States and Iran are now in a multi-generational confrontation that probably will last another half-century; may be even longer.

[graywolf]

How long are you people going to let the Bush-Iraq mistake color your views on Iran?

How many peaceful countries hide their "peaceful" nuclear facilities inside a mountain?

[The beaver]

Here is Kerry who voted for war authority to scare Saddam Hussein into allowing inspections. saying this about Amano:
“He is a thoughtful man who is interested only in reporting the facts. He has no other agenda,” said the senator.

All this based on the fact that the IAEA had “credible” information from foreign intelligence reports and its own research that indicates that Iran “has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/08/sen-kerry-iran-not-truthful-about-nuclear-drive/

Foreign intelligence = Israel as per this :
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/11/08/an-iraq-wmd-replay-on-iran/

Now, it appears that Amano’s IAEA has accepted intelligence information from Israel and other enemies of Iran in preparing a report that is sure to add fuel to the fire for a possible military confrontation with Iran. Republican presidential hopefuls are already lining up to beat the war drums and accuse President Barack Obama of softness on Iran.

Good comments on Albright,including the Iraq fiasco

[turcopolier]

greywolf

Is that really a serious question when the same damned people are selling the same bullshit? How many other countries shall we destroy to assuage Israel's fear? pl

[confusedponderer]

When I accuse you of hiding something and threaten to burglarise your home and take it if you don't fess up, not once, but persistently over a couple years, do the same to your neighbour and brag about it, and you eventually buy a safe - is that evidence of you having something to hide?

[confusedponderer]

As for now, two more at least. Syria and Lebanon.

[eakens]

By that metric....

[J]

Why is Albright 'pumping' the IAEA report? The only conclusion I can arrive at is -- $$s.

[confusedponderer]

Nah, it is equally if not more likely that his 'perception was managed' and according information was fed to him.

[Kieran Wanduragala]

I also noticed that Albright 'pumped' the Syrian nuclear program story back in 2007 - about which there is still good reason for skepticism.

[dan]

A bit like Cuba, then? Even with the current relaxation, the policy was superannuated 20 years ago.

But Iran is not Cuba - it's a G-20 economy with massive wealth and resources; the current US effort to firewall it off from the global economy via extraterritorial threats to third parties is ineffective as is, and is not sustainable over the longer term.

Frankly, it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that there is any such thing as an "Iran policy" in the US - there's a series of frozen postures and formulaic gestures tied to some silly wishful thinking about regime change. When the US finds a way to dispense with "all options are on the table" type rhetoric ( as this effectively means that there are NO options, as making a choice between options and constructing an actual policy is too painful, complex or difficult ), then we might see some progress.

[turcopolier]

kw

i had forgotten. pl

[graywolf]

If my neighbor constantly threatens me with death, takes one of my children hostage and burglarize's houses down the street, you're damned right I judge them as scumbags who are up to no good.

[R. Whitman]

Intelligence communities are subject to "groupthink" and are likely to get big questions wrong such as the fall of the USSR or Iraq's WMD. It could be happening with Iran.

Iran probably already has nuclear weapons; the technology is 65 years old and was developed without computers and modern CNC machine tools. They may not have it in condition to deliver it on a cruise missle but alternate ways of delivery exist. Just because you do not have the most modern form of delivery does not make a nuclear device ineffective.

[turcopolier]

R.Whitman

Absolute crap. someone here will try to educate you about nuclear forces. pl

[turcopolier]

R. Whitman

And furthermore, what about "group think" in Israel among the squirrels at the DMI and Mossad? pl

[Stu]

Is this the same David Albright that co-authored this article:

http://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/is-the-activity-at-al-qaim-related-to-nuclear-efforts/9

Why is it surprising that he is now hyping the threat Iran poses?

[turcopolier]

stu

Yes. I was wrong about him. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

Yes, I agree with you but I do not believe that US electorate is ready and won't be read as long as their love affair with Israel persists.

Of course, Israel and Iran are on the same side when it comes to the 2-state solution; neither wants that.

[Babak Makkinejad]

Are you prepared to enlist and fight Iran?

[William R. Cumming]

The President extended the National Emergency declared in 1979 with respect to IRAN and it was published as required by the National Emergencies Act of 1976 in the Federal Register yesterday. The 1976 Act was one of the Congressional reforms to deal with Nixon's abuse of power. A largely procedural statute, it also requires the President to state exactly what authorities he will be exercising and what actions. No President has ever complied with this portion of the statute IMO.

But hey the US wanted an IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY and it got it in spades.

I actually worked with David Albright for two days in 2003 or 2004. Interesting man and asked him some questions about his nonprofit organization. But hey like some of the commentators suggest the need for bucks may have finally distorted his judgement.

The IAEA got it right in IRAQ. So perhaps this time they will not do so. Either way they seem to have encouraged the IMPERIAL Presidency and their minions and as it looks like Obama has only one term to serve perhaps he wants to be in the history books for waging war as well as withdrawal.

The arguments against helping Israel attack Iran or doing it ourselves seem overwhelming to me but now the OBAMA administration is feeling its oats after Libya and announcing intervention in AFRICA or proposing to do so.

When the history of the first and maybe last Obama Administration is finally written I suspect no surprises, an unprepared President and staff and a weak and vacillating group of Flag Ranks that seem to think it can do things that it never prepared for. And a Congress that is simply at its lowest point ever in competence.

[J]

Colonel,

With all the 'pumping' that has surfaced regarding Mr. Albright, the only conclusion I can arrive at as his motive is $$s for either his pocketbook or for his ISIS outfit. Albright's ISIS claims to receive a majority of its funding from 'foundations' both public and private. I have to seriously wonder how many a-IPAC related 'foundations' are donating to his ISIS/pocketbook?

One thing that has struck me over and over again regarding Mr. Albright's ISIS, its (his) 'conclusions' are often cited by the Israeli hard-right/right camps on the 'nuclear stuff'. Now why is that so, I ask myself. Hmmm.......

[The beaver]

I wonder which section of the Hasbara handbook you've been studying.
Who nurtured and promoted Hamas?
Who is that neighbour- Hamas, Fatah, Lebanon, Jordan?
Who bombarded its neighbour Syria?