Iranian nuke thread ties Pakistan

Evidence discovered in a probe of Iran8217;s secret nuclear programme points overwhelmingly to Pakistan as the source of crucial technology...

Evidence discovered in a probe of Iran8217;s secret nuclear programme points overwhelmingly to Pakistan as the source of crucial technology that put Iran on the track towards becoming a nuclear weapons power, according to US and European officials familiar with the investigation.

The discoveries prompted a decision by Pakistan two weeks ago to detain three nuclear scientists for questioning, the officials said. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to insist that it never provided nuclear assistance to Iran or anyone else. Documents provided by Iran to UN nuclear inspectors since November have exposed the outlines of a vast, secret procurement network that acquired thousands of sensitive parts and tools from numerous countries over a 17-year period.

While Iran has not directly identified Pakistan as a supplier, Pakistani individuals and companies are strongly implicated as sources of key blueprints, guidance and equipment for a pilot uranium-enrichment plant that was exposed by Iranian dissidents 18 months ago, officials said.

Although the alleged transfers occurred years ago, suggestions of Pakistani aid to Iran8217;s nuclear programme have complicated the relationship between the US and Pakistan.

IAEA documents support a view widely held among nuclear experts and non-proliferation officials that Iran obtained castoff parts and designs from a centrifuge that was no longer needed by Pakistan, said Gary Samore, a former adviser on non-proliferation on the Clinton administration8217;s NSC. 8216;8216;The particular machine that Iran is using is not the mainstay of the Pakistani programme,8217;8217; said Samore. 8216;8216;Pakistan had these used aluminum-rotor machines that it no longer needed. The most plausible explanation for what happened is that Pakistan sold its surplus centrifuges, which have now turned up in Iran.8217;8217;

Iran8217;s first big break came in 1987, when it obtained designs and parts for gas centrifuges. Around the same time, Iran began receiving guidance from foreign experts who steered the country toward some suppliers who had assisted Pakistan8217;s nuclear programme years earlier. 8212; LAT-WP