IAEA: Iran has document with sole purpose of making bomb

By Lee Russ

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 at 02:40 PM

Sounds like things just got a lot trickier/scarier/more dangerous in the world, especially the Middle East, as the various "sides" start searching for ways to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, while Iran searches for ways to keep going and/or convince everyone that they don't want a bomb.

From today's AP reports, via Forbes:

Agency: Iran Papers Are for an Atomic Bomb
Jan 31; By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria

"A document obtained by Iran on the nuclear black market serves no other purpose than to make an atomic bomb, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday.

"The finding was made in a report prepared for presentation to the 35- nation IAEA board when it meets, starting Thursday, on whether to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, which has the power to impose economic and political sanctions on Iran."
...
"The document was given to Iran by members of the nuclear black market network, the IAEA said. Iran has claimed it did not ask for the document but was given it anyway as part of other black market purchases.

"The same network provided Libya with drawings of a crude nuclear bomb which that country handed over to the IAEA as part of its 2003 decision to scrap its atomic weapons program."

At this point, it seems almost inevitable that Iran would be referred to the Security Council for sanction.  And, let's face it, with the IAEA declaring that this document has no purpose other than to make a bomb, how long will it be before some other country decides to try to stop Iran on their own.

I'll be shocked if the US doesn't beat the drums on this one to get public sentiment tilting toward a "stop them at any cost" mentality.

Just curious: how many readers think that it's possible in the long term to keep all the currently non-nuclear countries from developing nuclear weapon capability?