German intel: Iran wants to expand weapons into nuclear arsenal
“Iran, North Korea, Syria and Pakistan are making efforts to expand their conventional weapons arsenal through the production of weapons of mass destruction,” the Bavarian intelligence agency said.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALUpdated: JULY 4, 2018 03:24Satellite image shows a nuclear facility in Iran(photo credit: REUTERS)
A German intelligence report from the state of Bavaria concluded the Islamic Republic of Iran is working to turn its conventional military weapons into a system for weapons of mass destruction.“Iran, North Korea, Syria and Pakistan are making efforts to expand their conventional weapons arsenal through the production of weapons of mass destruction,” wrote the Bavarian intelligence agency in April 2018. The Jerusalem Post examined the 312-page intelligence report written by the Munich-based intelligence agency, the rough equivalent to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency.The report defined proliferation and weapons of mass destruction activities “as the illegal propagation of atomic, biological and chemical weapons and the production of their applicable products.”The new evidence from Bavarian intelligence will provide new ammunition for critics of the Iran nuclear deal’s failure to curb Tehran’s desire to build a nuclear weapons program.German Chancellor Angela Merkel remains a strong proponent of the Iran nuclear deal and believes the accord will stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear-weapon device. She has not commented on the findings of her intelligence agencies that appear to contradict her views of the effectiveness of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal.The Post reported in early June that the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Württemberg wrote in a report: “Iran continued to undertake, as did Pakistan and Syria, efforts to obtain goods and know-how to be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction and to optimize corresponding missile-delivery systems.”The Bavarian intelligence agency said Iran seeks construction parts and the necessary know-how in Germany and other highly developed technological countries to develop its illicit program for weapons of mass destruction. German intelligence agencies documented Iranian regime efforts in 2017 to purchase illegal material and technology from German companies.
