Iran busts sanctions by using other nations to get WMD - German intel
The report warned about Iran’s exploitation of the research and academic fields to advance its nuclear weapons program.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALIranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a meeting with Muslim leaders and scholars in Hyderabad, India, February 15, 2018(photo credit: DANISH SIDDIQUI/ REUTERS)
The Islamic Republic of Iran has sought to disrupt sanctions imposed on its effort to secure illicit weapons of mass destruction technology by using third party countries to transport the material, The Jerusalem Post can reveal on Friday.The German state of Hesse reported in its new intelligence report on Friday that "in particular, states such as Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria tried to acquire and distribute such weapons as part of the proliferation, for example, by concealing the transport routes via third countries. The aim of such intelligence measures was to circumvent control mechanisms over third countries that are not subject to special embargo regulations.”The Post reviewed the 384-page intelligence report in connection with all references to the Iranian regime threat. The Hesse intelligence document covers the year 2019 and outlines the most pressing security threats faced by the state.The Hesse state intelligence service’s findings confirm the data collection of additional German state intelligence agencies in 2020 that declared Iran's regime continues to seek technology and material to build weapons of mass destruction devices.The Hesse intelligence agency wrote that it “continued to pay particular attention to attempts at proliferation originating from Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria, i.e. the proliferation or transfer of weapons of mass destruction."Hesse’s intelligence service defined proliferation as “the term proliferation refers to the spread or transfer of weapons of mass destruction as well as the acquisition of suitable delivery systems and corresponding technologies to states that do not yet have such weapons. In addition to the import of complete weapon systems, proliferation also includes the illegal procurement of components, relevant technologies and manufacturing processes as well as the recruitment of scientific and technical personnel.”The report outlined the damage that could unfold if Iran’s rulers obtain the deadliest weapons in the world: “Weapons of mass destruction continued to be an instrument of power politics that can shake the stability of an entire state structure in both regional and international crisis situations.”The report warned about Iran’s exploitation of the research and academic fields to advance its nuclear weapons program.“Relevant states with illegal procurement methods are in particular Iran, North Korea and Pakistan. An example of this is the field of electrical engineering in conjunction with the use of centrifuges in the process of uranium enrichment. There are always suspicions here that foreign intelligence services are putting their own guest researchers under pressure in order to acquire the desired technical know-how. Another example of intelligence control is the exchange of research between university institutes in the field of chemical-biological processes,” the intelligence agency wrote.German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration opposes an extended UN weapons embargo against Iran. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and the US government have urged Merkel to join the US and impose snapback UN sanctions against Iran for its violations of the 2015 nuclear deal and its sponsorship of terrorism across the globe.
The massive Frankfurt international airport is located in Hesse and the report did not detail if any of Iran’s illicit weapons proliferation activity took place in the airport. Iran’s regime, according to the report, may have been behind cyber espionage activity in Hesse.“Cyber attacks on companies with a suspected Chinese, Iranian and Russian background continued, with activities with presumably state Chinese authorship increasing. The focus here was primarily on Frankfurt am Main with a number of institutions relevant in the financial world,” noted the intelligence document.Multiple Iranian intelligence agencies are highly active in Germany. According to the report, “The Iranian intelligence service Ministry of Intelligence (VAJA / MOIS) is a civil domestic and international intelligence service that has been active in Germany for years. In addition to the VAJA / MOIS, the foreign intelligence service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was particularly involved in spying on Iranian opposition members and pro-Jewish and pro-Israel institutions.”
