Iran Seeking Swedish Technology for Nuclear Weapons

Iran

May 2nd, 8:11am

London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat

An IRGC boat intercepts a US ship in Gulf waters late last month. (AFP)

Sweden’s Security Service disclosed in its 2020 intelligence report that Iran is seeking Swedish technology for its nuclear weapons program, according to the Jerusalem Post. The report stated that Iran also is conducting industrial espionage, which is mainly targeted against the Swedish hi-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in nuclear weapons programs. "Iran is investing heavy resources in this area and some of the resources are used in Sweden." The Swedish report was released after a German intelligence document declared last week that Iran’s regime had not ceased its drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction in 2020. The German and Swedish intelligence findings establish that the regime still seeks a nuclear weapons program. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is only a temporary restriction on Iran’s drive to become a nation with atomic weapons, argue critics of the 2015 nuclear deal. The Iranian regime is using its intelligence apparatus to engage in espionage activities, targeting dissident elements in Sweden, and in Swedish industries. “Several countries engage in various forms of espionage and security-threatening activities against Sweden. Russia, China, and Iran make up the biggest threat,” wrote the Swedish Security Service. The Post reported in 2012 that the Swedish government sought to block EU sanctions on Tehran in order to protect a business deal between Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson and Tehran. Meanwhile, a senior Iranian commander announced that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the army are officially monitoring all “enemy” movements and ships that enter the Gulf waters. Navy commander, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri told Iranian Press TV that every ship that enters the Gulf, according to the law on bandit control in the Strait of Hormuz, is monitored and has to introduce itself. Iran plays a prominent role in the geopolitical and strategic region of the Gulf and Makran coast, he said. The presence of Iran in this region is not only in the military field but "also a strategic presence in various economic, political and even cultural sectors in the national and international arenas." The Gulf is the "engine of economic development and growth of Asian and European countries and the important and strategic axis of the sea, air, and commercial transportation between different countries,” the commander noted. Tangsiri noted that the strategic and geopolitical significance of the Gulf has attracted the illegitimate deployment of Western powers and foreign forces in the region.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2950761/iran-seeking-swedish-technology-nuclear-weapons