Iran is suspected of studying nuclear warhead designs.
International nuclear inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist helped Iran conduct complex experiments on how to detonate a nuclear weapon, The New York Times reported. It is the first time that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has suggested that Iran may have received help from a foreign weapons scientist in developing nuclear arms. According to European and American officials, inspectors at the nuclear agency are seeking information from the scientist, who they believe acted on his own as an adviser on experiments described in a lengthy document obtained by the agency. Tehran has refused repeated IAEA requests to provide information needed to explain alleged military involvement in the country's nuclear program, and faces further sanctions as a result of its continued defiance of international demands that it halt its illicit nuclear work.
Both nominees warned of the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran.
U.S. presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain both said on Tuesday that if elected, they would work to toughen sanctions on Iran in order to stop it from acquiring nuclear weapons, Reuters reported. Despite a number of foreign policy differences, both candidates agreed that Iran should not be allowed to build an atomic bomb. "We cannot allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, it would be a game-changer in the region," Obama said. "Not only would it threaten Israel... but it would also create the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists." McCain warned of a potential nuclear arms race in the Middle East: "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons all the other countries will acquire them too. The tensions would be ratcheted up," he said, before adding, "We can never allow a second Holocaust to take place." Click here to learn about the importance of sanctions against Iran.
Miliband warned of Iran's defiance.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned Tuesday of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran was allowed to press ahead unchecked with a uranium enrichment program, Agence France Presse reported. "We must be insistent that a uranium enrichment program, in defiance not just of the U.N. Security Council but also of Iran's obligations under the non-proliferation treaty, is a serious danger not just to stability in the Middle East but in the world," Miliband said. "But it's not a way forward while they continue to defy not just the U.N. Security Council but also the (IAEA) which has continuing serious concerns about their program and the refusal of the Iranian government to come clean about it." Tehran has refused to provide information needed to explain alleged military involvement in the country's nuclear program, and faces further sanctions as a result of its continued defiance of international demands that it halt its illicit nuclear work.
Israel is a leader in pediatric medicine.
A 12-year-old Iranian boy suffering from brain cancer has been sent to Israel for emergency surgery after treatments in both Turkey and Iran were unsuccessful, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Despite Iran's nearly 30-year refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, the Jewish state's Interior Minister, Meir Sheetrit, gave the child special permission to enter the country. "We are the light upon the nations, and when a child's life is at stake, religion and origin play no part," Sheetrit said. "If we can help, we are more than willing to do so." The child's physician in Turkey said Israel provided the best technical and medical expertise in the region to properly treat the boy's dire condition.
Israel has already allowed the shipment of weapons to PA forces.
Israel is backing a bid by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to deploy security forces in Hebron to combat Hamas' efforts to seize the city, a senior Palestinian defense official told the Israeli Web site Ynet on Monday. The Palestinian force will reportedly be comprised of more than 1,000 armed men. Israel has so far authorized the deployment of 250 members of the Presidential Guard and an identical number of police officers. The PA is hoping to add another 500 troops from the national force, though Israel has yet to confirm the report. Despite the risks involved, Israel has also allowed the shipment of rifles, bullets and other defensive weapons to the PA, and has removed checkpoints and released prisoners in an effort to bolster PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The United States and its allies expect Abbas to demonstrate his commitment to peace with Israel by undertaking "sustained, targeted, and effective operations" against terrorists in the West Bank, as called for in Phase I of the Road Map.
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