- 16 December 2011
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- US-Iran War
Today we awoke to an AFP report that Iran had been caught red-handed trying to smuggle “nuclear material” out of Russia. According the report, in response to this illegal act “a criminal enquiry has been launched.” The report seemed to confirm many people’s beliefs about Iran’s willingness to use any means at its disposal, illicit or otherwise, in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Iran hawks have long been trying to compile evidence ranging from IAEA reports to “laptops of death” to support such assertions. And no doubt today’s report about a furtive attempt to smuggle nuclear material into Iran must surely be one more piece of evidence demonstrating Iran’s efforts and intentions to pursue nuclear weapons. Right?
Wrong. As more information emerged it turned out that the nuclear material was not weapons grade uranium or anything of the sort that could be used for any military purpose, but a rather innocuous radioactive isotope. According to an ABC report:
On closer examination the isotope was identified as Na22, which is used in medicine. It is commonly used to trace sodium in the body. It cannot be used in the production nuclear weapons.
While it is sometimes overlooked, there are very legitimate usages for nuclear material that range from civilian energy production to treating cancer. In fact, Russia has an agreement in place with Iran to supply medical isotopes, such as Na22. Such an agreement could mean that today’s “smuggling” of nuclear material is connected to a legitimate and recognized purpose, and not some nefarious militarized nuclear program.
Today’s revelations regarding this incident should illustrate two points.