President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, south of Tehran. He repeated claims that Iran required only a civilian nuclear programme. (Presidential official website/Reuters)Iran Admits To Secret Second Nuclear Plant -- Times Online
Iran has admitted to running a secret second uranium enrichment plant, pre-empting President Obama and Gordon Brown who were due to reveal its existence to the world later today.
Tehran sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna confessing that they have concealed the nuclear facility inside a mountain.
Mr Brown, Mr Obama and President Sarkozy were due to make the dramatic announcement within hours, before the G20 meetings in Pittsburgh.
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More News On Iran's Secret Nuclear Program
Iran Reveals Existence of Second Uranium Enrichment Plant -- Washington Post
U.S., UK, France to accuse Iran of covert nuclear plant -- Reuters
Officials tell AP Iran has second enrichment plant -- AP
Iran 'has second enrichment site' -- BBC
Iran tells IAEA it is building 2nd enrichment plant -- Reuters
Iran Reveals Second Uranium Enrichment Plant -- Voice of America
Obama: Iran has secret nuclear facility -- AP
Iran announces new enrichment plant -- Al Jazeera
Iran's ISNA: source confirms enrichment plant reports -- Reuters
Secret Iranian nuclear plant claim -- The Guardian
Q&A: Iran's secret nuclear plant -- The Guardian
My Comment: These revelations now puts into question numerous Intelligence Reports that discounted the idea that Iran was embarking on a nuclear weapons program. The NIE report released in 2007 comes to mind, in which it claimed that Iran had a nuclear weapons development program, but halted it in 2003. This report was used by President Bush's critics, and was successful in halting any talk of Iranian embargoes and/or trade sanctions.
Iran's admission of a second enrichment plant is a bombshell. It embarrasses numerous UN nuclear agencies (IAEA), U.S. Intelligence Services, and foreign Governments that have been skeptical of Iran's nuclear intentions.
This is an ongoing story, and WNU will update it as the day goes by.