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Hans Blix is urging Western nations to offer concessions to Iran in order to entice Tehran to relinquish its program of uranium enrichment. Blix reasoned that if the West asked the Iranians to abandon enrichment, "Then you are asking them to give something up they have a right to be doing. Then you have to accept that they will make demands."

Meanwhile, the Iranians appear to agree with Blix that they have every right to pursue uranium enrichment, having turned down the European Union's offer of nuclear technology in exchange for an unlimited suspension of enrichment.

Blix warned against air attacks against Iran's nuclear facilities, saying there were no nuclear weapons being developed there.

Hans Blix offered no explanation for how he is able to determine what Iran is doing -- or not doing -- at its nuclear facilities. One wonders why John Kerry laments (e.g., in the second presidential debate) the President's unwillingness to let "Hans Blix do his job and thoroughly go through the inspections," when Hans Blix can find that there is nothing to find, without even looking.

Labels: Hans Blix, Iran, nuclear weapons, United Nations, uranium enrichment

Con Coughlin of the London Telegraph reported on Sunday that Syria's President Bashir al-Assad is in secret negotiations with Iran, attempting to gain safe haven for a group of nuclear scientists who were sent to Damascus just before the U.S.-led invasion overthrowing the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Asad is said by Western intelligence officials to be desperate to rid his country of the scientists because of fears that Syria may be the next target of Washington's War on Terror.

The report claims that the Iraqi scientists brought to Syria CDs crammed with research data on Saddam's nuclear program. Damascus gave them new identities, including Syrian citizenship papers and falsified birth, education and health certificates. Hidden away at a secret Syrian military installation, the scientists are said to be conducting research on behalf of their new hosts.

American intelligence has other reasons to be concerned about Syrian research into WMDs. Damascus has allegedly acquired, possibly from North Korea, several gas centrifuges, necessary for enriching uranium to make a nuclear weapon.

The terms of the deal offered to the Iranians involve the transfer of the Iraqi scientists to Teheran in exchange for the Iranians agreeing to share the results of their weapons research with Damascus.

In another frightening development, Teheran announced it was pressing ahead with plans to enrich 37 tons of uranium. Experts estimate that when the process is complete that the Iranians will have enough fissile material for five nuclear bombs.

Labels: Bashir al-Assad, DPRK, Iran, North Korea, Syria, uranium enrichment