Issue No. 960, 29 November 2011 Articles & Other Documents: Featured Article: CSAF Signs Munitions Realignment Directive 1. Mysterious Explosions Pose Dilemma for Iranian Leaders 2. Iranian Navy Receives 3 Ghadir-Class Submarines 3. Revolutionary Guard Official: Iran Targets Israel N-facilities in Case of Attack 4. Iran Ready to Hold Talks with P5+1 5. Iran Rushes Through Law Expelling British Ambassador 6. Satellite Images of Iran Explosion 7. Former MI chief: Iran Has Enough Material for 4 or 5 Nuclear Bombs 8. Britain 'Acutely Concerned' with N. Korea's Proliferation Activities 9. N.Korea's Succession Faces Challenges: Minister 10. North Korea Supplying Syria, Iran with Prohibited Nuclear Technology, Report Says 11. IAEA Stands Ready to Send Inspectors Back to N. Korea: Deputy Chief 12. US Aware of North Korea-Burma Nuclear Ties Since 2006 13. Pakistan Nukes Not Safe, Says Former Minister Qureshi 14. 'Reset' Is Threatened By Missiles 15. Russia’s NATO Envoy to Visit China, Iran over Missile Defense 16. Missile Defense Sparks Diplomatic Offensive 17. Russia to Deploy Kaliningrad Radar Tuesday 18. Bulava Missile Test Postponed Until 2012 19. MoD Spends £2bn on Nuclear Weapons Ahead of Trident Renewal Decision 20. Air Force Nuclear Transport Work Falls Short 21. CSAF Signs Munitions Realignment Directive 22. US Fears Dutch Research could be Biological Weapon 23. GRENELL & WALSH: Obama’s Nuclear-Reduction Fantasy 24. Iranian Fatwa Prohibits Nuclear Bomb 25. The Real Lesson of Iraq 26. Enemy of Iranian state 27. FEULNER: Meeting the Missile Threat 28. Analysis: For Iran, the Sanctions Price May Be Worth Paying Welcome to the CPC Outreach Journal. As part of USAF Counterproliferation Center’s mission to counter weapons of mass destruction through education and research, we’re providing our government and civilian community a source for timely counterproliferation information. This information includes articles, papers and other documents addressing issues pertinent to US military response options for dealing with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and countermeasures. It’s our hope this information resource will help enhance your counterproliferation issue awareness. Established in 1998, the USAF/CPC provides education and research to present and future leaders of the Air Force, as well as to members of other branches of the armed services and Department of Defense. Our purpose is to help those agencies better prepare to counter the threat from weapons of mass destruction. Please feel free to visit our web site at http://cpc.au.af.mil/ for in-depth information and specific points of contact. The following articles, papers or documents do not necessarily reflect official endorsement of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or other US government agencies. Reproduction for private use or commercial gain is subject to original copyright restrictions. All rights are reserved. Issue No. 960, 29 November 2011 The following articles, papers or documents do not necessarily reflect official endorsement of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or other US government agencies. Reproduction for private use or commercial gain is subject to original copyright restrictions. All rights are reserved. United States Air Force Counterproliferation Research & Education | Maxwell AFB, Montgomery AL Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7530 Washington Post Mysterious Explosions Pose Dilemma for Iranian Leaders By Thomas Erdbrink November 25, 2011 TEHRAN — A massive blast at a missile base operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps nearly two weeks ago was the latest in a series of mysterious incidents involving explosions at natural gas transport facilities, oil refineries and military bases — blasts that have caused dozens of deaths and damage to key infrastructure in the past two years. Iranian officials said the Nov. 12 blast at the missile base was an “accident,” and they ruled out any sabotage organized by the United States and its regional allies. The explosion on the Shahid Modarres base near the city of Malard was so powerful that it shook the capital, Tehran, about 30 miles to the east. Despite the official denial of foreign involvement in the latest blast, suspicions have been raised in Iran by what industry experts say is a fivefold increase in explosions at refineries and gas pipelines since 2010. Explaining the increased number of industrial incidents is proving to be a predicament for Iranian leaders, who do not want to appear vulnerable at a time when Israeli leaders have been debating military intervention against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Officials have blamed industrial accidents for most the blasts, saying they were caused by such deficiencies as “bad welding” or “substandard manufacturing.” But media restrictions and the lack of independent investigations have made it hard to verify the claims. One oil expert said that increasingly strict sanctions prohibiting Western companies from maintaining key installations in Iran could also be to blame. “Now, many projects are finished by Iranian companies without observing safety standards,” said Reza Zandi, an Iranian journalist who specializes in energy issues. “There is clearly an increase in incidents in recent years,” said Mohammad Abumohsen, an inspector of oil and gas pipelines. At least 17 gas pipeline explosions have been reported since last year, compared with three in 2008 and 2009. At the same time, nearly a dozen major explosions have damaged refineries since 2010, but experts say it is complicated to determine the cause of such incidents. In the United States, Republican presidential contenders have called for President Obama to start covert action against Iran because of its refusal to stop its uranium-enrichment program. U.S. officials suspect the program is aimed at producing fissile material for nuclear weapons. Iran insists that it wants only to make its own fuel for nuclear power plants. Suspicions that covert action might already be underway were raised when four key gas pipelines exploded simultaneously in different locations in Qom Province in April. Lawmaker Parviz Sorouri told the semiofficial Mehr News Agency that the blasts were the work of “terrorists” and were “organized by the enemies of the Islamic Republic.” Iran in recent years has improved its ability to hunt spies, using reviews of travel and expense records to round up Iranians suspected of selling information to U.S., British and Israeli intelligence services, the Associated Press reported Monday. In May, Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi announced the arrest of 30 “CIA spies” who he said had been recruited to map out Iran’s energy infrastructure. Issue No. 960, 29 November 2011 United States Air Force Counterproliferation Research & Education | Maxwell AFB, Montgomery AL Phone: 334.953.7538 | Fax: 334.953.7530 “One of their main objectives was carrying out sabotage activities,” Moslehi said, according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency. Iran’s parliament launched an investigation into the blast at the missile site but did not issue any findings this week as promised. One lawmaker, Mohammad Kazem Hejazi, said revealing such information might give away secrets to the “enemy,” the Iranian Labor News Agency reported Tuesday. “We are not ruling out sabotage in the Malard missile base,” said one source close to the Revolutionary Guards, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “It is not impossible to bribe a single person into doing something bad.” On Wednesday, an explosion rocked a stronghold in southern Lebanon of Iran’s regional ally, Hezbollah, which is widely believed to be supplied with Iranian missiles capable of hitting major urban centers in Israel. Hezbollah did not comment on the cause of the blast but denied that it occurred at one of the group’s arms depots, Beirut’s Daily Star newspaper reported. Iran has accused the United States and Israel of organizing the assassinations of three nuclear scientists in Tehran since 2010. The government has also blamed both countries for a computer virus called “Stuxnet,” which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad acknowledged had disabled centrifuges used to enrich uranium. In a sign that relations between Iran and the West are further deteriorating, Iran’s parliament voted Wednesday to consider expelling the British ambassador to Tehran. The preliminary vote came after Britain on Tuesday joined the United States and Canada in adopting new financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic. If carried out, an expulsion could prompt other European countries to withdraw their ambassadors, diplomatic sources said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/mysterious-explosions-pose-dilemma-for-iranian- leaders/2011/11/23/gIQA8IsSvN_story.html (Return to Articles and Documents List) FARS News Agency – Iran Saturday, November 26, 2011 Iranian Navy Receives 3 Ghadir-Class Submarines TEHRAN (FNA) - The Iranian Navy expanded the fleet of its submarines after it received three more Ghadir-class submarines today, Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Saturday. Speaking to reporters in a press conference here in Tehran on Saturday, the Navy commander underlined that all parts of the submarines have been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts. "All parts of these submarines, including their body and their advanced radar equipment and defense systems, have been designed and manufactured by our country's defense