Iran Laptop Papers Showed the Wrong Missile Warhead
ipsnews / Gareth Porter
20-Nov-2010 (2 comments)

WASHINGTON, Nov 19, 2010 (IPS) - The most important intelligence documents used to argue that Iran had a covert nuclear weapons research and development programme in 2003 - a set of technical drawings of efforts to fit what appears to be a nuclear payload into the reentry vehicle of Iran's medium-range ballistic missile, the Shahab-3 – turn out to have a fatal flaw: the drawings depict a reentry vehicle that had already been abandoned by the Iranian missile programme in favour of an improved model.

The reentry vehicle or warhead shown in the schematics had the familiar "dunce cap" shape of the original North Korean No Dong missile, an IPS investigation has confirmed. But when Iran had flight-tested a new missile in mid-2004, it did not have that "dunce cap" warhead but a new "triconic" or "baby bottle" shape, which was more aerodynamic than the one on the original Iranian missile.

The development of the new missile and warhead had already been under way for years by that time, according to the author of the most authoritative study of the Iranian missile programme.

The schematics are dated March and April 2003, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report of May 2008. But according to Mike Elleman, lead author of the study published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) last May, Iran had been introducing the new warhead shape, along with other major innovations in the design of the medium-rang... >>>

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IranFirst

Mammad Gareth has poven nothing

by IranFirst on Sun Nov 21, 2010 07:04 AM PST

Even if he is right is sequence of events (which he may not be) He says

"Those who had ordered the schematics for the Shahab-3
warhead drawn to implicate the Iranian military would have
been misled by Iranian statements about the status of that
missile. The IISS study recalls that Iran had said in early
2001 that the Shahab-3 had entered "serial production" and
declared in July 2003 that it was "operational".

Wrong conclusion. IRI can have more than one missle design for Nuclear capability and he is saying just because the document found was a design change on the "old" design. Its fabricated. WHy? How does he know IRI does not have a design change for new and older designs and IAEA has just obtained this version of the design. and not the others.

Its for everyone to read (including IRI-appologists, like you) and make their own conclusions.

As for your personal attacks and name calling, its not new and many other IRI-appologists have tried it before. Stck to the subject and the viewers make up their own mind. This is not your IRI that you can silence people and put them in jail and torture them  for expressing their ideas


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Mammad

That is a moronic title and understanding of the article

by Mammad on Sat Nov 20, 2010 04:10 PM PST

Gareth has proved that the document, allegedly on a stolen laptop allegedly taken out of Iran in 2004, is a fabrication, not that the IRI has put a nuclear warhead on a wrong missile, or anything of that sort. I suggest that you first understand what Gareth (a good friend) says, then make your usual rant. 

You eerily sound like Farhad Kashani who used to be here all the time, but after making an a.. of himself disappeared.

Mammad


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