Uranium plant raises fear of Iran connection

By Kim Young-jin

North Korea’s apparent operation of a uranium-enrichment plant is stoking fears here and abroad over a so-called “Iran connection” through which the isolated countries are exchanging sophisticated technology and know-how to achieve their respective nuclear goals.

The North last week unveiled a plant believed to have more than 1,000 centrifuges to American scientist Siegfried Hecker, who said the facility appeared to be suited for energy purposes but could be converted to produce nuclear warheads.

“The only country that could be supplying North Korea with the technology and know-how is Iran,” Yonhap News Agency quoted a high-level source as saying. “But there has been no clear evidence yet that Iran has provided such information to the North, so further investigation needs to be carried out.”

Speculation has been driven by a report released Monday by the U.S.-based think tank Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), which confirmed that the North had obtained the same “modern computerized control equipment” used by Iran to run its centrifuges.

The two countries appear to be using similar illegal networks to secure the equipment, the report said. ISIS reported in October on the possibility of the plant, citing satellite imagery.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that various U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded ― on the basis of Hecker’s report ― that the centrifuges at the Yongbyon plant were of the so-called “P-2” variety.

This revelation has elicited concern among experts that Iran has ― or easily could ― secure such technology from the North. Some also worry that the North could enrich uranium for Iran, at a time when Tehran has run into problems producing nuclear fuel.

The behind-the-scenes cooperation comes as no surprise to the international community. Pyongyang and Tehran _ both under sanctions for nuclear activities _ are known to have cooperated on military technology since 1980 and are suspected of mutual consultation on their nuclear programs as well.

In March, Leonard Spector, head of the U.S.-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, wrote on its website that the North had shipped 45 tons of “yellowcake,” a kind of uranium concentrate power, to Iran through Syria and Turkey.

A recent U.N. report confirmed suspicions that the North is proliferating nuclear technology to Iran, Syria and Myanmar. The North is believed to have assisted Syria in building a reactor designed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.

Despite international sanctions and operational setbacks, Iran in recent months has continued to operate nuclear fuel production at its Natanz facility.

Tehran has been developing a uranium enrichment program since the mid-1980s. In August, it began operating a nuclear plant powered by enriched uranium.

But a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency was expected to highlight operational problems associated with the plant’s centrifuges later Tuesday.

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn