American Security Council Foundation (ASCF)

NEWS BRIEFS: This Week's MidEast Geopolitical Round-Up

By Robert Fragnito November 6, 2009

REPORT: Iran tests newly designed nuclear warhead

 

Iran has tested a newly designed nuclear warhead, the Guardian reported late Thursday night. According to the report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found evidence in a secret report that Iranian scientists may have experimented on “two-point implosion” warhead designs. News of the experiment left nuclear experts calling the development “breathtaking,” given the advanced technology simplifies attaching a nuclear warhead to a missile.

 

IAEA: Findings at Qom nuclear site ''nothing to worry about,'' Iran seeks recognition as regional power

 

IAEA nuclear inspectors found “nothing to worry about” at Iran's newly disclosed secret nuclear site near Qom said IAEA chief Mohammad ElBaradei. He described the site as a “hole in a mountain” intended to be used as a fallback bunker in case of an attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. ElBaradei also said Tehran is using its nuclear program as a means to an end for recognition as a regional power, admitting that since Tehran began pursuing its nuclear program, Iran has been taken more seriously. The IAEA chief reasserted that there is still no concrete evidence showing that Iran is seeking atomic weapons.

 

Israeli Deputy FM issues warning, Israel not bluffing on Iran strike

 

Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon told Sky News that his country is not bluffing on striking Iranian nuclear sites if Tehran continues to stall on diplomatic negotiations with Western powers. “The one who's bluffing is Iran, which is trying to play with cards they don't have... All the bravado that we see and the testing and the very dangerous and harsh rhetoric is hiding a lot of weaknesses,” Ayalon said. Israeli analysts are finalizing attacks plans if needed Sky News reported.

 

Exposé on “Operation Orchard”

 

German newspaper Der Spiegel published an exposé on the events leading up to Israel's September 2007 bombing of the alleged Al Kibar nuclear reactor in Syria. Erich Follath and Holger Stark reveal that Israel's intelligence agency, the Mossad, installed a “Trojan Horse” on a Syrian official's laptop in a London hotel uncovering pictures and documents proving Syria was working on nuclear material with the help of North Korea and Iran.

 

Saudi Arabia bombs Yemeni rebels

 

Saudi fighter jets launched a cross border incursion along the Yemeni border to help its southern neighbor fight off Shi'a Hawthi rebels, the Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday September 6. Hawthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told AP Saudi jets attacked five areas in northern Yemen. The recent offensive has solidified concerns of another proxy war in the region between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

 

Israel seizes ship near Cyprus containing weapons headed for Hezbollah

 

Israel's navy on Wednesday intercepted a cargo ship containing over 300 tons of weapons including Katyusha rockets headed for the Lebanese Shi'a militant group, Hezbollah. Israeli military officials discovered the weapons during a naval operation near Cyprus. Israeli officials said a cargo certificate on board the Francop indicated the weapons originated from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The ship picked up the weapons in Egypt and was headed for the Syrian port of Latakia. Hezbollah denied any connection to the shipment.