IAEA lays the smack on GOP House committee report on Iranian nuclear program

[BaliBabyDoc]

Reuters via Yahoo

VIENNA (Reuters) - U.N. inspectors have protested to the U.S. government and a Congressional committee about a report on
Iran's nuclear work, calling parts of it "outrageous and dishonest," according to a letter obtained by Reuters.

Wow! That's real skill . . . describing Congressional leadership in just three words . . .

The letter said the errors suggested Iran's nuclear fuel program was much more advanced than a series of IAEA reports and Washington's own intelligence assessments have determined.

It said the report falsely described Iran to have enriched uranium at its pilot centrifuge plant to weapons-grade level in April, whereas IAEA inspectors had made clear Iran had enriched only to a low level usable for nuclear power reactor fuel.

IIRC, the House committee report was prepared by the GOP staff of the committee and then released . . . without informing Democrats at all. I guess that's one way to explain why it sounds like a political ad for pro-war GOPies with nothing else to run on.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said: "We felt obliged to put the record straight with regard to the facts on what we have reported on Iran. It's a matter of the integrity of the IAEA."
--
"This (committee report) is deja vu of the pre-Iraq war period where the facts are being maligned and attempts are being made to ruin the integrity of IAEA inspectors," said a Western diplomat familiar with the agency and IAEA-U.S. relations.

I know it worked last time . . . but it still befuddles me how people really think they can tell verifiable lies and expect to get away with it.

 

[Todd33]

They need a new war, the old one is going so well. How many years until the world trust the US again?

 

[Kwaipie]

Meet the new war, same as the old war.

Long live defense stocks.

 

[Pens1566]

The funny thing is, Bush cited IAEA as the best info they have on Iranian nuke programs in his NBC interview the other day. HA!

 

[DealMonkey]

OMG! The GOP can't possibly think this will work twice! Right?!

Officials of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency said in a letter that the report contained some "erroneous, misleading and unsubstantiated statements." The letter, signed by a senior director at the agency, was addressed to Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), chairman of the House intelligence committee, which issued the report.

Just what is Hoekstra basing his report on?

The agency noted five major errors in the committee's 29-page report, which said Iran's nuclear capabilities are more advanced than either the IAEA or U.S. intelligence has shown.

What does Hoekstra know that the CIA and the IAEA doesn't?

Privately, several intelligence officials said the committee report included at least a dozen claims that were either demonstrably wrong or impossible to substantiate. Hoekstra's office said the report was reviewed by the office of John D. Negroponte, the director of national intelligence.

Hmmm, obviously he doesn't know anything.

The committee report, written by a single Republican staffer with a hard-line position on Iran, chastised the CIA and other agencies for not providing evidence to back assertions that Iran is building nuclear weapons.

And not only is he ignorant of the facts regarding Iran, he chastises the intel community for not taking his lead and generating some "evidence" to show just how dangerous Iran is.

Source

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

When the congressional report was released last month, Hoekstra said his intent was "to help increase the American public's understanding of Iran as a threat." Spokesman Jamal Ware said yesterday that Hoekstra will respond to the IAEA letter.

Hoekstra response, "liar, liar pants on fire!"

 

[daveshel]

Here we go again...

 

[sandorski]

oh my

 

[Todd33]

BTW the report was written by a new Republican staffer, ex-CIA. The report is not an official commitee report, it was never held for a vote and the Dem objected to the contents. They complained the threats were hyped up with poor intel and the objections to the intel were buried. I heard this on NPR.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: Todd33
They need a new war, the old one is going so well. How many years until the world trust the US again?

The US will have to save the world from some evil empire, again. The memories of World War 2 are old and almost all of them have died. Maybe if the USSR came back. China could be it, maybe if they invaded Taiwan and the US came in to rescue them or better yet, alien attack.

Wars are not like what they used to be, everytime I think about bringing back a huge evil empire, it always just ends up with nukes and everyone losing. Oh well, only thing these days is terrorist and terrorists.

 

[Aimster]

I dont think anyone is thinking of invading Iran. That is simply not even on the table.

I dont see why the President of the U.S needs to stir anything up to bomb Iranian military/nuclear sites. I'm sure he'll have 100% of the backing of the govt.

The problem is not what the U.S govt thinks but what the M.E nations think and what the U.S could gain by bombing their sites.