A British newspaper reported on Thursday that companies based in Taiwan might be helping Iran to produce nuclear weapons.
The Daily Telegraph said that “recent intelligence reports” have alleged that officials from Iran’s Ministry of Defense have bought 100 pressure transducers from the unnamed companies and secretly shipped them to Tehran.
It said the UN was investigating.
A UN official refused to comment last night and a source with the CIA said that he could neither “confirm nor deny” the allegations.
Iran is widely believed to be trying to build nuclear weapons despite extensive efforts by the US, Israel and the UN to stop it. The White House has warned Iran on numerous occasions and the issue is near the top of US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda.
The report said Iranian government officials have held a series of meetings with companies based in Taiwan and now want to buy hundreds of pressure transducers, which are used to measure pressure and which are essential in the production of weapons-grade uranium.
“Iran has been desperately trying to acquire the equipment for more than a year, but has been frustrated by the refusal of European and American companies to sell it material that might be used for its nuclear program,” the article by Con Coughlin, the Daily Telegraph’s executive foreign editor, said.
Pentagon officials believe Iran is building a second uranium enrichment facility at Qom and some sources say that it is only a few years away from producing nuclear weapons.
“Tehran is reported to have intensified its efforts to import sophisticated technology in response to the mounting international pressure it is facing to freeze its uranium enrichment program,” Coughlin wrote, adding that Iran is now “concentrating its efforts on Taiwan.”
Alleging that Iran has already acquired 100 transducers from Taiwan, Coughlin said the transducers “were originally manufactured in Europe and then sold to a company in Taiwan, which then sold them on to Iran’s defense ministry.”
“UN officials are now investigating whether the European companies are undertaking proper checks of end-user certificates for their equipment. According to the intelligence reports, Iranian officials are now trying to negotiate further shipments of the highly restricted equipment from Taiwan,” Coughlin wrote.
A UN source was quoted as saying: “This is a serious loophole, as it enables Iran to acquire sophisticated equipment that can help it develop its nuclear program. Pressure needs to be applied to the companies involved to stop doing business with Tehran while it is still refusing to cooperate with the UN.”
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday said Taiwan was not working on any nuclear weapons projects and it does not have jurisdiction over private firms involved in such business.
“From what I understand, the story is about private companies that allegedly purchased and then sold parts to Iran that can be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The products were shipped directly to Iran from the country where they were purchased and never arrived in Taiwan,” ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said. “If that is the case, it is merely a business deal and does not concern the military.”
The development of nuclear weapons is also banned in Taiwan, he said, adding that he thought it would be impossible for a private firm to possess key technology or produce parts that could be used in the production of nuclear weapons.
Bureau of Foreign Trade spokesperson Hsu Chun-fang (徐純芳) told the Taipei Times: “We also got the information from the Web site. As you know, the story is very vague about the details. We are looking into the matter.”
“No more comment,” she said when asked what steps the bureau was taking to investigate the story.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG AND JENNY W. HSU
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