Report: IAEA 'increasingly concerned' about possible Iran nuclear arms

An International Atomic Energy Agency report, dated and leaked Friday, said Iran continues to defy U.N. resolutions aimed at curbing its nuclear program and cited "increasing" concerns it may be developing nuclear weapons...

"The agency is increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations," the report states. Specifically, it cites "new information" received by the IAEA "related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile." "The information available to the agency in connection with these outstanding issues is extensive and comprehensive and has been acquired both from member states and through its own efforts," the report adds.

Iran admitted to producing more than 4,500 kilograms of enriched uranium since 2007, almost enough to make four nuclear weapons, according to an ISIS analysis from David Albright, Paul Brannan, Andrea Stricker and Christina Walrond.

UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears

In anticipation of a potential attack [against Iran], British military planners are examining where best to deploy Royal Navy ships and submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles over the coming months as part of what would be an air and sea campaign...

At the weekend, the New York Times reported that the US was looking to build up its military presence in the region, with one eye on Iran.

According to the paper, the US is considering sending more naval warships to the area, and is seeking to expand military ties with the six countries in the Gulf Co-operation Council: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Inside the Ring

"China continues to provide Iran with what could be considered advanced conventional weapons," the report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says...

The report also noted that, after Russia began cutting back arms transfers to Iran in 2008, China became the largest arms supplier to the Iranian military. Most of the weapons transfers involved sales of Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles, including C-802 missiles that China promised the United States in 1997 would not be exported to Iran.

China also built an entire missile plant in Iran last year to produce the Nasr-1 anti-ship cruise missile.

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ORIGINAL: kdsub

More likely their rather slow and low tech missiles could be intercepted and destroyed. Then their launching facilities and their command and control centers. What will that gain them...don't you think that is a very real possibility?

The Ying-Ji-802 land attack and anti-ship cruise missile [Western designation SACCADE], is an improved version of the C-801 which employs a small turbojet engine in place of the original solid rocket engine. The weight of the subsonic (0.9 Mach) Yingji-802 is reduced from 815 kilograms to 715 kilograms, but its range is increased from 42 kilometers to 120 kilometers. The 165 kg. (363 lb.) warhead is just as powerful as the earlier version. Since the missile has a small radar reflectivity and is only about five to seven meters above the sea surface when it attacks the target, and since its guidance equipment has strong anti-jamming capability, target ships have a very low success rate in intercepting the missile. The hit probability of the Yingji-802 is estimated to be as high as 98 percent. The Yingji-802 can be launched from airplanes, ships, submarines and land-based vehicles, and is considered along with the US "Harpoon" as among the best anti-ship missiles of the present-day world. (Reference: FAS)