Iran could hit Europe with N Korean missiles: WikiLeaks

Source: ABC (Australia)

US intelligence believes Iran has obtained advanced missiles from North Korea, capable of striking Europe, according to US documents leaked by WikiLeaks and cited by the New York Times.

The newspaper, in a diplomatic cable dated February 24, said "secret American intelligence assessments have concluded that Iran has obtained a cache of advanced missiles, based on a Russian design".

Iran obtained 19 of the North Korean missiles, an improved version of Russia's R-27, from North Korea, the cable said, and was "taking pains to master the technology in an attempt to build a new generation of missiles".

At the request of US president Barack Obama's administration, the New York Times said it had agreed not to publish the text of that cable. "The North Korean version of the advanced missile, known as the BM-25, could carry a nuclear warhead," said the newspaper, adding it had a range of up to 2,000 miles (more than 3,000 kilometres).

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/29/3078910.htm

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Iran Fortifies Its Arsenal With the Aid of North Korea

NYT

By WILLIAM J. BROAD, JAMES GLANZ and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: November 28, 2010

Secret American intelligence assessments have concluded that Iran has obtained a cache of advanced missiles, based on a Russian design, that are much more powerful than anything Washington has publicly conceded that Tehran has in its arsenal, diplomatic cables show.

Iran obtained 19 of the missiles from North Korea, according to a cable dated Feb. 24 of this year. The cable is a detailed, highly classified account of a meeting between top Russian officials and an American delegation led by Vann H. Van Diepen, an official with the State Department’s nonproliferation division who, as a national intelligence officer several years ago, played a crucial role in the 2007 assessment of Iran’s nuclear capacity.

The missiles could for the first time give Iran the capacity to strike at capitals in Western Europe or easily reach Moscow, and American officials warned that their advanced propulsion could speed Iran’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

There has been scattered but persistent speculation on the topic since 2006, when fragmentary reports surfaced that North Korea might have sold Iran missiles based on a Russian design called the R-27, once used aboard Soviet submarines to carry nuclear warheads. In the unclassified world, many arms control experts concluded that isolated components made their way to Iran, but there has been little support for the idea that complete missiles, with their huge thrusters, had been secretly shipped.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/middleeast/29missiles.html

There is nothing embarrassing to the US in these cables. Propaganda and misdirection when the wheels are coming off in the United States. Me thinks Wikileaks is BS

they are now a honeypot. No they are just assholes that wrote a check and now you get to cover it. Enjoy the party.

Are we reading the same documents?

I imagine we aren't, as you're probably reacting to excerpts from news articles posted on DU and I've actually read a few of the cables, but it can't hurt to ask.

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable/2007/06/07DUBAI355.html

I stand by my statement.

Wow.

Bush did it.
Mossad did it.
False flag.
Clearly faked.
Blah blah blah.

:eyes:

;)

That's the impression I'm getting.

At the request of US president Barack Obama's administration, the New York Times said it had agreed not to publish the text of that cable.

Grey Lady. Fit to print. Der Spiegel.

Chortle.

before this dropped. Would have covered some of the expense of living on the run to position myself to gain from the acceleration of boost phase interceptor programs.

I wonder how this impacts START?

Public record, now people will react to this, even if it is not true.

Unintended consequences.

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interceptors, they will be getting money in fast order.

Ya gota love this one! Talk about playing to the cheap seats, LOL.

Russia is backing the Iranians. Bushehr is a joint Russian/Iranian project.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/bushehr.htm
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/27/world/la-fg-iran-nuclear-20101027

China is developing gas & oil projects with Iran, off shore and inland.

Norinco is building the most advanced subway/train system in the world - in Tehran.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norinco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran_Metro

What the hell would Iran want with North Korean missile systems?

Always look for some attempt to "poison the well"

with sanctions.

That doesn't mean they have not given it to them.

Besides - what would it matter? Obviously Iran is already under the Russia/China support umbrella.

China owns at least 80% of the US debt.

Russia can still make Omaha disappear in 20 minutes or less.

Game over.

We the people need to figure out what future government we support.

We can kill every man woman and child in Russia and China in 20 minutes as well. Bet that debt goes away too. Crack smoking insanity around here, like anyone is going to start a nuclear war.

The refused to sell the weapons. Iran said they would make their own. Read the document on wikidick.

It matters because when someone bombs their facility they will not be shot with s300 systems.

That 80% number came right out of your ass.

Think about it!

on the fringe do not like. Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons and delivery systems. China is breaking into western businesses. Very funny turn of events.

What matters is what positions we, the people of the united states, hold.

Do we, the people, own this government?

$846.7 billion out of $13,723 trillion.

in theory.

made money from it! Is this true? Now I can't find the link - it's somewhere on DU!

who in turn are selling them to Iran. Least that is what I have seen in some of the cables.


One of them was a French company and the US sent a cable to France telling them to make the company stop selling the parts to China because they were ending up being sold to Iran in the end transaction.


All roads to Iran seem to lead right thru China when it came (comes?) to Iran getting their hands on material and weapons that they are not supposed to have.

I would love to live in a missile free world, but that's not going to happen. Since when are only U.S. approved states allowed to have missiles?

The United States has far more missiles than Iran, and with much greater range and power, and history shows conclusively, the U.S. is far more likely to attack other countries with them. I've never heard of a treaty or international charter that prohibits certain countries from having a deterrent to U.S. aggression.

5 billion/year high definition porn crap, nor the most profitable quarter for the wall street crooks since the first day they were recorded, six decades ago...

So they're not allowed to exist. :sarcasmatico: