Interview with Fara Mansoor, Part 2: Iran may have nuclear capability since 1974…

This is part 2 of an interview that Fara Mansoor, a member of the Iranian Resistance, gave to radio host Dave Emory in January and March 1993, on three separate shows. In part 1, we saw that the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran was in fact a coup d’état in which the Republican branch of the CIA replaced the cancer ill Shah of Iran with Ayatollah Khomenei. The general idea of this coup was to replace the Shah with somebody fiercely anti-communist and, at the same time, to destabilize Jimmy Carter relatively enough to make him lose the next Presidential Election. In this second part of the interview, we now learn that Iran may have nuclear capability since 1974. This story is rather complex and involves a lot of names, dates and characters. So, instead of trying to present the integrality of it, I will rather illustrate the spearhead from which you will be able to continue the research. Note here that we have to remember that Iran, as a country, was a key component in a strategy to create and consolidate a military and ideological bulwark against communism.

According to Fara Mansoor’s investigation, the CIA provided nuclear capability to Iran during the time of the transition from Richard Nixon to Gerald Ford, in 1974. It was accomplished through an Iranian-born and American citizen nuclear scientist, sent by the CIA, named Dr Mojtba Taherzadh. At this time, Taherzadh was working for Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. When he arrived in mid-1974 from the U.S., Taherzadh was placed at the head of the Nuclear Research Center in Iran. Then, he began researching and installing nuclear technology capable of producing nuclear weapons. In July 6th 1976, Dr Taherzadh signed a deal with Gifted Ink, one of Albert Hakim‘s companies, in order to acquire laser equipment to enrich weapon’s grade uranium. The sell export of this technology, fabricated by the Lischem corporation, was illegal at the time, so Hakim’s partner in Gifted Ink, Naim Perry, arranged with a CIA contact to smuggle it out of the country through U.S. Customs. Nevertheless, Bush Administration warnings at the time were saying that Iran might have obtained nuclear technology through China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and North Korea. Also, we have to remember that during these years, Iran signed contracts with France and the U.S. to obtain nuclear reactors. During this several hour interview, Fara Mansoor continues to present all the details and connections that need to be stressed out in relation with this event. To get the full story, please listen to the full interview and take notes. Continuer la lecture