Iran is trying to evade US sanctions imposed on its efforts to bolster weapons of mass destruction through using third parties, according to western intelligence sources.
The German state of Hesse said in a new report on Friday that states such as "Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, and Syria tried to acquire and distribute such weapons as part of the proliferation, for example, by concealing the transport routes via third countries."
The aim of such intelligence measures was to circumvent control mechanisms over third countries that are not subject to special embargo regulations."
The Hesse intelligence document covers the year 2019. The service’s findings confirm the data collection of additional German state intelligence agencies in 2020 that declared Iran's regime continues to seek technology and material to build weapons of mass destruction devices.
The agency wrote that it “continued to pay particular attention to attempts at proliferation originating from Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and Syria, i.e. the proliferation or transfer of weapons of mass destruction."
According to Hesse’s intelligence service, “the term proliferation refers to the spread or transfer of weapons of mass destruction as well as the acquisition of suitable delivery systems and corresponding technologies to states that do not yet have such weapons. In addition to the import of complete weapon systems, proliferation also includes the illegal procurement of components, relevant technologies, and manufacturing processes as well as the recruitment of scientific and technical personnel.”
The report outlined the damage that could unfold if Iran’s rulers obtain the deadliest weapons in the world, saying it could "shake the stability of an entire state structure in both regional and international crisis situations.”
The report warned of Iran’s exploitation of the research and academic fields to advance its nuclear weapons program.
“Relevant states with illegal procurement methods are in particular Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan. An example of this is the field of electrical engineering in conjunction with the use of centrifuges in the process of uranium enrichment. There are always suspicions here that foreign intelligence services are putting their own guest researchers under pressure in order to acquire the desired technical know-how. "
"Another example of intelligence control is the exchange of research between university institutes in the field of chemical-biological processes,” it added.
For its part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration opposes an extended UN weapons embargo against Iran.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and the US government have urged Merkel to join the US and impose snapback UN sanctions against Iran for its violations of the 2015 nuclear deal and its sponsorship of terrorism across the globe.
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