Details on Mossad's Intelligence Gathering Operation in Iran Revealed
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Monday that Israel's spy agency stole a massive trove of documents from a warehouse in Tehran earlier this year. An Israeli official told the New York Times that the agents left Iran with the top-secret nuclear archive the same night of the raid
IsraelDefense
| 01/05/2018
PM Netanyahu presents material on Iranian nuclear weapons development during a press conference in Tel Aviv (Photo: AP)
Israel’s spy agency Mossad infiltrated a compound in Tehran where Iran was storing confidential files related to its nuclear weapons program, stole tens of thousands of files, and managed to smuggle them back to Israel, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The operation was revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a live broadcast speech on Monday aimed at offering "proof" of an Iranian nuclear weapons plan that could be activated at any time. Netanyahu described the operation to obtain the files as one of the "greatest achievements" of Israeli intelligence.
A senior Israeli official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said that the warehouse which held the files was discovered by the Mossad in February 2016. The official added that the existence of the secret nuclear files was made public only now due to the time it took to analyze the content of the materials, which were mostly in Persian.
The official revealed that Mossad operatives infiltrated the building one night last January, stole tens of thousands of original documents stored there, and smuggled them back to Israel the same night.
The Iranians only found out that their secret warehouse has been infiltrated months after the operation, according to a report by Israeli investigative journalist Ronen Bergman published by the Israeli Ynet news outlet on Tuesday.
"Iran Lied"
In a press conference on Monday, Netanyahu presented CDs and binders he said held copies of the original stolen documents and accused Iran of lying about its nuclear ambitions.
The prime minister said that Mossad agents had managed to bring back to Israel "half a ton" of materials, consisting of 55,000 pages and 55,000 files on 183 CDs containing "incriminating documents, incriminating charts, incriminating presentations, incriminating blueprints, incriminating photos, incriminating videos and more."
According to Netanyahu, the files were stolen from a warehouse in the Shorabad District in southern Tehran. "Now, from the outside, this was an innocent looking compound, but from the inside, it contained Iran’s secret atomic archives locked in massive files," he said
"After signing the nuclear deal in 2015, Iran intensified its efforts to hide its secret files," Netanyahu said, thus in 2017, "Iran moved its nuclear weapons files to a highly secret location in Tehran."
The documents show that Iran's Fordow nuclear plant was "designed from the get-go for nuclear weapons for project Amad," Netanyahu stated, adding that while the project had been shelved in 2013, work in the field had continued.
"We can now prove that project Amad was a comprehensive program to design, build and test nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. "We can also prove that Iran is secretly storing project Amad material to use at a time of its choice to develop nuclear weapons."
Netanyahu did not provide evidence that Israel's main enemy had actively worked to obtain an atomic weapon since the 2015 JCPOA.
International Response
Netanyahu's presentation comes as the US deadline on Iranian sanctions regarding the nuclear deal, May 12, draws near.
Netanyahu emphasized that the information gathered from the documents had already been shared with the United States, which could vouch for its authenticity, and that it would be shared with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the New York Times report, US President Donald Trump was informed of the operation by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen during a visit to Washington in January, the official said.
The White House said late Monday that the trove of information released by Prime Minister Netanyahu "provides new and compelling details about Iran’s efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons."
"The United States is aware of the information just released by Israel and continues to examine it carefully," the White House added.
US Secretary of State and former CIA chief Mike Pompeo said that the files were authentic and that many of them contained information that was new to American experts.
Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s High Representative of for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, responded to Netanyahu’s presentation. "I have not seen from Prime Minister Netanyahu arguments for the moment on non-compliance, meaning violation by Iran of its nuclear commitments under the [nuclear] deal."
"It is clear that the international community had doubts that Iran was carrying out an exclusively peaceful nuclear program," a spokesman for the German government said, adding it is critical to maintain independent surveillance to ensure Iran was complying with the accord.
Britain has also commented on Netanyahu's presentation on Monday, saying it had never been naive about Iran's nuclear program, and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are vital to ensure it is used for peaceful means.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to the latest claims by lambasting both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Zarif accused Trump of "jumping on a rehash of old allegations already dealt with by the IAEA to 'nix' the (2015 nuclear) deal." Regarding Netanyahu, Zarif said, "How convenient. Coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12."
[Sources: The New York Times, i24 News, Haaretz, Arutz Sheva, The Times of Israel]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Monday that Israel's spy agency stole a massive trove of documents from a warehouse in Tehran earlier this year. An Israeli official told the New York Times that the agents left Iran with the top-secret nuclear archive the same night of the raid
PM Netanyahu presents material on Iranian nuclear weapons development during a press conference in Tel Aviv (Photo: AP)
Israel’s spy agency Mossad infiltrated a compound in Tehran where Iran was storing confidential files related to its nuclear weapons program, stole tens of thousands of files, and managed to smuggle them back to Israel, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The operation was revealed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a live broadcast speech on Monday aimed at offering "proof" of an Iranian nuclear weapons plan that could be activated at any time. Netanyahu described the operation to obtain the files as one of the "greatest achievements" of Israeli intelligence.
A senior Israeli official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said that the warehouse which held the files was discovered by the Mossad in February 2016. The official added that the existence of the secret nuclear files was made public only now due to the time it took to analyze the content of the materials, which were mostly in Persian.
The official revealed that Mossad operatives infiltrated the building one night last January, stole tens of thousands of original documents stored there, and smuggled them back to Israel the same night.
The Iranians only found out that their secret warehouse has been infiltrated months after the operation, according to a report by Israeli investigative journalist Ronen Bergman published by the Israeli Ynet news outlet on Tuesday.
"Iran Lied"
In a press conference on Monday, Netanyahu presented CDs and binders he said held copies of the original stolen documents and accused Iran of lying about its nuclear ambitions.
The prime minister said that Mossad agents had managed to bring back to Israel "half a ton" of materials, consisting of 55,000 pages and 55,000 files on 183 CDs containing "incriminating documents, incriminating charts, incriminating presentations, incriminating blueprints, incriminating photos, incriminating videos and more."
According to Netanyahu, the files were stolen from a warehouse in the Shorabad District in southern Tehran. "Now, from the outside, this was an innocent looking compound, but from the inside, it contained Iran’s secret atomic archives locked in massive files," he said
"After signing the nuclear deal in 2015, Iran intensified its efforts to hide its secret files," Netanyahu said, thus in 2017, "Iran moved its nuclear weapons files to a highly secret location in Tehran."
The documents show that Iran's Fordow nuclear plant was "designed from the get-go for nuclear weapons for project Amad," Netanyahu stated, adding that while the project had been shelved in 2013, work in the field had continued.
"We can now prove that project Amad was a comprehensive program to design, build and test nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. "We can also prove that Iran is secretly storing project Amad material to use at a time of its choice to develop nuclear weapons."
Netanyahu did not provide evidence that Israel's main enemy had actively worked to obtain an atomic weapon since the 2015 JCPOA.
International Response
Netanyahu's presentation comes as the US deadline on Iranian sanctions regarding the nuclear deal, May 12, draws near.
Netanyahu emphasized that the information gathered from the documents had already been shared with the United States, which could vouch for its authenticity, and that it would be shared with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the New York Times report, US President Donald Trump was informed of the operation by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen during a visit to Washington in January, the official said.
The White House said late Monday that the trove of information released by Prime Minister Netanyahu "provides new and compelling details about Iran’s efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons."
"The United States is aware of the information just released by Israel and continues to examine it carefully," the White House added.
US Secretary of State and former CIA chief Mike Pompeo said that the files were authentic and that many of them contained information that was new to American experts.
Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s High Representative of for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, responded to Netanyahu’s presentation. "I have not seen from Prime Minister Netanyahu arguments for the moment on non-compliance, meaning violation by Iran of its nuclear commitments under the [nuclear] deal."
"It is clear that the international community had doubts that Iran was carrying out an exclusively peaceful nuclear program," a spokesman for the German government said, adding it is critical to maintain independent surveillance to ensure Iran was complying with the accord.
Britain has also commented on Netanyahu's presentation on Monday, saying it had never been naive about Iran's nuclear program, and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are vital to ensure it is used for peaceful means.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to the latest claims by lambasting both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Zarif accused Trump of "jumping on a rehash of old allegations already dealt with by the IAEA to 'nix' the (2015 nuclear) deal." Regarding Netanyahu, Zarif said, "How convenient. Coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12."
[Sources: The New York Times, i24 News, Haaretz, Arutz Sheva, The Times of Israel]
