The N.Y. Times ran a leaked story, about an allegedly stolen Iranian laptop computer that was published on 11/13/2005 titled: (Link) Relying on Computer, U.S. Seeks to Prove Iran's Nuclear Aims  Supposedly, the computer is to have been stolen and contained a compilation of information the Iranians had received over the years from the Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan network and also other information and results from test the Iranians performed pertaining to how to build a nuclear warhead.

In my opinion, anything the New York Times publishes should be taken with a grain of salt. False stories and politically motivated disinformation have been planted with them before. However, I personally believe that Iran did receive certain information from the A.Q. Khan network. On which they did perform certain test from the documents provided for the design on how to build a nuclear warhead.

Personally, I don't trust anything I can't examine or know of the source. I never did - never will. The entire U.S. government (democrats and republicans alike) was completely fooled over the last half of decade with forged documents making their way into the white house, wild tales of mobile weapons labs and other wild tales from those (sources) with an axe to grind. Though I do believe there were active WMD programs and stockpiles in Iraq, but because of the grandstanding like political atmosphere surrounding intelligence and the foreign intelligence operations run against us, we got beat to what WMD apparatus there was in Saddam's arsenal.

Coincidentally, on the day before the published date of the New York Times article, Russian Secretary of National Security Council Igor Ivanov had a meeting with and a press conference with Iran's Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani. As one can see in the picture below, the Russian Secretary doesn't look all that too pleased.

Russian Secretary of National Security Council Igor Ivanov photo taken by IRNA 11/12/2005

According to another news source, (Link) The Times Online. U.K., the Iranians admit receiving the information (documentation) from Pakistani Scientist A.Q. Khan. But their excuse is they didn't go looking for the information, it came to them. But what the Iranian's don't say is why they went ahead and ran test associated with the plans provided by the A.Q. Khan network.

At this point, Russian President Vladimir Putin must be starting to lose patience with the Iranians. Because the Russians have supported them with assurances to the international community that Iran's nuclear research is for peaceful purposes only. When in fact Iran was doing the exact opposite all along and causes the Russian President Vladimir Putin look like a fool. And knowing Vladimir, he doesn't like that.

Though Vladimir has a huge financial investment and strategic partnership with Iran, he doesn't want to be isolated by or seen supporting a program that could produce a nuclear weapon for Iran. Publicly, he has stated so. Back around, it may be another story (strategic purposes).

Now the secret has been exposed, and Vladimir is being pushed into the corner. This is when he goes to work. A former Lt. Colonel in the KGB respected for his operational planning and intelligence, like many of his KGB comrades, thought the fall of the Berlin wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the end of his world. But this is where the story begins.

TW 11/20/2005