Iran Announces Construction of Two New Nuclear Plants - Adam Kredo - http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-announces-construction-of-two-new-nuclear-plants/
Iran has begun construction on two new nuclear plants as negotiations with America over its contested program continue in Geneva, according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Construction of the nuclear plants, which Iran claims are for peaceful energy purposes, was revealed on Tuesday, the day before Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet with his Iranian counterpart for talks in Geneva.
News of the two new nuclear plants come on the heels of reports that Iran has been operating advanced missile sites in Syria and also building a secret nuclear plant there.
Rouhani touted the new nuclear construction following a meeting with investors in Iran's southern Bushehr province, where the nuclear facilities are being built.
"Construction of two new power plants will increase the capacity of Bushehr province's power generation to 2,000 megawatts," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the country's state-run Fars News Agency.
Rouhani claimed that the new nuclear construction is proof of Iran's peaceful intents on this front.
"The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is an example showing that Iran is only looking for a civilian use of the nuclear energy and for power generation," he was quoted as saying.
The new nuclear plants are being constructed with help from Russia, which signed an agreement in March with Iran to aid in the endeavor.
A State Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Rouhani's announcement.
Meanwhile, Kerry told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday that both sides are "working hard" to reach a final agreement later this year.
Talks with Iran were extended through mid-2015 after leaders failed to reach what was supposed to be a final agreement in Vienna last year.
Iran is scheduled to receive from the United States another $490 million in unfrozen cash assets on Jan. 21, according to a State Department official. This will be the third such $490 million cash release to Iran since nuclear talks were extended in November.
Iranian military leaders announced earlier this week that Tehran has been building and operating missile factories in Syria, where it has been fighting on behalf of embattled leader Bashar al-Assad.
German reports also have claimed that Iran is building a clandestine nuclear site in Syria.
Iran Building Missile Sites in Syria - Adam Kredo - http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-building-missile-sites-in-syria/
Iranian military leaders admitted this week to building and operating missile-manufacturing plants in Syria, where it was also revealed that Tehran is helping to build a secret nuclear facility.
An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander stated in a recent interview that the country's Supreme Leader ordered forces to build and operate missile plants in Syria, where Iran continues to fight on behalf of embattled leader Bashar al-Assad, according to regional media reports.
IRGC Aerospace Commander Haji Zadeh touted Iran's capabilities and bragged that Iran has gone from importing most of its military hardware to producing it domestically, as well as for regional partners such as Assad.
"A country such as Syria which used to sell us arms, was later on to buy our missiles," Zadeh was quoted as saying earlier this week by the Young Journalists Club. "Right now the missile manufacturing firms in Syria are built by Iran."
It has long been suspected that Iranian forces operating in Syria are providing weaponry to Assad's forces. Zadeh's remarks confirm that Tehran is committed to a long fight in Syria and hopes to turn the country into an Iranian proxy state.
Iran's military actions in Syria could constitute a gross violation of sanctions on the regime enacted by the United Nations and Western powers.
Zadeh also bragged about Tehran's ability to build missiles capable of travelling at least 2,000 kilometers, far enough to reach into Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, according to the report.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has made it a priority for Tehran to produce advanced missiles, Zadeh said.
"The Supreme Leader wanted us to make the missiles prices, something which he had noted earlier than that," he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Germany's Der Spiegel reported over the weekend, based on leaked intelligence and other sources, that Iran has been helping to build a secret nuclear facility in Syria.
Western sources fear that Tehran is attempting to continue its controversial and clandestine nuclear work in Syria, where it does not have to battle against international nuclear inspectors and Western powers seeking to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Obama administration officials have sought to downplay the developments and said that they will not raise the issue with Iran during an upcoming round of talks over its program.
"Will you discuss this issue with the Iranians in the upcoming talks?" a reporter asked State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf on Monday.
"No," Harf replied. "The upcoming talks are about the Iranian nuclear program."
When pressed on the issue, Harf said that nuclear talks only focus on Iran's domestic program and nothing else.
"We don't discuss other issues with them at those talks, as you all know," she said.
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