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Biotechnology and Nuclear Weapons

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI),

Technique Known As "Bioleaching”

By Stephen E Hughes

From Tehran’s Wars of Terror and its Nuclear Delivery Capability

www.Trafford.com/07-0752

2006: Iran announced it has made another breakthrough in its nuclear program by

successfully using biotechnology to extract purer uranium from its mines. However

as strange this sounds, it is firmly found in science, not science fiction.

From AEOI: after six years of research, revealed it had mastered the technique of employing microbes to purify uranium ore in mines prior to mining. 1

The AEOI said "using biotechnology substantially decreases the cost, increases

optimization and prevents environmental contamination" in the process that leads to

the production of yellowcake, or concentrated uranium oxide.2 Yellowcake is a part of

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the early stages of the nuclear fuel cycle -- a process that Iran insists it only wants

to master so it can generate electricity.

To make yellowcake, first uranium ore must be mined, then milled and processed in

acid. But often mined ore is of a very low concentration and extraction involves

expensive and hazardous processes such as roasting and smelting.

Using biotechnology -- or a technique known as "bioleaching" -- a bacteria

introduced to the ore, eats on iron sculpture and produces sulphuric acid which in

turn dissolves the ore and separates the uranium. This then makes yellowcake

production easier.3

The report, quoting a senior researcher, said the microbes were "successfully used in

experimental stages" in central Iran's uranium mines. "This bacteria is very valuable"

and makes the production of yellowcake "100 to 200 times cheaper", he said. On

August 8 2005 Iran chose to end its freeze on the conversion of yellowcake to

uranium hexafluoride gas (UF6) at a facility near the central city of Esfahan.

(Isfahan).4

Esfahan (Isfahan)Nuclear Technology Center: Esfahan [Isfahan]is believed to be the

primary location of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. The Nuclear

technology/Research Center in Esfahan is Iran’s largest nuclear research center and

is said to employ as many as 3,000 scientists. Iran signed an agreement with France

in 1975 to build a nuclear research center in Esfahan and provide training for

personnel to operate the Bushehr reactor located at the University of Esfahan.5 FOOTNOTES / REMARKS [1] BIOLEACHING OF UO22+ IONS FROM POOR URANIUM ORES BY MEANS OF CYANOBACTERIA, JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY, NOVEMBER 1

st, 2004.

[2] IBID1 [3] SECTION V NUCLEAR WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY IRAN HAS MANY COMPONENTS OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM IN PLACE AND HAS BEEN ... PURIFICATION OF YELLOW-. CAKE WWW.FAS.ORG/IRP/THREAT/MCTL98-2/P2SEC05. [4] IRAN CLAIMS NEW NUCLEAR BREAKTHROUGH, TEHRAN (AFP) AUG 29

th, 2005.

[5] IRAN: TEHRAN CLAIMS BREAKTHROUGH IN NUCLEAR PROCESSING BY CHARLES RECKNAGEL HTTP://WWW.RFERL.ORG/FEATURESARTICLEPRINT/2005/08/773603D6-3731-48CE-866B-B12561595D83.HTML [6] THE LOCATION OF IRAN’S NUCLEAR CONVERSION EFFORT, CRS REPORT FOR CONGRESS, RECEIVED THROUGH THE CRS WEB, ORDER CODE RS22531, NOVEMBER 13

th, 2006.

IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES HUSSEIN D. HASSAN, INFORMATION RESEARCH SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE SERVICES GROUP

Yellowcakes (also known as urania) are uranium concentrates obtained from leach

solutions. They represent an intermediate step in the processing of uranium ores.

Yellowcake concentrates are prepared by various extraction and refining methods,

depending on the types of ores. Typically, yellowcakes are obtained through the

milling and chemical processing of uranium ore forming a coarse powder which is

insoluble in water and contains about 80% uranium oxide, and which melts at

approximately 2878°C. The ore is first crushed to a fine powder by passing raw

uranium ore through crushers and grinders to produce "pulped" ore. This is further

processed with concentrated acid, alkaline, or peroxide solutions to leach out the

uranium. Yellowcake is what remains after drying and filtering. The yellowcake

produced by most modern mills is actually brown or black, not yellow; the name

comes from the color and texture of the concentrates produced by early mining

operations.

Initially, the compounds formed in yellowcakes were not identified; in 1970, the U.S.

Bureau of Mines still referred to yellowcakes as the final precipitate formed in the

milling process and considered it to be ammonium diuranate or sodium diuranate.

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The compositions were variable and depended upon the leachant and subsequent

precipitating conditions. The compounds identified in yellowcakes include: uranyl

hydroxide, uranyl sulfate, sodium para-uranate, and uranyl peroxide, along with

various uranium oxides. Modern yellowcake typically contains 70 to 90 percent

triuranium octaoxide (U3O8) by weight. (Other uranium oxides, such as uranium

dioxide (UO2) and uranium trioxide (UO3), exist)

Yellowcake is used in the preparation of fuel for nuclear reactors, where it is

processed into purified UO2 for use in fuel rods for PHWR and other systems using

unenriched uranium. It may also be enriched, by being converted to uranium

hexafluoride gas (UF6), by isotope separation though gaseous diffusion or in a gas

centrifuge to produce enriched uranium suitable for use in weapons and reactors.

Yellowcake is produced by all countries in which uranium is mined, like Iran. SOURCE: BIOLEACHING OF UO22+ IONS FROM POOR URANIUM ORES BY MEANS OF CYANOBACTERIA JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY, NOVEMBER 1

st, 2004.

Probably one of Iran’s best kept, un-kept secrets is its Bio-technological research,

and development programs. No less than hiding in plain sight, there is no

restrictions, no limitations, in biological research in Iran. In reality, anything goes.

There are no laws prohibiting the use of fetuses, embryonic materials, and just use

your imagination. Tehran’s house of Frankenstein has allowed them to make giant

leaps in the fields of scientific Bio-technology.1

Tehran's Royan Institute

Royan Institute was established in 1991 as an infertility clinic. However, it has many

different research departments, just to name the top few. In 1998, this institute was

approved by Iran’s Ministry of Health as Cell Based Research Center. Now this

institute acts as leader of Stem Cell research and also one of the best clinics for

infertility treatment. It runs both basic and applied researches and holds the biggest

scientific event in Iran, the Royan International Congress. Royan Institute welcomes

mutual cooperation with universities and centers from all around the world in the

fields of research and education. One of its statements is Tehran’s science push,

particularly on embryonic stem cells, whose ability to develop into any kind of adult

cell has raised hopes they can be used to repair organs. In January 1997, Iran

created an organization called the Iranian Biotechnology Society (IBS), which serves

as an umbrella organization to bring together various institutes and individuals

focusing on biotechnology related research. IBS has several branches and over 350

members.2

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The Department of Embryology was established in 1995. Some of the interesting

topics of scientific research are: ways of increased gamete and embryo quality,

Molecular aspects of embryo development, Embryo co-culture with different type of

cells, Molecular aspects of gamete and embryo freezing, In-vitro maturation of

animal and human gametes (IVM ), Nuclear transfer and animal cloning and

Chromatin deficiency. The Department of Embryology holds educational activities in

two fields of human and animal embryology. At this time, the most activities are in

the field of animal cloning transgenic.3

In 2002, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his blessing to

research on surplus embryos created for fertility treatments -- work sharply

restricted in the United States under pressure from religious conservatives -- calling

it a ―lofty‖ effort that fit his goal of making Iran the scientific leader of the Muslim

world.4

The Department of Stem Cells was established in 2002 to establish embryonic stem

cell lines and to differentiate them to some different kind of cells including:

Cardiomyocytes, Beta Cells, and Neural Cells. Thereafter, it expanded to nine main

research groups containing Embryonic/Adult Stem Cell Biology, Neural, Beta, and

Germ Cell, Heart, Eye, Liver and Physicochemical Factors. All these endeavourers

made us the pioneer in Stem Cell research in Iran5.

Khamenei, in which the supreme leader praised the researchers' ―lofty objectives‖

and predicted they would bring Iran ―huge humanitarian wealth‖. Researchers at the

Harvard School of Public Health, who hosted Iranian scientists at a weeklong

exchange program in 2003, were impressed that in the previous 16 years, Iran had

cut its infant mortality rate in half and raised life expectancy to 70 years from 60.6

But in the cutting-edge field of human embryonic stem-cell research, the scientists

work with a freedom that US researchers can only dream of: broad government

approval, including government funding, to work on the potent cells from early-stage

embryos that researchers believe hold the promise to cure many diseases.7

DNA Bank of Royan Institute

The DNA bank of Royan Institute was established at the Department of Genetics,

Royan Institute since 2005. The Royan DNA Bank collects DNAs from infertile

patients. The DNA bank gives an essential service to the researchers by providing

DNAs derived from patients affected by infertility.8

After several months of unsuccessful cloning attempts also involving cows and mice,

in both campuses of Royan Institute (Esfahan and Tehran), and the death of Iran’s

first cloned sheep, the second cloned sheep in the middle east was born on

September 30th, 2006.9

FOOTNOTES / REMARKS [1] ROYAN INSTITUTE RESEARCH & CLINICAL CENTER, REPRODUCTIVE BIOMEDICINE STEM CELL BIOLOGY & TECHNOLOGY [2] IBID 1 [3] IBID 1 [3] IBID 1 HTTP://WWW.ROYANINSTITUTE.ORG/INDI.HTM [4] IRAN LOOKS TO SCIENCE AS SOURCE OF PRIDE NUCLEAR PROGRAM STOKES AMBITIONS BY ANNE BARNARD, GLOBE STAFF, AUGUST 22nd, 2006 HTTP://WWW.BOSTON.COM/NEWS/WORLD/MIDDLEEAST/ARTICLES/2006/08/22/IRAN_LOOKS_TO_SCIENCE_AS_SOURCE_OF_PRIDE/ [5] IBID 1 [6] IBID 4

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[7] IBID 4 [8] IBID 1 [9] IBID 1

A House Of Frankenstein?

Although Iran has signed and ratified both the Chemical Weapons

Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, it continues to

pursue the acquisition of technologies and materials needed for

the production of chemical and biological agents. Iran began its

chemical weapons program in the mid-1980s in response to Iraqi

chemical attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. After 1985, Iran began

manufacturing and stockpiling blister, blood, and choking agents,

including cyanogen chloride, phosgene, and mustard gas.

Reportedly, Iran began nerve agent production in 1994. Iran

continues to augment its chemical weapons production capability

by seeking to acquire relevant production technology, technical

expertise, and precursor chemicals from other states, including

Russia and China.1

Biological warfare agents can be living or dead microorganisms

that cause disease, or they can be bio-related toxins, which are

nonliving poisons produced by living organisms or synthesized versions of such

poisons. These bio-agents through advanced scientific methods have been and can

be made into weapons that are designed to kill or harm. Because of the cost and the

difficulties in producing bio-warfare agents, along with military or delivery systems,

or terrorists- mechanism, for such, it is largely believed that only sophisticated,

state-sponsored biological weapons programs can overcome the significant technical

challenges involved in ―weaponizing‖ biological agents for killing and disabling , large

numbers of people. Unlike many other weapons, biological weapons typically take

two days or more to affect their victims, and contagious agents can expand beyond

the population initially targeted -infected, spreading back to the aggressor2.

Iran appears to have initiated a biological weapons-related research program in the

1980s. It is possible that Iran has produced small quantities of agents and has begun

to weaponize them, although the types of pathogens produced are unknown. Iran is

suspected of having a BW research laboratory at Damghan. Furthermore, Iran has

attempted to purchase BW-related materials from foreign sources, ostensibly for

civilian use. Given the dual-use nature of many of the pathogens, materials, and

equipment used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and in

biomedical research, it is difficult to ascertain the extent to which Iran is engaging in

legitimate or illicit activity. Surprisingly, some of the most common agents that are

associated with the Iranian BW program in the open literature are B. anthracis,

botulinum toxin, ricin, T-2 mycotoxin, and Variola virus, the causative agent of

smallpox.3

According to the CIA, Iran possesses weaponized biological agents that could be

dispersed by artillery and aerial bombs. The Iranian Shahab missile is capable of

carrying biological warheads. Iran has also conducted chemical and biological

defense military exercises with helicopter sprayers and worked with cruise and

ballistic missiles, although there is no concrete evidence that it has developed a

biological warhead to be fit on such missiles.4

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European firms have been targeted by Iranians for advanced bio-technology and

equipment. Also, it has been alleged that North Koreans, Chinese, and former

Eastern Europe, Soviet, bioweaponeers have been hired by Iran to specifically work

on its BW arsenal.5

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the threat of

proliferation of mass casualty weapons has grown dramatically. In some ways, the

danger posed by the proliferation of biological weapons and biotechnology is greater

than that of nuclear proliferation. For example, the acquisition, manufacture,

deployment, and movement of nuclear components or weapons is much more expensive and difficult to achieve than that of biological agents.6

These scientists are supposedly experimenting with such diseases as Marburg,

smallpox, plague, and tularemia. According to Michael Eisenstadt, Iran "probably is

researching such standard agents as anthrax and botulin toxin and it has shown

interest in acquiring materials which could be used to produce ricin and mycotoxins."

Another report indicates that "Iran has...conducted extensive research on more

lethal active agents like anthrax, hoof and mouth disease, and biotoxins." It must be

noted that this latter source, cited by Anthony Cordesman, cannot be independently

corroborated, and firsthand data on Iranian BW agents is unavailable in open

sources.7

FOOTNOTES / REMARKS [1] THE PROLIFERATION OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO STATE AND SUB-STATE ACTORS TESTIMONY BY JONATHAN B. TUCKER, PH.D. DIRECTOR, CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS NONPROLIFERATION PROGRAM CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES MONTEREY INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, PROLIFERATION, AND FEDERAL SERVICES OF THE U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS NOVEMBER 7

th, 2001, 2:30 P.M. WASHINGTON, D.C.

HTTP://WWW.CNS.MIIS.EDU/RESEARCH/CBW/TTUCK2.HTM [2] BRIEFING PAPER ON THE STATUS OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS NONPROLIFERATION, MAY, 2003. HTTP://WWW.ARMSCONTROL.ORG/FACTSHEETS/BWISSUEBRIEF.ASP [3] DEADLY ARSENALS: NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL THREATS, SECOND EDITION REVISED AND EXPANDED BY JOSEPH CIRINCIONE, JON WOLFSTHAL, MIRIAM RAJKUMAR WASHINGTON, DC: CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE, 2005 PAGE 57 [4] IBID 3 IRAN, PAGE 295 [5] IBID 3 [6] FORMER SOVIETS' BIO-WAR EXPERT DETAILS THREAT BY LINDA D. KOZARYN AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE WWW.DEFENSELINK.MIL/NEWS/NOV1999/N11031999_9911035.HTML [7] IRAN’S FORGOTTEN WEAPONS VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 26, 2005, BY VALERIE LINCY AND GARY MILHOLLIN WWW.IRANWATCH.ORG/OURPUBS/BULLETIN/1-1-IRANSFORGOTTENWEAPONS.HTM [8] "CURRENT AND PROJECTED NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS TO THE UNITED STATES AND ITS INTERESTS ABROAD," CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, WRITTEN RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE, HEARING 104-510, HTTP://WWW.FAS.ORG/IRP/CONGRESS/1996_HR/S960222C.HTM. [9] GREGORY F. GILES, "THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN AND NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS," IN PETER R. LAVOY, SCOTT D. SAGAN, AND JAMES J. WIRTZ, EDS., PLANNING THE UNTHINKABLE: HOW NEW POWERS WILL USE NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS (ITHACA: CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2000), P. 84 [9] BIOLOGICAL OVERVIEW IRAN HTTP://WWW.NTI.ORG/E_RESEARCH/PROFILES/IRAN/BIOLOGICAL/2299.HTML In the 1980s, the UN Security Council and General Assembly granted the UN secretary-general the power to conduct investigations of alleged biological, toxin, or chemical weapons use, which is banned by the Geneva Protocol. Since the BWC bans the development and retention of biological and toxin weapons and makes reference to the Geneva Protocol, a ban on use is implicit in the BWC. Secretary-general investigations are therefore relevant to the BWC, but because the BWC focuses on the development and retention of biological weapons, not their use, these investigations really operate outside the BWC’s parameters.

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Dr. Kenneth Alibek, both a distinguished professor and executive

director of the Center for Biodefense at George Mason University,

served as First Deputy Chief of the civilian branch of the Soviet

Union's offensive biological weapons program prior to his

defection to the United States in 1992, and has more than 20

years of experience in the development, management and

supervision of high containment pathogen laboratories. He has

extensive knowledge of biotechnology, including bio processing,

biological weapons threat analysis, antibacterial and antiviral drug

development, treatment of diseases caused by biological weapons and mass casualty

handling.

Dr. Alibek, credited with the development of the world's most powerful anthrax,

served, after his defection, as a consultant to numerous United States government agencies in the areas of industrial technology, medical microbiology and biological weapons and defense and non-proliferation. Dr. Alibek also holds the positions of vice chairman and chief scientist at Advanced Biosystems, where he leads medical and scientific research programs dedicated to developing new forms of medical protection

against biological weapons and other infectious diseases.

Dr. Alibek has published articles in a number of classified journals on the

developments in the field of biological weapons and biodefense and is the author of the 1999 book Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World. Alibek earned his medical degree in epidemiology and

infectious diseases, a doctorate in medical microbiology and a doctor of science degree in industrial biotechnology.

Testimony Of Dr. Kenneth Alibek President, Advanced Biosystems, Inc.

Subcommittee On Labor, Health And Human Services, And Education

November 29th, 2001 Testimony Of Dr. Kenneth Alibek At The LHHS Hearing

On Bioterrorism Funding

“Biological weapons are weapons of mass destruction (or mass casualty weapons, to

be precise, since they do not damage nonliving entities) that are based on bacteria,

viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, or toxins produced by living organisms. Compared to nuclear, chemical, or conventional weapons, biological weapons are unique in their diversity. Dozens of different agents can be used to make a biological weapon, and each agent will produce a markedly different effect. These differences are shaped

by various properties of the particular agent, such as its contagiousness, the length of time after release that it survives in the environment, the dose required to infect a victim, and of course the type of disease that the agent produces.”

Although the Soviet Union was a party to the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, it continued a high-intensity program to develop and produce biological weapons through at least the early 1990s. The size and scope of this program were enormous. For example, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, over 60,000 people were involved to varying degrees in the research, development, and production of biological

weapons. Hundreds of tons of anthrax weapon formulation were stockpiled, along with

dozens of tons of smallpox and plague. The total production capacity of all of the facilities involved was many hundreds of tons of various agents annually.

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Since the Soviet Union and Russia had the most sophisticated and powerful biological weapons program on earth, Russia presented and presents a great proliferation threat. I should note that, to the best of my knowledge, the Soviet Union and Russia have not exported actual weapons strains of microorganisms. However, there are a number of

other ways that proliferation can occur.

The first is by experienced scientists traveling or moving abroad. For example, I have

unconfirmed information that some scientists from the Kirov facility visited North

Korea in the early 1990s. In addition, numerous scientists who used to work for the

biological weapons program are now living abroad. Many of these scientists live in

the U.S. and in Europe, but others have gone to Iran and other countries where their

expertise can be put to nefarious use.

Up to 60,000 scientists were involved in Soviet Cold War biological weapons research, development and manufacturing, Alibek said. Some moved to the United States and other Western nations when the Soviet Union collapsed, but others went to Iraq, Iran and other countries and may be proliferating biological weapons. LINKS TO REPORT [1] APPROPRIATIONS.SENATE.GOV/RELEASES/RECORD.CFM?ID=179763 [2] STATEMENT BY DR. KENNETH ALIBEK PROGRAM MANAGER BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE BEFORE THE JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE UNITED STATES CONGRESS , MAY 20

th, 1998

TERRORIST AND INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS: POTENTIAL IMPACT ON THE U.S. ECONOMY HTTP://WWW.HOUSE.GOV/JEC/HEARINGS/INTELL/ALIBEK.HTM

NOTE: Again, I Am Only Touching Briefly On This Subject, Because Of Its Serious

Nature, And Lack Of Any Real Material On The Subject Matter. I Want To Bring The

Issue Of Unregulated Bio-Research In Iran. I Am Puzzled There Has Not Been A

More In-Depth Media Coverage, Or A Documentary Exposé.

However, in this era of rampant worldwide diseases such as H5N1, AIDS and more,

Iran’s bio-research freedoms, provides a covert safehaven for Russia, China and

other countries, a place away from International ethical scrutiny, any medical break

through in the fields of medical treatments, antibiotics and more would be worth

billions, on the open market. Just a few case notes, to make my point; again, it is

beyond the scope of this report.

H5N1

Understanding the risks requires understanding the nature of H5N1 avian flu

specifically and influenza in general. Influenza originates with aquatic birds and is

normally carried by migratory ducks, geese, and herons, usually without harm to

them. As the birds migrate, they can pass the viruses on to domesticated birds --

chickens, for example -- via feces or during competitions over food, territory, and

water. Throughout history, this connection between birds and the flu has spawned

epidemics in Asia, especially southern China. Aquatic flu viruses are more likely to

pass into domestic animals -- and then into humans -- in China than anywhere else

in the world. Dense concentrations of humans and livestock have left little of China's

original migratory route for birds intact. Birds that annually travel from Indonesia to

Siberia and back are forced to land and search for sustenance in farms, city parks,

and industrial sites. For centuries, Chinese farmers have raised chickens, ducks, and

pigs together, in miniscule pens surrounding their homes, greatly increasing the

chance of contamination: influenza can spread from migrating to domestic birds and

then to swine, mutating and eventually infecting human beings.

Of all influenza viruses that circulate in birds, the H5N1 virus is of greatest present

concern for human health for two main reasons. First, the H5N1 virus has caused by

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far the greatest number of human cases of very severe disease and the greatest number of deaths. It has crossed the species barrier to infect humans on at least three occasions in recent years: in Hong Kong in 1997 (18 cases with six deaths), in Hong Kong in 2003 (two cases with one death) and in the current outbreaks that began in

December 2003 and were first recognized in January 2004.

The outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza that began in south-east Asia in mid-2003 and have now spread to a few parts of Europe, are the largest and most severe on record. To date, nine Asian countries have reported outbreaks (listed in order of reporting): the Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, the

Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, China, and Malaysia. Of these, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia have controlled their outbreaks and are now considered free of the disease. Elsewhere in Asia, the virus has become endemic in

several of the initially affected countries.

In late July 2005, the virus spread geographically beyond its original focus in Asia to

affect poultry and wild birds in the Russian Federation and adjacent parts of Kazakhstan. Almost simultaneously, Mongolia reported detection of the highly pathogenic virus in wild birds. In October 2005, the virus was reported in Turkey, Romania, and Croatia. In early December 2005, Ukraine reported its first outbreak in domestic birds. Most of these newer outbreaks were detected and reported quickly. Further spread of the virus along the migratory routes of wild waterfowl is, however, anticipated. Moreover, bird migration is a recurring event. Countries that lie along the

flight pathways of birds migrating from central Asia may face a persistent risk of introduction or re-introduction of the virus to domestic poultry flocks.

Prior to the present situation, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry

were considered rare. Excluding the current outbreaks caused by the H5N1 virus, only 24 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been recorded worldwide since 1959. Of these, 14 occurred in the past decade. The majority have shown limited

geographical spread, a few remained confined to a single farm or flock, and only one spread internationally. All of the larger outbreaks were costly for the agricultural sector and difficult to control.

SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, AVIAN INFLUENZA (" BIRD FLU") - FACT SHEET WHO, FEB. 2006 WWW.WHO.INT/MEDIACENTRE/FACTSHEETS/AVIAN_INFLUENZA/EN/#COUNTRIES

Recent, World Pandemic Notes

2005 H5N1 China

China ordered the vaccination of all of the country's five billion poultry. Authorities in

northeastern China's Liaoning province - one of the country's hardest hit – claimed

that 320 million had already been immunized. Chinese officials say they have begun

vaccinating hundreds of millions of chickens and ducks in areas hard hit by the bird

flu virus known as H5N1, and plan to vaccinate billions more. The job is gigantic.

China has a third of the world's poultry stock - consuming 14 billion ducks, chickens,

geese and other birds each year. 1

2005 Fearful, China Withholds Key H5N1 Bird Flu Data

Authorities also haven't responded to a WHO request to be allowed to visit the

Xinjiang region in China's northwest, where there have been reports of a bird flu

outbreak along the border with Kazakhstan, said Roy Wadia, a spokesman for WHO's

Beijing office. There are many reasons why China would with hold such information,

but to just name a couple: up coming World Olympics to be held in China, and

China’s world poultry market. 2, 3

FOOTNOTES / REMARKS [1] CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAVE YET TO RELEASE SAMPLES GATHERED IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF QINGHAI, WHERE AT LEAST 6,000 MIGRATORY BIRDS HAVE DIED, WADIA SAID.

11-10

SOURCE: BILLIONS OF BIRDS BEING VACCINATED IN CHINA AGAINST BIRD FLU, NOVEMBER 16TH, 2005 HTTP://FEEDS.BIGNEWSNETWORK.COM/?SID=095764227C87DB5E [2] CHINA WITHHOLDS KEY H5N1 BIRD FLU DATA RECOMBINOMICS COMMENTARY, JULY 20

th, 2005

HTTP://WWW.RECOMBINOMICS.COM/NEWS/07200503/H5N1_CHINA_COVER_UP.HTML [3] CHINA FAILS TO RESPOND TO WHO H5N1 BIRD FLU REQUESTS, RECOMBINOMICS COMMENTARY JULY 19

th, 2005

Getting accurate intelligence about H5N1 in southern China—where it was

concentrated until bird flu exploded throughout Southeast Asia at the end of 2003—

is vital to understanding the virus. But Beijing has traditionally been reluctant to

share \information about infectious diseases with the rest of the world.1

2006 Asia Connection

Three contiguous WHO regions—Western Pacific, South-East Asia and Europe—now

have A(H5N1) virus activity in wild fowl and poultry stocks. Evidence shows that the

A (H5N1) virus is most likely endemic in many parts of Asia. It has established an

ecological niche in poultry, making outbreaks extremely difficult to control. Such

outbreaks have recurred despite aggressive control measures, including the culling of

hundreds of millions of chickens and other domestic poultry.2 NOTES AND SOURCES: [1] A WING AND A PRAYER, SEPT 15, 2005. HTTP://WWW.TIME.COM/TIME/ASIA/COVERS/501050926/STORY2.HTML [2] FIRST MEETING OF THE ASIA PACIFIC TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, JULY 18 - 20, 2006 HTTP://WWW.WPRO.WHO.INT/MEDIA_CENTRE/PRESS_RELEASES/PR_20060721.HTM

2006: The World Health Organization announced, it will once again use the

Controversial pesticide DDT to fight malaria, the mosquito-born disease that kills an estimated one million African children every year.

Long overlooked in the age of the AIDS epidemic, malaria sickens more than 300

million people each year and kills more than 1 million. It also exacts a heavy

economic toll. The World Health Organization estimates that the disease costs Africa,

which sees 80 percent of the world's cases, an estimated $12 billion per year in lost

income. NOTES AND SOURCES [1] ANALYSIS MALARIA IN THE SPOTLIGHT, BY OLGA PIERCE UP, WASHINGTON, SEPT. 18, 2006 (UPI)

After decades of complacency, world health groups are launching an unprecedented assault on the scourge of malaria, but much work remains to be done. [2] WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REINTRODUCES DDT IN BATTLE AGAINST MALARIA BY CATHERINE MADDUX, WASHINGTON, SEPTEMBER 15, 2006. HTTP://WWW.CANADA.COM/COMPONENTS/PRINT.ASPX?ID=2EB129EE-410D-4CFD-AD1A-C755B8A1D801&K=31270

Alternative Malaria Treatment May Not Work (July 14th, 2006) -- British health

authorities are urging tourists not to rely on alternative treatment such as

homeopathy to fight malaria. The WHO recommends DDT in some malaria cases

(September 15th, 2006) -- The World Health Organization, in a bold new step in its

war on malaria, says it will urge the use of DDT as a deterrent. Spraying of small

amounts ...

Analysis: AIDS: many treated, more to go (August 16th, 2006) -- One in four people

who desperately need anti-AIDS medication is getting treatment -- but that is far

less than the original 3 in 5 goal

DDT About To Be Reintroduced As Pesticide (July 27th, 2006) -- One of the most

controversial chemicals on Earth -- DDT -- is about to make a comeback as a prime

weapon in the fight against malaria .

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Analysis: Global AID's Next Dilemma (July 26th, 2006) -- Funding for global health

has increased by an order of magnitude over the last decade

Multi-drug Resistance (MDR) Viruses And Bacteria Develop Resistance To Medication, When Drugs Are

Inappropriately Taken (Over-, Under-, And Misuse) MDR Viruses And Bacteria Pose Great Challenge Not Only To Countries Where They

Have Been Created, But Also To Countries They Will Travel To. MDR-TB In Newly Diagnosed And Previously Untreated Cases Globally Is Around 1%

To 10% In Some Parts Of World. Africa Braces For New Deadly TB Strains by Staff Writers September 03, 2006. (1-2)

SOURCES: [1] WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WHO OFFICIAL TELLS WORLD TO PREPARE FOR NEW DISEASES, MAY,2006 HTTP://WWW.WPRO.WHO.INT/PUBLICATIONS/PUB_9290612134.HTM [2] ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE BOOK CAN BE DOWNLOADED AT WWW.WPRO.WHO.INT/MEDIA_CENTRE/SARS_BOOK/

2006: Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD)

At least 1 billion people — one sixth of the world’s population, or 1 person in 6 —

suffer from one or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), such as Buruli ulcer,

cholera, cysticercosis, dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), foodborne trematode

infections, hydatidosis, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis,

schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trachoma and trypanosomiasis,

although there are other estimates that suggest the number could be much higher.

Several of these diseases, and others such as dengue, are vector-borne. Often, those

populations most affected are also the poorest and most vulnerable and are found

mainly in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Some diseases affect

individuals throughout their lives, causing a high degree of morbidity and physical

disability and, in certain cases, gross disfigurement. Others are acute infections, with

transient, severe and sometimes fatal outcomes. Patients can face social

stigmatization and abuse, which only adds to the already heavy health burden. SOURCE: NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES HTTP://WWW.WHO.INT/NEGLECTED_DISEASES/EN/

Comprehensive National Microbial Defense Plan: Iran

In a 2003 news report from the National Council of Resistance

of Iran, citing sources inside Tehran, Iran was producing

weaponized anthrax and had begun research into at least five

additional biological weapons agents. The anthrax weapons

are the first results of a program that began in 2001 in an

attempt to triple the size of Iran’s biological weapons program.

Details of Iran’s increased biological efforts are contained in a

document entitled the ―Comprehensive National Microbial

Defense Plan,‖ which was approved by Iran’s Supreme National

Security Council in 2001. The plan details a program to triple

Iran’s biological weapons production capability by the end of this

year and divides responsibilities for the effort among

several research facilities connected with the Iranian military or

Revolutionary Guard, the Post reported.

In addition to anthrax, Iran has also begun weaponizing

aflatoxin, typhus, smallpox, plague and cholera. Iran has

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also had recruited scientists from several countries, such as North Korea, China,

Russia and India, to aid the program. ―The report about smallpox was very carefully

assessed and verified. A single director coordinates the efforts of five Iranian

agencies involved in the program and reports directly to Iranian President

Mohammad Khatami‖, council officials said. ―Even though Iran had previously

depended on foreign suppliers for advanced equipment, it can now produce almost

all necessary equipment indigenously‖, officials said (Joby Warrick, Washington Post,

May 15th, 2003).

The biological weapons activities are centered around the following elements:

Anthrax, produced at the Revolutionary Guard Imam Hussein University in Teheran;

next, aflatoxin, also produced at the Imam Hussein University; production of

microbial bombs using anthrax; production of microbial bombs using smallpox virus;

production of microbial bombs using typhoid fever; production of microbial bombs

using high dosage of aflotoxin; production of microbial bombs using plague

microbes; production of microbial bombs using chloromicrobes.

Genetic cloning or alteration is being carried out at Malek Ashtar University, which is

headed by Maqsudi, the head of Center for Scientific and Growth Technology.

Agencies involved in the plan: The Armed Forces Command headquarters, the

Ministry of Defense, the Revolutionary Guard Joint Command headquarters, the

Revolutionary Guard Imam Hussein University and Ministry of Intelligence and

Security are involved in acquiring and stockpiling of microbial weaponry.

New Warhead Directorate: A Revolutionary Guards commander is in charge of the

directorate pursuing weapons of mass destruction in the Armed Forces Command

headquarters. He is coordinating the biological activities of all relevant organs

Special chemical, biological and nuclear industries in the Ministry of Defense. A

special organization dubbed Special Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Industries has

been set up in the Ministry of Defense. This entity is also involved in chemical and biological activity.

This organization is in charge of arming the regime with microbial and chemical

bombs and has been strengthened during Khatami's presidency. The organization is

also responsible for procuring technological needs of microbial and chemical weapons as well as chemical and microbial bombs.

Even though this report is impossible to verify, the National Council of Resistance of

Iran, has had an excellent track record in revealing Iran’s covert nuclear endeavors

to the IAEA, (International Atomic Energy Agency) which they have uncovered in

subsequent inspections. This is covered in Iran’s Quest for nuclear Power, the next

Chapter. SOURCE: IRANIAN REGIMES PROGRAMS FOR BIOLOGICAL AND MICROBIAL WEAPONS, ALIREZA JAFARZADEH AND SOONA SAMSAMI, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF RESISTANCE OF IRAN PRESS BRIEFING, THE WILLARD HOTEL, WASHINGTON, D.C. , MAY 15

th, 2003

WWW.GLOBALSECURITY.ORG/WMD/LIBRARY/NEWS/IRAN/2003/IRAN-030515-BW.HTM

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FROM: TEHRAN’S WARS OF TERROR & ITS NUCLEAR DELIVERY CAPABILITY BY STEPHEN E HUGHES WWW.NUCLEARIRANWATCH.INFO