Special to WorldTribune.com

MOSCOW — Iran is believed to have ordered its agents to smuggle
nuclear material from Russia.

On Dec. 16, the Kremlin reported the seizure of radioactive material
destined for Iran. The Federal Customs Service said 18 pieces of a
radioactive isotope were found in the luggage of a passenger ready to board
a flight to Iran from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport.

“Additional tests revealed that the objects contained radioactive
machine-produced isotopes, which can be obtained only while operating a nuclear reactor,” the customs service said.

This marked the first seizure of Russian nuclear material destined for Iran. Western diplomats have asserted that Teheran was contracting hundreds of Russian nuclear scientists and engineers to help advance Iran’s nuclear program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency identified one of the Russian scientists as Vycheslav Danilenko. Danilenko was said to have helped Teheran develop a detonator and high explosives for the Iranian nuclear missile program.

Officials said Russian authorities were investigating allegations that Iranian agents could be smuggling nuclear material from rogue scientists and engineers. They said the material was being smuggled by Russian scientists hired by the Teheran regime to develop the nuclear weapons program of the Middle East state.

Officials said authorities identified the metal as containing Sodium-22.
Sodium-22 is a positron-emitting isotope of the metal produced in nuclear
reactors and with a long half life.

“A stationary radiation control system activated during customs control
of Moscow-Teheran flight passengers,” the Russian statement said. “The
luggage search revealed 18 metallic objects of industrial origin, each
packed in an individual steel container.”

  Federal Customs Service, International Atomic Energy Agency, Kremlin, Rogue nuclear engineers eyed in seizure of radioactive isotopes by Russian customs agents, Sheremetyevo International Airport, Sodium-22, Vycheslav Danilenko