Unfortunate, but an Accident?
Washington,
May 9, 2012 -
Sadly, fatal car accidents happen every day. But it's not every day that an IAEA nuclear inspector is killed in a car accident in Iran.
Nothing to see here, keep traffic moving, no rubbernecking…
The official Iranian news agency says the South Korean inspector died when his car overturned near a reactor his team was inspecting 150 miles outside Tehran. A Slovak inspector and the driver were injured.
Like in much of the developing world, car accidents are too common in Iran. Roads are bad, cars unsafe, drivers worse, and emergency services poor. I've had some hairy trips myself in Africa.
But that also makes it a perfect cover for an assassination. I’ve heard from dissidents from other countries who've been in car "accidents." Political challengers in Africa have died in car wrecks. The Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe have made road wrecks a sickening black art.
With several Iranian nuclear scientists dying in mysterious ways, is there any doubt that the Iranians wanted to punch back? It is no secret that Iran doesn’t like the inspectors. Not long ago, Iran barred two of the most experienced IAEA inspectors from the country after they helped publish a critical report. The international agency has been pushing for information on past research the agency says appears related to the design and testing of nuclear warheads.
So far, the IAEA has been silent on the crash. Nothing besides condolences out of the State Department. Maybe this is just an unfortunate accident. But at a minimum, an investigation is warranted. Let the survivors speak.
