BARCELONA, Spain – Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons programs may have suffered a setback, after Spanish police crushed a network they say intended to send industrial equipment to Iran that could have been used to manufacture missiles and enrich uranium, Spain’s El Pais daily reported.
It said that as part of the operation, authorities have arrested four people in the Spanish cities of Barcelona, Tarragona and Palma de Mallorca.
Three of those detained are Spanish nationals from the same family – a father in his 70s and his son and daughter, both aged over 40 – while the fourth is a 47-year-old Iranian.
The organization is also suspected of having sent technological information involving engineering plans and projects to Iran via a complex web of companies.
Officers involved in the so-called “Operation Terracotta” have seized two industrial machines used for making metals that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, such as making fire extinguishers or the process of making nuclear weapons.
The authorities also confiscated the equivalent of 10,000 euros in cash, in both euros and Iranian currency, a large number of computer storage devices and documents relating to the export and sale of defence equipment.
The report said that the machines were brought into Spain illegally, with the aim of hiding their true export destination.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the machines were destined for military use, but investigators believe this to be the most likely scenario, given that no export licenses were secured, as is the case for machinery meant for civilian use.
The seized equipment can be used to manufacture missile casings, help enrich uranium, and is covered by a number of export controls, the paper said.
The news comes at a time when Tehran expects further negotiations with major world powers over its suspected nuclear program. Some US and international sanctions were lifted against Iran recently, after it agreed to controls and curbs on its nuclear program.
Tehran and representatives of the United States, France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and Germany are meeting in Vienna this week to try to reach an agreement.
Tehran has consistently maintained that its enrichment program is aimed at generating electricity, not enriching uranium for an atom bomb.
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