MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. The United States may try to seize the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to fabricate evidence of Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, Alexander Stepanov, military expert with the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, told TASS.
"It’s possible that the US will try to land troops and carry out targeted operations at the Bushehr NPP to spread false claims about an undeclared aspect of Iran’s nuclear program, which allegedly makes it possible to enrich uranium in order to extract weapons-grade plutonium. It’s quite possible that an operation like that will be carried out in order to present ‘evidence’ in the media allegedly proving that Iran has nuclear materials it could use to create weapons of mass destruction. This would be similar to what Colin Powell did when he demonstrated the famous test tube," the expert said, referring to a 2003 incident, where then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell showed a test tube at a UN meeting, seeking to prove Baghdad’s possession of biological weapons, which became the formal reason for the war in Iraq.
The expert also pointed out that an information campaign could precede the actual use of weapons of mass destruction. "In fact, this could justify more aggressive actions against Iran, including the lifting of restrictions on the use of certain influence tools. It could even involve thermonuclear weapons," Stepanov added.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) reported on March 28 that Israel and the US had carried out another strike on the Bushehr NPP area, the third one since February 28. The AEOI reported one more strike on the site on April 4. A projectile fell near the plant, killing a guard; however, the main facilities remained intact. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement, commenting on the attacks, that "NPP sites or nearby areas must never be attacked, noting that auxiliary site buildings may contain vital safety equipment.".