General Aslawi stood up again and interrupted Fathi's presentation. "I must emphasize that these designs have only been calculated numerically with a computer simulation program and to the best of our knowledge have never been actually tested. Dr. Fathi is taking a large risk relying on this unverified design. I demand that his work be examined by a knowledgeable and objective nuclear expert as he himself cannot be completely relied upon".
Fathi was deeply offended by this interruption. His face turned red and he stuttered "General, please allow me to continue. Before being interrupted, I was just about to say that we have consulted with a leading Chinese bomb designer and he said he would look into this design in depth". The general became silent and felt humiliated that his thunder was stolen.
The Senior Assistant saw that the debate had become personal and feared that the general would make sure to avenge this offense by making Fathi "disappear" as he had done to some of his real or perceived enemies. So he raised his voice and said "Quit quibbling. We are here to update the Supreme Leader and to gain his approval for continuing with our plan. We all know that both of you are patriots so please work together. Dr. Fathi, continue your presentation."
The shaken Fathi moved on to the next slide "Even our new design is too large and too heavy to fit into a long-range missile. We can adapt it to dimensions that would fit a bomb carried by an aircraft but we have no suitable planes that can penetrate the anti-aircraft defenses of the Israelis. Probably not even the Iraqi defenses if for some reason we decide to use Baghdad for target practice or for a full scale demonstration. That is why we are also working on the development of a "dirty bomb", shown in the next slide. As you can see this is much simpler to design, construct and test. We need some radioactive materials that are readily available in medical devices used for radio-therapy and even in common commercial products like smoke detectors. The RDD should preferably contain a mixture of short-lived highly radioactive gamma-emitting nuclides with long-lived gamma and alpha-emitting materials to contaminate the area for a long time and make decontamination extremely costly. These materials can easily be dispersed over a large area by conventional explosives, either in open areas or in built-up cities."
Once again General Aslawi interrupted, this time without bothering to get up. "Dr. Fathi has failed to mention that these "dirty bombs" are nowhere close to being weapons of mass destruction as a nuclear bomb is. At most they have a psychological effect as weapons of mass disruption with some economic damage but no real mass casualties. Any kid who could take apart a medical radiation source and get a few hundred grams of explosives can make such a bomb. I feel that Dr. Fathi has been wasting our time and money working on this."
The Supreme Leader shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The Senior Assistant sensed that and felt that Fathi was about to have a massive coronary so he quickly intervened "General Aslawi, I am asking you for the last time to stop this counterproductive behavior. Dr. Fathi, please conclude your presentation."
Fathi was encouraged by the support he just got and continued "This is my last slide. If we can get enough fissile material we can construct what is called an improvised nuclear device or IND that can be transported in a large box or the trunk of a car. We can combine this with a "dirty bomb" although a nuclear explosion, even a small inefficient one, would disperse enough radioactive materials to irradiate and contaminate everything within a radius of a few hundred meters or more. This IND can also be placed inside the cargo hold of any commercial aircraft or very easily in a standard shipping container and be disguised as an innocent piece of luggage or equipment. If I can get enough freshly enriched uranium I can make sure that commonly deployed radiation detectors would not be able to pick it up from a distance. Given some more time and logistical support I can make sure that our Islamic Republic is feared throughout the world and restore the greatness our nation had once enjoyed among the countries of the civilized world".
The Senior Assistant said "Thank you Dr. Fathi for your presentation and for your good work. I wish to remind everyone that this plan is a major component of our insurance policy because once the so called "nuclear deal" between our country and the six members of the other side is signed the inspectors of the IAEA will be everywhere. They will conduct intrusive inspections of all our declared nuclear sites, they will continue to prevent us from acquiring materials that may serve for production of nuclear weapons and they will impose restrictions on our scientists. You all know that this laboratory is located at the basement of Evin Prison in order to circumvent inspections. We assume that no sane person would believe that we are about to construct a nuclear bomb in the heart of our largest city. We have reckoned that it is easier to hide this laboratory in a busy place where all kinds of people enter, and some exit, during all hours of the day and where truckloads of supplies and equipment are regularly dropped off. It was Dr. Fathi's suggestion to name this Basement S – where S stands for the Great Satan and Little Satan that are our dreaded enemies. We are not sure how much longer we can draw out the signing of the agreement but we must ensure that Dr. Fathi's team is given the resources to complete the job."
The meeting was over and the entourage left the conference room and was taken on a short tour of the laboratory itself. Dr. Fathi explained that the laboratory was not used for the production of the fissile materials – these were to be brought in from other nuclear plants in Iran or provided by its two nuclear allies – but to develop and construct the device. He showed them the "hot cells" where radioactive materials could be handled safely, the machinery and equipment that were needed to cast the fissile materials and shape them, the analytical chemical laboratory and the detectors used for nuclear spectrometry. He gave a brief description of the conventional explosives that were needed to compress the fissile material and the triggering method to achieve a symmetric implosion and cause a nuclear detonation. He once again repeated that their innovative idea of combining the two types of fissile materials, plutonium and high enriched uranium, in a single device was Iran's latest contribution to the advancement of science. He then took them into a separate part of the laboratory where a super-computer was installed and told them that they could run simulations of explosions at a speed that could have only been imagined a decade earlier. He looked at General Aslawi and said that his organization and the agents of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were to be thanked for illicitly obtaining the computer. The general smiled at this, but when he heard Fathi cynically adding that since his senior mathematician had "disappeared" the computer was now of little use, he blushed and muttered under his breath that Fathi's day would come soon. This Arabic idiom "every dog has its day" literally implies that even the lowest members of society will have their day of glory, but in colloquial use it means the opposite that the day of reckoning will come to everyone regardless of how high and mighty they are now.
The Supreme Leader said that he didn't quite follow all the technicalities that Dr. Fathi discussed. He proceeded to nominate Imam Mourtashef as liaison between his office and the laboratory in Basement S and to provide him with periodical progress reports. The Imam concurred and said that he would pay regular visits to the laboratory and would also start working on a plan to transport the nuclear device, once it was completed, to its target. When the Senior Assistant said that no decision has been made about its target or its use the Imam nodded and said that these decisions were to be made by the Supreme Leader and the Council.
Chapter 13
October 10th, the present, Moscow
General Koliagin looked at his two guests and smiled broadly – something he didn't often do. "Well, well, well, who would believe that the three of us are sitting together like old friends?"
Imam Mourtashef looked across the table at David Avivi and in a very formal tone said "General Koliagin, I wish to thank you for arranging this meeting and for keeping it quiet. We all know that strange times precipitate strange events and this is just one of them".
David acknowledged th
e Imam and the General and said "Honorable Imam, I have asked the general to invite a senior representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran in order to avoid an uncalled for confrontation with Israel. I am glad that you are here because your reputation as a clever and intelligent person and as one of the most powerful people in Iran precedes you and is well known. Especially, among the people who follow the events that are taking place in your country."
The Imam nodded and said "Mr. Avivi, or is it now Dr. Avivi? Your reputation as a clever and intelligent person is also well known, albeit in limited circles only. We know that you are here with the blessing of your Prime Minister and your boss, Mr. Shimony. Could we please now get down to the business at hand?"
General Koliagin intervened "It looks as if the Imam doesn't beat around the bush. David, please tell the Imam what you told me when you asked me to set up this meeting."
David opened "We were as surprised as everyone else when the news about the assassination of several Iranian nuclear scientists broke. We understood that once the nuclear deal between Iran and Six Powers was signed that there would be no justification to act against your scientists. This, of course, is not an admission that Mossad was involved in any such acts before the deal was signed. Israel's policy had always been to refrain from any comment on clandestine operations that were attributed to it. For example, we never confirmed that the Israeli air force was responsible for the destruction of the nuclear reactor that was built by the North Koreans in Syria. Of course, the most notable exception was that we took responsibility for obliterating Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor for the great benefit to the security of our country and yours. So you must appreciate the statement made by our PM and Mossad Head that Israel was not involved in these recent acts against Iranian scientists. You should take this statement at face value – no tricks were intended. I am here to provide further proof that these actions were not carried out by our government."
The Imam still looked skeptical "Do you know who did these heinous acts?" and when he saw David nodding he added "Can you provide proof?"
General Koliagin looked at David with great interest expecting him to continue but David was obviously still hesitant about how to proceed. After a couple of moments, when Koliagin was beginning to show signs of impatience, David continued "You may have heard about the double murder that took place in Berlin three days ago. The two dead people were former Mossad agents whose real names were Shmuel Jacobs and Rina Rabinov. They were known to their friends as Sam and Ruby. The crime scene was staged to look like a murder and suicide but our forensics experts have proven that it was a double murder and that the gun was planted in Sam's hand after his death. Ruby and Sam were dishonorably fired from Mossad three years ago after they were found to be partly responsible for a fiasco that led to a crisis and almost caused a rift between Israel and one of its staunchest allies. Since their discharge from Mossad they had left Israel and lived in Berlin and worked for a private security agency. I met them shortly before their murder and they admitted that they were guilty of carrying out the acts against your scientists."
Before he could go any further the Imam interrupted his narrative "Do you expect me to believe that these two Mossad agents did all these murders on their own? You say they were former agents, you disown them and their actions, but can you provide any proof that they were not under deep cover and still working for you?"
David continued "The firm for which Sam and Ruby worked was owned by a former Deputy Director of Mossad. He is known by his title Segan – meaning deputy in Hebrew – and I cannot disclose his real name. He was responsible for the debacle that led to the dismissal of Sam and Ruby and he, too, was fired because of this. His firm has earned a reprehensible reputation as a place where you could hire contract killers. We know that some anonymous person, posing as an English gentleman, has contracted Segan's firm to assassinate the scientists, but we have not yet managed to find this person. Segan has gone into hiding and nobody seems to know where he is, but we are concentrating our efforts on finding him and the people that hired him. And, honorable Imam, I don't expect you to believe that Sam and Ruby had operated on their own. Obviously someone provided them with up to date operational information on the whereabouts of your scientists and where and when they would be most vulnerable. Furthermore, we suspect that someone inside your own establishment has assisted this gentleman who passed the operational information to Segan". David had no evidence of this last item but thought that it would be a good opportunity to get the Iranians to start hunting for a non-existent spy in their midst.
The Imam was not a fool, so he skeptically said "Are you trying to get us to start a witch hunt? Looking for a mole? So far I have not seen any irrefutable proof that Segan, Sam and Ruby were not still active Mossad agents working under a guise in Berlin."
David said "Once we find Segan, hopefully alive, we'll be able to extract a confession from him, and then go after the gentleman who gave him the contract. We doubt that this gentleman was acting on his own and believe that he was a messenger. The real challenge is to find who sent him and why."
General Koliagin commented "David, I have to agree with the Imam, that you have to offer proof. So far you have presented nothing but words, quite convincing I admit, but without real evidence…" his voice trailed off.
David said "General, you are correct. I think that the very fact that this meeting is taking place is a sign of good faith on our part. If the FSB is willing to cooperate I'll provide you with the details on Segan, but you must assure me that once you spot him you will let Mossad take him in."
The general laughed "Do you think we don't know who Segan is? We have kept track of him, and his firm, but he managed to keep the details of this last contract from us. We'll gladly help finding him but I cannot promise that we won't keep him for a while before handing him over to you. After all, Iran is our ally and we need to make sure that you don't concoct some false statements that you will attribute to Segan. We have a lot of practice in making people confess and own up to their actions." He paused for a moment and added "Sometimes even if they had nothing to confess" and laughed.
The Imam rose from the table "Before departing I must say that I have not been convinced that Mossad was not responsible for the dreadful murders of our blameless scientists."
David quickly said "What about the Israeli hostages you are holding in Evin Prison?" and the Imam innocently said "What hostages?" and walked out of the room.
General Koliagin looked at David and in an apologetic tone said "Well, this didn't go so well..."
David just shrugged and said "Nevertheless general, I appreciate your help. I believe that some progress was made here. The Imam will at least consider what I said and will be more open to further suggestions for negotiation. We do need to try and release our citizens who are held as hostages and we know where the Iranian regime has its soft spots. A little pressure where it really hurts them, and they will start singing a different tune."
October 11th, Office of the Senior Assistant, Tehran
After Imam Mourtashef's return to Tehran he immediately set up a meeting with the Senior Assistant and General Aslawi to give them a firsthand account of the conference in Moscow. "General Koliagin had arranged the meeting with a representative of Mossad, David Avivi, who was responsible for thwarting at least two attempts by our Muslim brothers to inflict serious damage on the Zionist entity. He tried to convince me that the crimes perpetrated against our scientists were not the doing of Mossad. He claimed, without providing any substantiation that renegade former Mossad agents were behind these deeds. He claimed that a private firm in Berlin carried out these murders under a contract with a mysterious English gentleman who was an emissary of some unmentioned group. Furthermore, he hinted that we probably have a mole within our establishment – either the nuclear agency or the intelligence services". Both clerics looked at General Aslawi who waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. The Imam continued "Even General Koliagin was not persu
aded by these lame excuses and demanded some evidence for the whole story. Avivi said that he had asked for the meeting to prevent a conflict between our country and his, but I believe that he was just seeking immunity from justifiable actions we have taken against Israeli citizens." The Imam had not yet shared his own grand plan of attacking Israel even with his two esteemed colleagues. In fact, there was no one, in Iran or elsewhere, that knew what was going on in his devious mind. He continued "As I was leaving the conference room Avivi suddenly raised the issue of the hostages we are holding in Evin. I did not confirm his suspicions that we had them here but then he added that they were ready to negotiate. I didn't respond and left the room."
The Senior Assistant appeared to be staring into space "I wonder if he was telling the truth. Perhaps Mossad was not involved and the whole operation was a kind of provocation to force us to do something that would be interpreted as an infringement of the nuclear deal. That would give the West, led by the newly elected American President, an excuse to impose new sanctions of us".
General Aslawi also considered the Imam's report from a different angle "What if there really is a traitor among us. If any foreign intelligence agency finds out about the laboratory in Basement S then they will for sure renew the sanctions, or even be provoked into a military attack against us."
The Imam said "I have some sad news from Dr. Fathi. He told me that the loss of our esteemed colleague, Dr. Ali Abdul Abadi, who was murdered in Vienna was a serious setback to our program. Apparently Dr. Abadi was head of the small section that worked on solid state physics. His replacement is very talented but lacks the experience and brilliance of Dr. Aabdi, so we have been seeking more outside help in this area. The problem is that being too inquisitive could raise suspicion that we have not desisted from our weapons program. I don't need to explain what implications could follow."
The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3) Page 15
