Thursday, July 23, 2015

Stating crime at the US Border requires analysis. It isn't just a matter of stating the numbers are different.

So, let's take a look at crime statistics. I don't pride myself on misdirection or lies.

Laredo, Texas has a population of 248,142  as of  2013. That sure as heck ain't New York City. 

It is difficult to find a comparable city at the northern border. Ontario has a population similar to Laredo, but, it is a Canadian city so that doesn't count. The American city across the bridge is Detroit and that doesn't really have any immigration problem. The north and south borders are completely different. Most border crossings of the northern border are lucky to have 100 people residing there. So, let's just say there isn't really a problem with the northern border. 

What would be a comparable American city inland of any borders. The center of the country is Kansas city, but, it's population is about half that of Laredo.

There are not many cities around the same population in the USA. (click here)
So, I'll just pick one. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky has a population of 250,994.

There is also another way of checking the facts about Laredo being a safer city than a major city and that is by comparing the violence per 100,000 people. However, that isn't really a fair comparison simply because NYC has far different budgets than Laredo, Texas. But, I can do that. 

As of 2013, New York City had a population of 8.406 million.

Before I go too much further, there is this:

November 14, 2015 
By: Justin J. Reyes

...These stats compare Laredo (click here) to larger cities like Detroit and Washington D.C which reflects the national average at 4.5 murders per 100,000. Congressman, Cuellar says these statistics clearly show that some of the safest cities in the U.S. are along the border.

This article states crime in Laredo is below the national average with Detroit and Washington, DC as representing the national average. I don't consider that a valid comparison.

Below is Laredo's crime statistics.(click here)

Okay, Lexington is not listed in the above resource (click here), but, there is an annual police report. Lexington. Kentucky is stated to have a population of 308,428. That is close enough to the population of Laredo, Texas to believe there should be similar problems and budgets.

This is page 16 of the report (click here).

The crimes rates are higher in Lexington than Laredo in 2013. I think that is a valid comparison. 

It isn't possible to compare any city with Laredo in regard to illegal immigrants, simply because it is a border city and will have higher rates because of it's location.

Lexington also has a lower poverty rate than Laredo, Texas.

September 19, 2013
 

...Child poverty in Kentucky (click here) increased to 26.5 percent in 2012 from 23.5 percent in 2008.
For a family of four with two children to be living in poverty in 2012, their annual income had to be less than $23,283.
The estimated poverty rate for adults 18-64 in Fayette County, 18.9 percent, was not a statistically significant difference in 2012 than it was in 2011. However, it had increased from 14.8 percent in 2008....

In this article Laredo, Texas is the 10th poorest city in the country. 

Median household income: $35,770 Percentage below poverty line: 31.7% (third highest) Unemployment rate: 8.5%  Population: 251,632
Located on the Rio Grande, this city serves as one of the biggest border crossings in the U.S., and is the point of entry for a large percentage of the goods that come into the country from Mexico. But while the border crossing provides certain economic benefits, it also attracts crime and drug trafficking. 


Poverty often accompanies higher crime rates. The claim that Laredo has a lower crime rate than other cities in the USA appears accurate. This is a very casual analysis and includes popular articles.

Discussed intermittently through this search for information turned up a program called "Secure Communities" which has been administered by ICE. There are complaints about the program from mayors stating the people deported were not criminals. Evidently, the program is suppose to find the criminals in the country and deport them. Some mayors state this program doesn't target criminal immigrants. This program was suppose to be replaced with President's Executive Order, but, that may not be happening now.

It took the deaths of citizens to open Turkey air bases for US jets.

July 23, 2015

Turkey (click here) is to let the US carry out airstrikes against the Islamic State group from a key military base near the Syrian border, US officials have said.
The agreement, yet to be confirmed by Ankara, follows months of negotiations.
The deal comes after Turkey and IS fighters exchanged fire near the Turkey-Syria border, with one soldier killed and two more injured.
On Monday, 32 people were killed in a suicide attack in a Turkish town on the Syrian border blamed on IS.
The agreement was finalised in a phone call between President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. It was confirmed by US officials speaking on condition of anonymity....
There are also reports there are six people injured and the gun (click here) the only one dead.

July 23, 2015
Two people (click here) are reportedly dead and at least six people have been injured after a shooting occurred inside a screening of “Trainwreck” in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The Daily Advertiser reports that the gunman was among the dead.
“We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” one witness told the newspaper.
The incident occurred at the Grand Theater.
According to reports, the man stood up about 20 mins into the screening and started firing at the audience. He is said to have later killed himself. 

I am not seeing other details at this time. It is stated the gunman killed himself. I suppose the idea he is a trainwreck was an amusement for him. What next?

Donald Trump is wrong about the Mexican side of US Border?

I don't believe it takes Donald Trump going to the Mexican Border to have Americans finally speak the truth. 

Really?

Border cities are safer than inland cities. My, my. Why did it take so long? 

July 22, 2015
Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) (click here) talked about veteran and military issues. Topics included wait times and health care at VA facilities, and President Obama’s speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention; the recent shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and the Iran nuclear agreement.

Don't look now, but, President Obama's policies has lowered apprehensions at the US-Mexico Border. This isn't as if the Border Patrol aren't doing their job under President Obama. It is because crossings have slowed. But, for Republicans to actually tell the truth means they can't defame Democrats.

This really interesting to me, because, it has taken Donald Trump to squeeze the truth out of everyone. That is legitimate power. 

He opened up the dialogue about the violence linked with some illegal immigrants and now his continued exposure to the issue is bringing everyone out of the shadows to defend the truth. Why isn't this truth on record in the Congress so we can go forward with Immigration Reform.

WHY DID IT TAKE DONALD TRUMP TO HAVE THE TRUTH SURFACE?

June 24, 2015

...violence in Central America is not subsiding. (click here) Honduras and El Salvador are now the most violent countries in the world. Honduras has a homicide rate of 68 homicides per 100,000 people. This year El Salvador threatens to top Honduras. In fact, in recent weeks, El Salvador saw a freighting spike in homicides, exceeding the numbers seen during its bloody civil war.

...“Over half of these [migrant] children probably qualify for international protection, meaning they are fleeing valid claims of violence, family violence, or violence by gangs in the street that would let them have some type of protection in the United States and Mexico,” said WOLA Senior Associate Maureen Meyer during a recent interview with MSNBC’s Maria Teresa Kumar.

The Obama administration requested US$1 billion in new assistance for Central America to address the “root causes” of migration. Given Mexico’s increased enforcement role, the U.S. Congress is no longer feeling the sense of urgency it did last year. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved a 2016 foreign aid bill that deeply cut the Obama administration’s aid request....

It would appear all the problem with border crossings occurred more in the Bush White House than anything President Obama enforced in the law.

Imagine that. The Republicans are the squeakiest wheel in the country and they don't even praise the President for picking up the challenge and actually make the border work.

They killed her.

Sandra was an innocent person, but, the laundry list of charges were to much to bear. She saw her life ruined. She wasn't going to be able to make it to her first day of work and even if she did she had a huge fight for her return of innocence that could have imperiled her new job. 

That police department, her entrapment and the abuse of her person may have just as well put her death.

There is no direct connection between marijuana and suicide. There is a study that exists whereby suicide rates were reduced by 10% among men under 40. It is stated this is the case because the stress is cut. The investigation was to determine if medical marijuana was appropriate among those patients. 

Accepted on: Aug 5, 2013

Conclusions. (click here) Suicides among men aged 20 through 39 years fell after medical marijuana legalization compared with those in states that did not legalize. The negative relationship between legalization and suicides among young men is consistent with the hypothesis that marijuana can be used to cope with stressful life events. However, this relationship may be explained by alcohol consumption. The mechanism through which legalizing medical marijuana reduces suicides among young men remains a topic for future study.
I am impressed considering Donald Trump is facing some of the most dangerous gangs in the world, he is not backing down. He is serious about this. He is a legitimate tough guy. Going to Laredo, Texas is not a minor action by someone interested in the presidency of the USA. 
Where does the victimization by the Texas law enforcement stop?

Where is the urine sample Sandra would have been required to provide when she was jailed? Specimens such as this are required of all arrested individuals. The point is that the victimization never stops. She had been in Texas for two days, maybe she was in Colorado on the way there. 

She was stopped for a lack of a right lane change signal, it was aggravated by the police officer to cause her to be upset because she was a law abiding person that never would expect an interaction with a police officer to result in assault and arrest and now a urine screen that would result in even more charges. 

This is ridiculous. Sandra should be alive. Her body has been given to the custody of the family. Texas has no more rights to conduct any tests or otherwise. What happened, the jail forget to get the urine drug screen? 

Sandra is not in this world anymore at the hand of their police officer who assaulted her and placed her into a reality out of hell. They have no right to build a case against Sandra when she isn't here to defend herself. I want to hear the charges Texas is bringing against their police officers and jail guards, there is at least assault, battery (when she was being man handled and negligent homicide.  

And this idea Sandra has a responsibility to cooperate with the officer is ridiculous. She was assaulted, man handled but basically battered and deprived of her freedom and everyone expects her to be rational when she thought she was going to die with a gun shot. Sandra did nothing wrong. She is an innocent person and the officer was way outside of appropriate with his words and demeanor. 

Sandra was not reacting to being 'found out' of a crime and attempting to get away from apprehension; she was scared for her life. She has no responsibility in this. Quite frankly any charges past those of her citation for neglecting to signal a lane change needs to be purged from Texas records. They are faux charges and are the responsibility of an officer that saw a chance to victimize an out of state woman for money and plenty of it.
Rubio is fear mongering. His statements in the Senate hearing is to carry this agreement into the 2016 elections. The Republican opposition isn't about Iran or Israel, it is about the presidential elections and just like the ACA the agreement will be reversed. There is no sincerity in Rubio's questions. The questions are misinformed to begin with, but, why would that stop a Republican. 

Rubio need to hurry and print out his campaign badges, "I will end the agreement with Iran as my first act in the Presidency with an executive order." 

The Iran agreement ADDS at least eight years to any development of nuclear weapons. War is no guarantee to end Iran's nuclear weapon program. As a matter of fact once the facilities are destroyed, Iran would become more covert and immediately return to building nuclear weapons. 

The best approach for any president-elect in 2016 is to reconvene the P5+1 and extend the agreement with the understanding there are improvements in the Iran economy and an ally of other countries and not Shi'ite factions in the Middle East. The next president should extend the potential to remold the Iranian relationship with other countries to insure the Shia diaspora is safe, prospering and in touch with the best religious leaders that come in pilgrim once a year of Shia souls.  

Rather than retreating to a war posture with Iran I would expect the next president to continue to improve relations with Iran and encourage Iran's continued member of the NPT.

Saudi Arabia should send it's Minister of Agriculture to visit southern California.

Forty percent loss is far too high, especially for produce such as corn. These are usually hardy crops after harvest, but, most USA produce is packaged at the field site and then loaded on to refrigerator trucks in a short period of time. Some produce need what is known in the USA as "Top Ice."

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia (click here) leads in agriculture production among the GCC countries, but loses much of its produce due to post-harvest handling and food spillage.
“The Kingdom loses at least 40 percent of its agriculture produce, especially vegetables and fruits,” Riyadh-based Hans van der Beek, Dutch agricultural counselor to GCC countries, said Wednesday.
“The loss does not mean only farm produce, but also loss of water. The losses in dates alone is huge, considering that the Kingdom produces an estimate 1 million tons annually,” he said. “Now, the question is what can we do to assist Saudi Arabia in reducing these losses?”
The agriculture expert said the Netherlands has come up with a project, the aim of which is to find the bottlenecks in the value chain, such as in storage, transportation and import handling at the Customs, he said. “We want to improve the situation by helping Saudi stakeholders to identify these bottlenecks. We have done this in the Netherlands,” he said.


The reason the USA has success in transporting produce sometimes leaving California and arriving in New York is because of the research of the USDA. There are publications from the USDA that can easily apply to the produce of Saudi Arabia.

This is about "top-icing" to keep produce in transport fresh inside a refrigerator truck. While refrigerators work to keep the produce cool to prevent spoiling, the air within the trailer can be dry. Top ice melts through the transportation process and adds humidity to some produce such as carrots.

...Ice (click here)

Ice is a good absorber of heat (table 1) and also helps to maintain humidity in loads of fresh produce. The main drawbacks for ice are its weight, which cuts down on the payload; the difficulty and expense of replenishing ice en route; the need for water-resistant packaging when applied as top-ice; and the damage some fresh fruit and vegetables incur when contacted by ice.Crushed or slush-ice blown over the top of produce loads is used to refrigerate and maintain high levels of humidity for certain products. This is known as “top-icing.” Some shippers may apply the crushed ice or slush- ice to individual pallet loads or in individual boxes of product (package-ice) before loading.....

There is a bit of an art to it to prevent heavy ice from hurting the crops in transport. So, representatives of Saudi Arabia should come to southern California and witness how they do it and what crops are best served by additional moisture in the trailers. 

But, the farmers of southern California are masters at transportation of produce. They have produce such as grapes of many varieties that need care in handling to reach the consumer in good condition. 

Saudi Arabia is pivotal to stability in the Middle East.

July 24, 2015

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) " Saudi Arabia's foreign minister (click here) says the Iran nuclear deal appears to have the provisions needed to curtail Iran's ability to obtain an atomic weapon.
Adel Al-Jubeir's remarks Thursday were the most favorable so far from the kingdom, which has been skeptical of the U.S.-led deal struck earlier this month between world powers and Iran, Saudi's regional rival.
Al-Jubeir says the kingdom has been reassured by Washington while consultations continue about the deal. He says it allows for effective inspections, including of military sites, and the possibility of snap-back sanctions.
Al-Jubeir, who visited Washington in mid-July, says the Saudis are "currently in talks with the American government regarding these details, but it (the deal) generally seems to have achieved these objectives."
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the kingdom Wednesday.

July 17, 2015
By Saeed Al-Batati and Kareem Fahim
 
AL MUKALLA, Yemen — The exiled Yemeni government (click here) said Friday that Saudi-backed fighters had “completely liberated” the southern city of Aden from the Houthi rebels who had tried for months to bring it under their control.
Witnesses in the city said that at least one neighborhood was still contested and that Houthi snipers remained active in several others. But rapid gains by the anti-Houthi fighters over the past few days appeared hard to reverse and potentially gave Saudi Arabia, which has been bombing the Houthis since late March and backing their opponents, its first battlefield victory.
The Yemeni prime minister, Khaled Bahah, called the gains a “historic moment” and said his government would quickly turn to repairing the devastation in Aden. The steady destruction of the city, Yemen’s second largest, has come to symbolize the hardships and horrors visited on civilians, including shelling, airstrikes and chronic shortages of water and electricity....

Saudi Arabia should seek talks with Iran and be accompanied by the King of Jordan and quite possibly the USA State Department and other Arab allies. The Iranian nuclear agreements have to be built on and the success will be long lasting.
 
CLOSE ALLIES: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman receives US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. (SPA)

July 23, 2015
By Arab News
 
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia (click here) sought assurances on Wednesday that the United States stands firmly against Iranian “interference” in the Middle East during a visit by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.
Carter held talks in Jeddah with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, and said Iran’s “potential for aggression” was a shared concern.
During their meeting, the US official conveyed to the king the greetings of US President Barack Obama; for his part, the king sent his greetings to Obama.
Carter told reporters aboard his plane that both the king and the defense minister reiterated their support of the Iranian nuclear deal....


The historical agreement with Iran is as much a promise as a protection.

The diplomatic agreement found it's way to conclusion when President Obama demanded the sanctions be applied to their full extent. That's right. The much discussion about Iran's sanctions were written in agreement but were never instituted until President Obama came into office.

Once Iran realized the sanctions were real and not just political mind speak to prepare for the next Neocon war; the agreement became a place for a newly elected Iranian President to seek an understanding of his people.

July 27, 2015
By Robin Wright

...I remarked on how much Iran (click here) had changed since the revolution, when I was nervous driving after dark, because cars were stopped at nighttime checkpoints to verify that the women inside were related to the men. Neighborhood komitehs raided homes suspected of partying and prowled streets to confront women who wore lipstick or exposed their ankles.

“You just have to go to this park to understand the state of mind among Iranians today,” Hadian, a political scientist now at the University of Tehran, said. “The revolution is in a midlife crisis. What is a midlife crisis? When you think idealism and youthfulness are gone. The revolution doesn’t want to accept that it has grown older, that it won’t achieve everything it wanted to achieve. Or that it has to adapt to survive.”

We reached the end of the park just as fireworks celebrating the Prophet’s heavenly journey went off over Tehran. People scrambled to get selfies against the flashing night sky....

The sanctions worked when finally instituted as they were meant to be applied. They worked so well there came a new president to Iran, President Hassan Rouhani. The sanctions worked so well under President Obama that the agreement of decades finally came to be reality.'

The sanctions worked so well, that Iran's people don't want them back. This article by Robin Wright doesn't entertain the imagination, but, proves the Iranian people have many dimensions and are capable of very interesting and productive lives. These aren't oppressed people under their revolutionary government, they are happier than before. If the American people want the Iranian prisons to reform, then talk to the people and have them talk to their President who can finally take up such matters with the legislative body to the Iranian government. 

Ms. Wright states sixty percent of Iran's people are under 35 years old. That is a lot of hope, new babies and demand for a future of promise, not oppression. These people have proven they are not interested in international politics that dictate the only venue to resolving differences is war. They are also new to the world's governments. A few decades is nothing compared the age of some of the oldest civilizations in the world.

Because of applied sanctions the Iranian people now realize how important good international relations are to all countries. There is not a country of people in this world that wants nuclear weapons to end their lives or the lives of their children. 

Iranians are looking forward to new economic growth in their country; more opportunity and a real chance to have a large and vibrant middle class. They are interested in peace within the Middle East and the choice of their leaders have proven that.

The lifting of sanctions is not the only aspect of relationships with Iran. There needs to be cultural exchanges and ultimately tourism. Each country within the agreement has an opportunity to appreciate Iranians and have Iranians appreciate them. This agreement brings about far greater opportunity to grow and stabilize the understanding each people have to end the threat of war and grow stability leading to peace. Sanctions can bring to mind the threat of war and they should be respected. The results of agreements carry with them the anticipations of a better life for the citizens today and the future of their children.

The Iranians chose leadership that can speak for them in their desires for peace and not war. The Iranian people have to realize their choices were respected and sanctions lifted to insure the leaders we have to deal with are as much a representative of peace as those that brought us to this point today. The Iranians are looking forward to an expanding and growing economy when sanctions are lifted over time. They should not be disappointed.

The Obama economy works.


In the week ending June 18, (click here) the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 225,000 a decrease of 26,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 281,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 281,000. This is the lowest level for initial claims since November 24, 1973  when it was 233,000. The 4-week moving average was 278,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 282,500. 

This is about job numbers, not the pay rate comes with those jobs. Why mess with success and more trade agreements?

July 23, 2015 
By Melissa Burden

General Motors Co. (click here) on Thursday reported stronger than expected second-quarter earnings of nearly $1.2 billion, as the automaker set a record for its North American adjusted earnings and profit margin for any quarter since emerging from bankruptcy as a new company in 2009.
GM earned 67 cents a share. When factoring in special items totaling $1.1 billion or 62 cents a share, its earnings per share rose to $1.29, well above analysts’ calls for $1.08 a share.
The automaker earned a slim $190 million in the 2014 second quarter, or 11 cents a share. Its net income a year ago was significantly impacted by recall costs.
“The first two quarters of the year were strong as we fully capitalized on a robust North American industry and maintained our strength in China, despite the challenging conditions in that market,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement. “We said our goal was to improve our earnings and margins this year, and we are on plan.
“Consistent with that, we believe our results in the second half of the year will be even better than the first half, and we’re confident we will meet our 2016 targets.”...
             
I'll be darn, GM is already selling cars in China. Nice. The strategy of growing a middle class works, now doesn't it? 

The Chinese middle class is very new to China's economy. It will have it's ups and downs, but, China will find stability in opportunity for these people. These folks are real. They work for a living and earn a DISPOSABLE INCOME. It's great.

This is a dated article, but, provides the story of a new middle class. The Chinese middle class is a little over ten years old and the American people can be proud of believing all people should have the ability for upward movement. It is the American middle class that served as a model and example of where economic growth sincerely exists.

January 1, 2009

...Though many foreign companies (click here) have remarked on the importance of China’s middle class as a consumer segment, few realize just how dramatic its ascendance is. From 1995 to 2005, the population of China’s middle class—defined here as households with annual incomes ranging from $6,000 to $25,000—grew from close to zero in 1995 to an estimated 87 million in 2005, according to MasterCard Worldwide, Asia Pacific. China’s middle class will jump to 340 million by 2016 (see Figure 1). The purchasing power—disposable income minus savings—of China’s middle class is also growing. In 2006, around 39 percent of urban households were middle class (see Figure 2). By 2016, that percentage will likely rise to 60 percent. At present, the middle class accounts for 27 percent of China’s total urban disposable income. By 2015, that percentage is expected to rise to more than 40 percent (see Figure 3). Considering its swelling numbers, purchasing power, and trajectory, China’s middle class presents marketing opportunities that companies cannot afford to miss....

China can now be an import economy as well as an export economy. China and the USA can move through a balance of trade. That is good news to the USA. China and the USA can be two of the strongest economies in the world. That would be wonderful and a real accomplishment for China's leaders.

Local economies work for China as well as any other country in the world. Local economies in the USA is the cornerstone today after the 2008 global economic collapse. Local economies are where risk is managed and held to a minimum.  

I'll be darn, there is still a Damascus.

July 24, 2015

BEIRUT (AP) " The U.N. envoy for Syria is in Damascus (click here) to press efforts to find a political solution to the country's long-running conflict.
Staffan de Mistura, who arrived Thursday in the Syrian capital, has been meeting with Syrian politicians and regional stakeholders.
His office says he is working to finalize his proposals to the U.N. chief, Ban Ki-moon, on a way forward to support Syrian parties in their search of a political solution.
De Mistura also held talks with Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, who said his country supports a regional effort to eliminate "terrorism."
Al-Moallem said Syria considers eradicating terrorism a "fundamental priority." The Syrian government considers all armed groups fighting to topple President Bashar Assad as terrorist groups.

Israel isn't interested in peace.

July 24, 2015
JERUSALEM (AP) " An Israeli settlement watchdog group says Israel has advanced plans to build or retroactively approve 1,065 housing units in West Bank Jewish settlements.
The settlements are built on land the Palestinians claim for a future state. Most countries consider them illegitimate.
Peace Now said on Thursday that an Israeli military committee retroactively approved 24 housing units in the Beit El settlement, though Israel's Supreme Court ordered them demolished by the end of July because they were built on private Palestinian lands.
In total, the group said, the Israeli military Wednesday approved 541 new housing units, retroactively legalized 228 existing housing units, and approved infrastructure for a plan that includes 296 housing units. The military also approved the construction of two industrial structures, a Jewish religious school and a winery.

The USA covered missile sites with side agrements from the nuclear agreements with Iran.

July 23, 2015
By Bill Gertz

The Iran nuclear agreement (click here) includes two secret side deals covering a key Iranian military site and other past arms activities, according to two lawmakers who are demanding that Congress be granted access to the documents.

The secret agreements were reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy (IAEA) on Tehran’s past nuclear arms work and are a central component of the Vienna accord reached by Iran, the United States, and five other states.

A key part of the nuclear agreement requires Iran to disclose all military nuclear arms work before international sanctions are lifted. The IAEA has until December to report on the past military activities.

Rep. Mike Pompeo, (R., Kan.), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee, said in an interview he first learned of the secret side deals by questioning IAEA officials....

Parchin, Iran is where ballistic missiles are tested. Parchin has been a place where Israel has been focusing as proof of a nuclear activity. There have been explosions in Parchin that shows disabling damage to buildings. There is speculation Israel has involvement in sabotage of any activities there. Israel is known to be suspect in killing Iranian nuclear scientists.

October 6, 2015
By Armin Rosen

...There's been a mysterious (click here) and possibly deadly explosion at an Iranian facility that the US and international monitors believe was once used to test nuclear weapons components — and that Tehran has barred International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from visiting.

According to The New York Times, an explosion at the Parchin military installation caused an "enormous orange flash that illuminated Tehran." Iranian officials "confirmed that two people were missing after 'an ordinary fire' caused by 'chemical reactions of flammable material,'" according to the Times account.
 
But this is hardly the only suspicious explosion to hit a sensitive Iranian military facility, and it's unlikely that Iran would admit to an act of sabotage. In 2011, the architect of Iran's ballistic missile program was killed in a suspicious blast. And there have been several assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists in recent years, killings that have been blamed on both Israel and the Mujahideen el-Khalk, an anti-regime militant group.

And Parchin was apparently home to infrastructure needed to develop ballistic triggers for a uranium-based nuclear detonation, work that apparently took place at the facility prior to 2004 when these activities were discovered and made public by the US and international regulators....

Parchin is a known commodity to the USA for a long time. Knowledge about the site has been known since about 2003. There are no secrets here. Any agreement drawn regarding Parchin is in addition to the primary Iran agreement. The P5+1 wanted to keep the primary nuclear deal clean of suspect to it's outcome. It makes sense Parchin would be a separate agreement.

The history regarding Iran's nuclear activities is long. This is a timeline dating back to 1957. The current talks with Iran has been the most productive imitative regarding their military and nuclear sites.

22 February 2012
By Mark Fitzpatrick, Director, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (click here) inspectors on their second visit to Iran in a month have been turned away from a military base in Parchin, immediately raising questions about the activities being carried out there.

The IAEA last had access to Parchin, about 30km southeast of Tehran, in early 2005. According to the 2011 IISS dossier on Iran’s nuclear capabilities: ‘The site contained test bunkers and diagnostic buildings, which US officials suspected might be used for high-explosive tests related to nuclear weapons development. Such tests are commonly used to develop the high-explosive lens system for implosion designs [ie. bombs].

‘In January 2005, Iran allowed the IAEA to visit and take samples at one of four locations in Parchin to which it had requested access. In March 2005, the IAEA reported that it “saw no relevant dual-use equipment or materials in the location visited”. Environmental samples taken at the selected site did not indicate the presence of nuclear materials.’...


Semira N. Nikou

...Aug. 8 – Iran resumed uranium conversion (click here) at the Isfahan facility under surveillance of the IAEA.


Aug. 9 – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa forbidding the “production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons.”
 

Aug. 11 –The IAEA urged Iran to suspend all enrichment activities and re-instate IAEA seals.



Sept. 24 –The IAEA found Iran in noncompliance with the NPT Safeguards Agreement and decided to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for further action. The decision followed Iran’s repeated failure to fully report its nuclear activities. Tehran countered that it might suspend its voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol that allowed more intrusive and sudden inspections.



Nov. 20 –Iran’s parliament approved a bill requiring the government to stop voluntary implementation of the Safeguards Agreement’s separate Additional Protocol, which allowed more intrusive and surprise inspections, if Iran were referred to the Security Council. The parliament did not move to block normal inspections required under the Safeguards Agreement, which had been ratified by parliament in 1974.


2006

JanuaryIran broke open internationally monitored seals on the Natanz enrichment facility and at two related storage and testing locations, which cleared the way to resume nuclear fuel research under IAEA supervision. 


Feb. 4The IAEA voted to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for its non-compliance with its NPT Safeguards Agreement obligations....

Parchin military site was first inspected in 2005 of which resulted Iran's referral to the UN Security Council. Parchin has been known to authorities for a very long time.

There is no details about Iran's activities that point to nuclear weapons the P5+1 hasn't dealt with.