Blueprint Smuggler : The Pakistani who sold Iran a shortcut to the nuclear bomb

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Smuggled Science

Iran didn’t build its nuclear program from scratch—it bought it. A covert Pakistani network sold Tehran the tools to enrich uranium long before the world caught on.

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Blueprint Heist

The designs Iran uses to spin uranium? They trace back to stolen European secrets—pinched by Pakistan’s A.Q. Khan and passed on in a nuclear black market.

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Khan’s Bazaar

He ran the world’s most dangerous flea market. From Dubai to Tripoli, A.Q. Khan peddled bomb parts, blueprints, and know-how to regimes hungry for nukes.

Turnkey Treason

This wasn’t just tech—it was a full nuclear starter pack. Khan’s team allegedly offered Iran everything needed to go from zero to weapons-grade.

Malaysia Mystery

Parts for Iran’s nuclear ambitions were quietly machined in Malaysian workshops—hidden in plain sight while inspectors looked elsewhere.

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Dubai Detour

Shipments passed through the UAE, cloaked in fake paperwork and shell companies. A global smuggling web that ran right under the world’s radar.

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Design Secrets

Nuclear archives seized from Iran suggest that detailed bomb blueprints may have come from Pakistan—raising fears about just how far Tehran got.

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Ignored Warnings

Western intel agencies had clues about Khan’s dealings with Iran in the ’90s—but internal politics and denial slowed the alarm bells.

Legacy Fallout

Long after Khan’s network was busted, Iran’s nuclear facilities still hum with the ghosts of his designs—and the geopolitical aftershocks remain.