So the source is an inspector or nuclear scientist or weapons expert who would know this? No. "Sami al-Araji, the deputy minister of industry" Immediately thereafter attributed as Dr. Araji. Being forthcoming, probably helped him stay in his position. This looks suspiciously political, running alongside Hillary's announcement and ads on Slate....such as "The Indispensible Hillary Clinton".
Araji was the source of the NYT article; what I find interesting is the rhetorical trouncing dispensed by Hitchens.
Although the essay was published in 2005 and Hitchens died in 2011, were he alive today, I highly doubt he'd have much to say in the defense of Hillary Clinton, considering he wrote the book "No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton."