UN nuclear watchdog accuses Iran over nuclear weapons
 The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has radically increased pressure on Iran
by publicly describing concerns over atomic weapons for the first time.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it feared that Tehran could
be working on a "nuclear payload for a missile" in its bluntest
report yet on Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.
The White House responded to the report by threatening “consequences” if Iran
failed to co-operate with nuclear inspectors.
In the IAEA’s first report on Iran under its new director-general, Yukiya
Amano, tougher language appeared to signal a sea-change in its attitude
towards Tehran.
Mr Amano was expected to be more confrontational than his predecessor, Mohamed
ElBaradei, who had refused to acknowledge worries about nuclear intentions
in public before his retirement on December 1.
The report, published last night, said: “The information available to the
agency is extensive ... broadly consistent and credible in terms of the
technical detail, the time frame in which the activities were conducted and
the people and organisations involved.
“Altogether this raises concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past
or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear
payload for a missile.”
While there was no direct new evidence of weapons production in the report,
the IAEA said that scientists at the Natanz nuclear facility had already
begun refining uranium to 20 per cent in a clear breach of UN obligations.
Last week Iran publicly announced a start to higher-scale enrichment, saying
that it was frustrated at the collapse of an IAEA-backed plan for foreign
governments to provide it with fuel rods for nuclear medicine made from
high-enriched uranium.
The IAEA report complained that Iran had started the process already by
feeding low-enriched uranium into centrifuges for refinement before
inspectors could get to the facility.
“We have expressed our dissatisfaction,” said a senior official close to the
IAEA. “It is of paramount importance to have this information in a timely
way to make sure there are no undeclared activities or facilities in Iran.”
The report also said that Iran increased its low-enriched uranium stockpile by
about 250kg to 2,060kg (4,540kg) since November — enough for one or two
nuclear bombs if enriched to 90 per cent purity.
“The fact that they have increased the level of non-cooperation indicates to
me that unless we can mount the international pressure to stop it, this
program is heading more and more in the direction of seeking a weapons
capability,” an IAEA official said.
The United States is already leading a push for the UN Security Council to
impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran because of suspicions it may be
developing nuclear weapons. Russia has recently declared its support for the
move, although it had previously been opposed to expanding sanctions.
“We always said that if Iran failed to live up to those international
obligations, that there would be consequences,” Robert Gibbs, the White
House spokesman, said.
Tehran responded to the report by claiming that its nuclear program was meant
only to yield electricity or radioisotopes for agriculture or medicine.
Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, said: “The IAEA’s new report
confirmed Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities and the country’s non-deviation
towards military purposes..
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