U.N. IAEA Finds Fault With Iran Nuclear Program
By Gary Fitleberg on 12/03/03
American Daily
Iran is pursuing a program of nuclear development. Whether it is for peaceful purposes or for weapons of mass destruction remains to be seen. But the documentary evidence thus far leans to the latter possibility.
The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency has condemned and reported that Iran has violated nuclear protocols and not made a complete disclosure of its activities.
In its toughest language of the 30 page report it stated “Based on all information currently available to the agency, it is clear that Iran has failed in a number of instances over an extended period of time to meet its obligation under its safeguard agreement with respect to the reporting of nuclear material and its processing and use.”
Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the IAEA, said in the report that inspectors had turned up no evidence that the concealed activities were linked to a nuclear weapons program.
ElBaradei stated, “however, given Iran’s past pattern of concealment, it will take some time before the agency is able to conclude that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purpose.”
The report detailed nine separate instances in which it said Iran had failed to report nuclear activities as required by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or failed to provide required information to the agency.
A Western diplomat in Vienna, headquarters of the IAEA, noted for the record that it is significant that it was the first time the agency used the word “failed” in its report on Iran as concerns of a complete disclosure will cause a continuing investigation.
The U.S. has accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear power program as a front for attempts to develop nuclear weapons. America’s Bush administration has been pressuring the member nations of the IAEA to refer the issue to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions against Iran. The IAEA Board will take up the issue scheduled to start on Nov. 20th.
The IAEA Board got tough with Iran in September after inspectors discovered traces of uranium enriched to weapons grade levels at two locations in Iran. Officials claim the traces were brought into Iran on contaminated machinery bought on the black market. In other words, enriched uranium and/or machinery purchased illegally.
The IAEA Board set a Oct. 31st deadline for full disclosure. Substantial gaps in information were missing. Iran was also to agree to more intrusive inspections. Iran was reluctant to do so. Why? If Iran has absolutely nothing to hide it will come clean completely.
Iran agreed to accept the additional inspections and temporarily suspend its enrichment program under intense international pressure. It also beat the deadline by turning over aq dossier of its atomic nuclear program to the IAEA.
The most glaring criticisms and suspicions in the report dealt with the discovery of plutonium experiments, the existence of the secret laser enrichment program and the uranium enrichment tests using unexplained missing Chinese materials.
The plutonium reprocessing experiments were performed secretly at two facilities in Tehran between 1988 and 1992. Iran told the IAEA that the research was carried out to learn about the nuclear fuel cycle, but the steps also could be interpreted as part of a weapons program.
The IAEA report states the experiments had not been disclosed to the agency, as required, and that waste was dumped in a salt marsh.
In another incident, the report says Iran admiited in an Oct. 21 letter that it had used uranium hexaflouride imported from China to test equipment for its uranium enrichment program at the Kalaye Electric Co., a small complex northwest of Tehran that had been identified as a watch factory.
The tests were conducted from 1998 until 2002 on centrifuges, which are used in large numbers to purify uranium for use as reactor fuel or in weapons. After the tests, the centrifuges were moved to a huge underground complex under construction near Natanz in central Iran.
When IAEA inspectors first visited Kayale last March, they were refused access. Later, Iran, admitted that it had constructed enrichment experiments at Kalaye but claimed the tests were simulations and did not involve nuclear material.
By the time the inspectors were permitted to return to Kayale in August, they found that walls had been removed and significant portions of the complex had been repainted. Some officials suspected it was an effort to conceal unreported activities there, but Iran counters by saying the changes were normal renovations.
Something is obviously not right with the total nuclear development picture in Iran.
Will Iran come clean completely? Will Iran cease its activities long-term or temporarily? Based on actions thus far we absolutely cannot take Iran’s word as being honest regarding its intentions of its nuclear program.
http://www.americandaily.com/item/3718