Iran Blames Uranium on Contamination
August 17, 2003
Reuters
Louis Charbonneau
VIENNA -- Iran says highly enriched uranium traces U.N. inspectors found in the Islamic republic resulted from contamination and not because it is secretly enriching uranium, according to diplomats familiar with the matter.
However, diplomats told Reuters they wanted the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate Iran's explanation for the presence of what could be weapons-useable uranium in an environmental sample taken at a nuclear site.
''We can't be satisfied with excuses,'' a Western diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. ''We don't expect the case to be closed at this point. The pressure must continue on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA.''
But diplomats said the contamination explanation could not be ruled out and should be taken seriously, though suspicions remained that the uranium was enriched inside Iran.
Iran initially denied a July 18 Reuters report that IAEA inspectors had found traces of highly enriched uranium.
However, diplomats who declined to be identified said Iran recently told the IAEA that contaminated machinery purchased abroad was the source of the enriched uranium particles found at Natanz, 250 km (155 miles) south of Tehran.
The Western diplomat said there was still ''a lot of doubt'' about whether Iran's nuclear programme was dedicated to the peaceful generation of electricity -- as Tehran insists -- or whether it is a front for a nuclear weapons program.
Iran is building two uranium enriching facilities at Natanz. One is a pilot enrichment plant, which is expected to house some 1,000 centrifuges. The second facility is to be a full-scale enrichment plant with more than 50,000 centrifuges.
Centrifuges are used to separate fissile uranium from non-fissile material to purify it for use as nuclear fuel -- or in weapons.
Diplomats have said they suspect Iran has done live testing of centrifuges without notifying the IAEA, which could viewed as a serious violation of its IAEA Safeguards Agreement. Such violations must be reported to the U.N. Security Council.
Iran denies having tested its enrichment systems with nuclear material.
IRAN UNDER PRESSURE
Diplomats said that when the IAEA Board of Governors meets next month to discuss the agency's most recent inspections in Iran, some of the 35 board member states would push for a strongly worded resolution criticising Iran's repeated failure to inform the IAEA about all aspects of its nuclear programme.
The board would, however, almost certainly not agree to declare Iran in non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement, the Western diplomat said.
Diplomats said the hardline view of the United States, which accuses Iran of having an extensive clandestine nuclear weapons programme and would not oppose reporting Tehran to the Security Council, had few clear supporters on the board.
''I think the European countries take a very hard view of Iran but want to keep up the pressure on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA,'' said the Western diplomat, adding that he was eager to see the agency's new report on Iran.
The European Union -- one of Iran's key trading partners -- warned the Tehran government last month it would review relations on the basis of the upcoming IAEA report.
The IAEA board cited Iran in June for failing to declare many aspects of its atomic programme and called on Tehran to clear up a number of open questions, including the nature and history of its ambitious uranium enrichment programme.
Agency spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei would be finalising the confidential Iran report in the coming days, before giving it to IAEA board members.
He said the agency would not comment on its ongoing inspections in Iran.
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