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Iran Reportedly Bought Nuclear Weapon-Related Metal
Iran has purchased large quantities of beryllium, a metallic element with a range of civilian uses that can also be used as a catalyst for a nuclear explosion, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Dec. 2). Iran bought “huge amounts of beryllium from a number of countries,” said one non-U.S. diplomat, citing intelligence gathered by his country. Other diplomats and one U.S. official said they had intelligence Tehran had acquired and worked with beryllium. They added that International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei was aware of the situation but had withheld the information from his agency’s Board of Governors. The board this week refrained from referring Iran’s nuclear work to the U.N. Security Council. Iran’s beryllium work was mentioned in an early draft of the agency’s September inspections report on Iran but was removed when Iran objected, according to a three-page memorandum delivered to Reuters by a non-U.S. diplomat “This early draft contained issues that later were not included in the final report, such as the beryllium issue, which was omitted after negotiations between the Iranians and ElBaradei,” the document said, citing sources with “proven access” inside the agency. Other diplomats confirmed the deletion. The information was also omitted from the agency’s November report, according to Reuters. ElBaradei’s efforts to serve another term as IAEA chief could be damaged if it is determined he knew of Iran’s beryllium work, according to Reuters. IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said many issues that are later excluded from the final report are included in initial drafts. “There are all kinds of technical details in first drafts which are later removed. That’s part of the drafting process,” she said (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters/Yahoo!News, Dec. 3). Meanwhile, Iran may be hiding sensitive equipment from the U.N. agency by restricting access to certain sites and withholding key information, diplomats told the Associated Press yesterday. Tehran in October provided only a partial inventory of components used at the suspected military site of Lavizan-Shian and has ignored a request by the agency for a complete list, the diplomats said. The inventories document purchases by Iran’s military-run Physics Research Center, they said. There is also concern that nuclear equipment missing from the Lavizan complex could have been taken to a nearby site, the diplomats added (George Jahn, Associated Press/Miami Herald, Dec. 3). The United States yesterday slammed Iran for not allowing IAEA inspectors to visit suspect sites, Agence France-Presse reported. “We expect Iran to provide prompt and unrestricted access to the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. “If Iran truly has nothing to hide, one would expect them not only to comply, but to do so with gusto,” he said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 2) U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday that Iran is “making a lot of mistakes” and that President George W. Bush and leaders of other nations would decide what steps to take to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 3). Iran’s suspension of uranium enrichment is expected to last up to six months, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said today, AFP reported. “The last word is after this period, which I do not assume will exceed six months ... we must seriously and firmly follow enrichment programs and use the very important advantages of nuclear technology,” he said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 3).
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