Iran Moving Toward Uranium Enrichment, Diplomats Say

Iran seemingly is moving closer to resuming uranium enrichment through activities including producing a gas that could be used to make nuclear weapons, Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, July 28).

Tehran appears to be testing machinery used to make uranium hexafluoride gas, and produced some gas as a side effect of that work, diplomats said. They added that they did not know how much hexafluoride was made or when the testing began.

Along with reports Tuesday that Iran had restarted building centrifuges, the new revelation has increased concern that Iran is moving toward full uranium enrichment, despite promises not to do so, according to AP.

Tehran is challenging the International Atomic Energy Agency’s call to halt all enrichment-related activities, the United States alleged.

“It certainly raises questions about other commitments Iran has made concerning its nuclear program,” said State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.

IAEA officials would not comment on the reports (George Jahn, Associated Press/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 28).

Representatives from Germany, France and the United Kingdom met today in Paris with Iranian officials to discuss the latest revelations, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said (see GSN, July 1). 

“I hope that Tehran understands that this is not the right way to go,” German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said yesterday (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, July 29).

Meanwhile, the U.N. nuclear watchdog announce yesterday that it would submit a new report on Iran’s nuclear activities during the organization’s board meeting on Sept. 13, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

An IAEA press release expressed hope that some questions regarding Iran’s nuclear work would be clarified in the new report, according to Xinhua.

However, agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming would not comment on media reports that Iran has resumed manufacture of centrifuges.

“We will always remain neutral,” she said (Xinhua, July 29).

Elsewhere, Israel’s army chief said Tuesday that Iran’s nuclear ambitions must be halted by international pressure.

“A military operation is not absolutely necessary to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities,” Gen. Moshe Yaalon said. “If we look at Libya we can see that international pressure can be very effective,” he added.

“Israel is taking the risk that Iran acquires a nuclear capability very seriously,” Yaalon said. 

On Monday a spokesman for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was quoted threatening that Iran would wipe Israel “off the face of the earth” if it attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, July 28).

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