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Iran Agrees to Another IAEA Inspection at Parchin
Iran has given an “agreement in principle” for the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct an additional inspection of the Parchin military complex, diplomats said Friday (see GSN, Feb. 4). U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday that the White House is “on a diplomatic route” in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, and that it could take Tehran years to develop an atomic weapon. “It’s fairly clear from the public statements of the Iranians that, that they are on a path of seeking a nuclear weapon and don’t have it at the present time,” Rumsfeld said in an interview with CNN’s “Late Edition,” according to Reuters. “I don’t make estimates, that’s the business for the intelligence community. But they’re some years away according to the estimates, but I don’t know if the estimates are correct or not” (Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters, Feb. 6). Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee has begun to examine the U.S. intelligence on Iran in an effort to avoid poor assessments similar to the prewar intelligence on Iraq’s WMD program, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. “We have to be more pre-emptive on this committee to try to look ahead and determine our capabilities so that you don’t get stuck with a situation like you did with Iraq,” said committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). Roberts said the review was just beginning and would take place largely behind closed doors. No judgments have yet been made on U.S. intelligence regarding Iran’s suspected WMD work, he said. A CIA official said the agency would support the review. “We will, as usual, be working closely with the committee in this effort,” the official said (Miller/Drogin, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 6). U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday voiced support for European diplomatic effort to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program, but said the administration has not “eliminated any alternative,” Agence France-Presse reported. “(The Iranians) know very well that we do not want them to acquire nuclear weapons, nor does the civilized world,” he said. “I can’t think of anybody who’s eager to see the Iranians develop that kind of capability.” “Now, we are moving to support efforts to resolve it diplomatically,” Cheney said. “If this process breaks down, the next step probably is (to) go to back to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and ultimately refer to the United Nations Security Council for the imposition of international sanctions on Iran,” he added (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Feb. 6). Iran has rejected European calls to abandon its uranium enrichment-related activities ahead of another round of talks set to begin tomorrow in Geneva, Iranian and Western diplomats told Reuters. “The Europeans know that cessation (of uranium enrichment) doesn’t work,” an Iranian negotiator said. “We have to reach a solution on the nuclear issue that is acceptable to both sides, not just one side” (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, Feb. 6). “This week’s negotiations with the Europeans are the most important part of the nuclear negotiations,” said Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran’s atomic energy agency. “The conclusion of three months of nuclear negotiations is close, and the Europeans this week should more clearly tell us their plans,” he added. “We are expecting the negotiations to be serious and meaningful” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Feb. 7). Elsewhere, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, said there was no discussion of a possible Israeli military strike on Iran during his meeting Monday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Associated Press reported. “We see eye to eye that diplomacy is correct at this time,” Mofaz said (Associated Press/Scotsman.com, Feb. 7).
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