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Iran Prepares to Resume Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research
Iran announced that it would today resume nuclear fuel research, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Jan. 6). “Negotiations to reach a final conclusion are going to be continued on Feb. 16 in Moscow,” said Hossein Entezami, spokesman for the National Security Council. “Negotiations ended on Sunday after three rounds of talks, which resulted in some understandings,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Jan. 9). IAEA inspectors arrived in Tehran on Saturday to remove seals placed more than two years ago on equipment at some Iranian nuclear sites, the Associated Press reported. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran’s research would adhere to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. “The activities will be under supervision of the agency, therefore there is nothing to be worried about,” he said. The agency has received additional information about Iran’s plans since Saturday, but still seeks more, said spokeswoman Melissa Fleming (Nasser Karimi, Associated Press/Billings Gazette, Jan. 9). Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei expressed frustration with Iran’s conduct, and with Tehran’s claims that nearly all issued related to the research had been dealt with, the London Independent reported today. “I am running out of patience, the international community is running out patience, the credibility of the verification process is at stake and I’d like, by March, which is when my next report is, to be able to clarify these issues,” ElBaradei said. “There is also a consensus that enrichment in ... Iran right now is a matter of serious concern,” he added (Daniel Howden, The Independent/Belfast Telegraph, Jan. 9). France, the United States and the United Kingdom on Friday began a bid to persuade Russia and China to agree with the Western countries’ assessment that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program, the New York Times reported. The five countries together make up the declared nuclear powers and are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. U.S. officials said Moscow has moved closer to Washington’s view, partly due to Iran’s decision not to accept Russia’s compromise proposal on enrichment. “The Russians are more central players at this point, because they’re most frustrated about Iranian behavior,” said a Western diplomat. “They put their proposal out there, and it's unceremoniously swept aside,” the diplomat said. “They’re feeling angry and insulted” (Steven Weisman, New York Times, Jan. 7). The European Union told Iran on Saturday that if it restarts uranium enrichment, negotiations on the issue with the EU might not resume, AP reported. “The EU views with serious concern ... Iran’s intention to resume suspended nuclear activities,” EU foreign and security affairs chief Javier Solana said in a statement. “It urges Iran not to take this step ... at a moment when international confidence in the peaceful nature of (Tehran’s nuclear) program is far from restored.” A resumption of uranium enrichment “can only seriously jeopardize the possibility of a return to negotiations,” he said (Associated Press/Jerusalem Post, Jan. 7). Meanwhile, British officials have allowed 1,000 kilograms of radioactive material to be shipped to Iran, the London Observer reported yesterday. Bulgarian customs personnel stopped a truck carrying zirconium silicate supplied by a British firm at the Turkish border on Aug. 31. The Turkish driver was arrested and investigated “for violating international treaties ... by transferring across the border dangerous wastes, toxic chemical substances, biological agents, toxics and radioactive materials,” Bulgarian officials said. Zirconium, which can be extracted from zirconium silicate, is used in nuclear reactors to stop corrosion of fuel rods and can also be used as part of a nuclear warhead, according to one expert. The truck was allowed to continue on to Iran following a two-month investigation. “The [British Trade and Industry Department] informed the Bulgarian authorities that the goods as described were not controlled under U.K. export control (as the hafnium content of the sand was 1.1 percent by weight) and did not therefore require an export license. ... This particular case raised no WMD end-use concerns,” said an agency spokeswoman. John Large, an independent nuclear consultant, disputed the agency’s claim. “It is not a very sophisticated process to extract the zirconium from such material. Even though it appears that technically this cargo does not fall within the international controls, I would still be concerned. Zirconium is used for two purposes: one for cladding nuclear fuel rods inside a reactor and as material for a nuclear weapon. If Iran wanted this material for any illicit purposes, this would be one way it could get its hands on it,” said Large (Antony Barnett, The Observer, Jan. 8).
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