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IAEA Begins Emergency Meeting on Iran, No Decision Yet
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors convened an emergency session today in Vienna to consider reporting Iran’s controversial nuclear activities to the U.N. Security Council, but the board adjourned for the day without reaching any decisions, Reuters reported (see GSN, Feb. 1). ElBaradei said that even strong advocates of reporting Iran to the Security Council were not pushing for immediate punitive sanctions. “All of them are saying that this is simply a continuation of diplomacy,” he said. The U.S. ambassador to the agency echoed that statement. “Let me be clear: We are not now seeking sanctions or other punitive measures against Iran,” Gregory Schulte said (Heinrich/Murphy, Reuters, Feb. 2). A draft board resolution now under consideration calls for Iran to re-establish its former moratorium on uranium enrichment and research; consider a halt on construction of a heavy-water reactor at Arak; formally ratify the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement; and grant the agency additional access, including interviews with key individuals and documentation on its black market nuclear purchases, AP reported (George Jahn, Associated Press I/Washington Post, Feb. 1). The United States expects the board to approve the resolution after meetings earlier this week removed Russian and Chinese opposition “Our patience has paid off, as we have broadened international support to include Russia and China,” Acting Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Rademaker said this morning at an American Enterprise Institute event (Marina Malenic, GSN, Feb. 2) Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, meanwhile, informed ElBaradei in a letter today that his country would sharply cut back agency inspections and restart uranium enrichment if its nuclear dossier is referred to the Security Council, AP reported (George Jahn, Associated Press II/Yahoo!News, Feb. 2). “Natanz [Iran’s enrichment plant] is ready and we need only report to the IAEA to resume activities,” Larijani said yesterday. He also said that he saw no “signs of life” in a Russian compromise proposal under which Moscow would enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia, the Financial Times reported (Bozorgmehr/Smyth, Financial Times, Feb. 2). Indicating U.S. and West European fears, Iran has as recently as 2003 conducted experiments with high explosives, possibly linked a potential nuclear test, CBS News reported yesterday. IAEA analysts said the experiments may have taken place at a military complex south of Tehran. State Department spokesman McCormack said “we are seeing more and more indications” that Iran’s nuclear activities are aimed at acquiring a nuclear weapon, AP reported (CBS News.com, Feb. 2). A senior State Department official warned yesterday that Iran is pursuing both uranium-based and a plutonium-based nuclear weapons, the Washington Times reported. Undersecretary of State Robert Joseph said Iran is seeking “numerous routes to provide it with the ability to produce fissile material for weapons.” “We judge Iran is going down the plutonium route through construction of a heavy-water research reactor and a heavy-water plant,” he said. Iran is also working to develop long-range, nuclear-capable missiles, he said. “We believe it aspires to this capability so that it can hold hostage the cities of our friends in the Middle East and Europe — and perhaps in the future even those in our own country,” he said (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, Feb. 2). National Intelligence Director John Negroponte today told the Senate intelligence committee that Iran probably does not yet have nuclear weapons or weaponizable fissile material, AP reported. “Nevertheless, the danger that it will acquire a nuclear weapon and the ability to integrate it with the ballistic missiles Iran already possesses is a reason for immediate concern,” he said. Iran already has “the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East,” he added (Katherine Shrader, Associated Press III/Montana Standard, Feb. 2). President George W. Bush said yesterday that the United States would defend Israel militarily against Iran if necessary, Reuters reported. “Israel is a solid ally of the United States, we will rise to Israel’s defense if need be,” said Bush. “You bet, we’ll defend Israel,” he said. He added that said there was a “very good chance” that Iran would be reported to the Security Council for possible sanctions (Steve Holland, Reuters, Feb. 1). Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran’s nuclear program by telephone yesterday, AFP reported. “They both agreed that it was important to stay in close contact as we move forward to address this issue,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. “Both leaders have a shared concern about Iran developing a nuclear weapon under the guise of a civilian program.” Russia has reportedly resisted specifically mentioning in any report to the Security Council that Iran is in noncompliance with its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. A senior U.S. official said the text of the proposed resolution requires the U.N. nuclear watchdog to report to the Security Council all of its “reports and resolutions as adopted related to this issue.” This would mean also transmitting a September resolution that cited Tehran as breaching its obligations, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse I/IranMania.com, Feb. 1). Russia has told Iran it must cooperate with the agency, AFP reported yesterday. “Our friendly advice to our Iranian colleagues remains the same, cooperation with the IAEA on the basis of the board of directors’ resolution,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said yesterday after talks with Larijani. Larijani said significant divisions remained following talks in Tehran with visiting Chinese and Russian officials. “The diplomats from China and Russia came to Iran and we had negotiations, they had a point of view on solving the issue, but we had a different point of view,” Larijani said (Agence France-Presse II/IranMania.com, Feb. 1). Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Andrei Denisov said yesterday that sanctions on Iran could lead Tehran to halt oil and gas exports, AFP reported. “If you impose sanctions theoretically on Iran, then it would be appropriate to ask a question: Who is imposing sanctions on whom — the international community on Iran or rather Iran on the international community?” Denisov said (Agence France-Presse III/IranMania.com, Feb. 1).
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