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IAEA Says Iran Determined to Expand Nuclear Program
Iran shows no signs of willingness to pull back its uranium enrichment program, even as it pursues negotiations with Russia aimed at curtailing such activity, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report released yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 27). The confidential 11-page report, prepared by Director General Mohamed ElBaradei for consideration at Monday’s meeting of the agency’s governing board, says Iran plans to start setting up thousands of centrifuges for enrichment this year, the Associated Press reported. Diplomats have said Tehran is already operating a 10-centrifuge cascade, and Iran is finishing maintenance on 20 more centrifuges, according to ElBaradei’s report. “Commencement of the installation of the first 3,000 … (centrifuges) is planned for the fourth quarter of 2006,” it says. Iran is believed now to have parts for 1,500 centrifuges, which could produce enough highly enriched uranium for one crude atomic bomb, AP reported. ElBaradei indicated in the report that Iran must drastically increase cooperation with his agency so that experts can determine whether its past clandestine nuclear activities were geared toward weapons production. The report also says that the agency’s probe has yet to reveal “any diversion of nuclear material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” However, due to insufficient cooperation from Iran, ElBaradei remains unable “to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran.” “Without full transparency … the agency’s ability to reconstruct the history of Iran’s past programs and verify the correctness and completeness of statements made by Iran … will be limited and questions about the past and current direction of Iran’s nuclear program will continue to be raised,” the report states (George Jahn, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 28). The report also says that Iranian officials this week said that nuclear weapons-related documents contained in a laptop computer acquired in 2004 by U.S. intelligence were forgeries, the Washington Post reported today. The documents appear to indicate that Iran was trying to modify ballistic missiles to carry nuclear warheads. Iran also offered agency inspectors written evidence that it had purchased sensitive equipment through official channels rather than from the black market established by former top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the report says. The report also cites “inconsistencies” regarding plutonium experiments conducted by Iran several years ago, as well as the purchase of equipment Tehran had previously denied having, the Post reported (Moore/Linzer, Washington Post, Feb. 28). Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the report found no evidence of a weapons program, Agence France-Presse reported today. “I think 50 percent of the case is quite clear: There is no evidence, no reports, no documents and no inspections [that] shows that any diversion is there in our peaceful activities of nuclear” energy, he said (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, Feb. 28). Meanwhile, Western officials questioned an announcement by Iran yesterday that a compromise nuclear deal had been reached with Russia, AP reported. “It seems there has been no decisive progress,” said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The announcement is “more chaff being thrown up by the Iranians ahead of the Board of Governors meeting,” said U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli (Jahn, Associated Press, Feb. 28). Iranian Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani is scheduled to lead a delegation for further talks tomorrow in Moscow, AFP reported. Iran announced that it would only accept Russia’s compromise proposal if Tehran could continue its nuclear fuel cycle research, AFP reported. The offer “must include a guarantee that nuclear fuel will be supplied to Iran, (allows) research activities to continue and recognizes Iran’s right to conduct industrial-scale research,” Supreme National Security Council spokesman Hossein Entezami said yesterday. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seemed to contradict that position, according to AFP. “We are convinced that, among other components of this effort, a moratorium on enrichment of uranium in Iran is required,” Lavrov said yesterday. China indicated willingness to take part in the Russian deal, AFP reported today. “We would like to see (Iran-Russia) cooperation and we would like to play a constructive role,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (Agence France-Presse I, Feb. 28). The United States said yesterday that Iran had one week leading up to the IAEA board meeting to reassure the international community on its nuclear intentions, AFP reported. “We’ve said that during this time the regime in Iran has an opportunity to change their ways and change their behavior when it comes to the nuclear program,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan (Olivier Knox, Agence France-Presse II/Turkish Press, Feb. 27). Mottaki, meeting in Japan with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, proposed that Tokyo participate in Iran’s nuclear program, AFP reported today. “I requested the Japanese prime minister for the participation of Japanese companies in our 10 to 15 nuclear plant establishments because we have to create 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear power plants,” he said. Koizumi, however, seemed to decline. “We expect Iran to gain the trust of the international community because Japan developed after its World War II defeat without any resources. We think Iran can develop even more considering its resources,” an official quoted Koizumi as telling Mottaki. Foreign Minister Taro Aso indicated that Japan’s patience with Iran could be limited. “If things carry on like this, the issue will be referred to the U.N. Security Council,” Aso said. “Japan has been getting on with Iran for [a] long time. But if Iran makes an enemy of all members of the Security Council, there would be limitations on our side” (Agence France-Presse III/Yahoo!News, Feb. 28).
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