ElBaradei Defends Nuclear Plan With Iran

By Greg Webb
Global Security Newswire

VIENNA — The world’s top nuclear official today defended his controversial plan to resolve international concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions (see GSN, Sept. 5).

Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, responded to recent criticism — from the United States, other Western nations and even nongovernmental nonproliferation advocates who normally back the agency — that an agreement reached last month capitulated to Iranian demands (see GSN, Aug. 22).

“This is the first time that Iran has agreed on a plan to address all outstanding issues, with a defined timeline, and is therefore an important step in the right direction,” he told a meeting of the agency’s governing board, which began its quarterly session here today.

The work plan is intended to resolve outstanding questions about Iran’s past nuclear activities.  In 2003, Tehran acknowledged concealing nuclear activities for nearly two decades and promised to cooperate with agency efforts to understand the program’s history.

The agency, however, has regularly complained of Iran’s poor cooperation.  Late last month, ElBaradei reported to the board that “the agency remains unable to verify certain aspects relevant to the scope and nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”

The new plan calls for a sequential set of disclosures from Iran about seven sets of issues.  Each issue is to be resolved in succession, not simultaneously, leading to the possibility that an early snag could delay the entire process.

Issues requiring resolution include, among others, clarifying the full scope of Iranian efforts to develop two types of uranium enrichment centrifuges; explaining Iran’s possession of a document describing how to shape uranium into hemispheres that would only be useful for nuclear weapons; and detailing the source of highly enriched uranium found in some equipment.

The agreement also says the seven issues comprise the entirety of the agency’s concerns and that no other matters need to be explained. 

“These modalities cover all remaining issues and the agency confirmed that there are no other remaining issues and ambiguities regarding Iran’s past nuclear program and activities,” the plan says.

That assertion has drawn fire from nonproliferation expert David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security.

“This is a sweeping statement that sets an unfortunate precedent regarding Iran’s past nuclear activities, about which little is known in important areas,” says a recent ISIS statement.

The IAEA-Iran agreement also appears to limit the number of questions the agency would be allowed to ask and to require that no questions be submitted after Feb. 15.

“The agency agreed to provide Iran with all remaining questions according to the above work plan,” it says.  “This means that after receiving the questions, no other questions are left.”

That language also drew Albright’s criticism.

“The document’s language appears to reflect an effort by Iran to preclude the IAEA raising questions in the future about inconsistencies or troubling developments in its nuclear program,” says his statement.

Ambassador Gregory Schulte, head of the U.S. delegation at this week’s board meeting, also criticized the deal but expressed support for the agency’s goals of understanding Iran’s past nuclear behavior.

“Cooperation that is partial, conditional and only promised in the future is not enough,” he told reporters today.  “Cooperation that gives Iran the wherewithal to build nuclear weapons is not enough.”

“If Iran’s leaders truly want the world’s trust, rather than slow-rolling the IAEA they will start to cooperate fully and unconditionally and suspend activities of international concern,” he added.

ElBaradei today said with Iranian cooperation the work plan could provide invaluable data about the country’s past nuclear activities.  He also encouraged Tehran to implement its Additional Protocol to the nuclear safeguards agreement with the agency.

Iran has signed but not ratified the protocol, which would enable the agency to cast a wider net for nuclear information.  Iran voluntarily adhered to the protocol before suspending that cooperation last year to protest U.N. Security Council efforts to impose economic sanctions against the nation.

To abide by the protocol, Iran would need to “include access to locations, documents and individuals, as well as answers to all questions the agency may need to ask in order to reach a technical conclusion on a particular issue,” ElBaradei said.

Responding to U.S. and Western criticism of the plan, ElBaradei also lashed out last week.

"There have been back-seat drivers putting in their 5 cents saying this is not a good working arrangement,” he told Reuters and other wire services Friday.

"Iran can never get a pass (on their nuclear behavior) until we decide to give them a pass.  They may say (in public statements) that their file is now closed, but that is up to us.

"My advice is to bear with us until we go through this process ... We have a timeline which will enable us by November-December to check clearly whether Iran is ready to work with us in good faith, or whether, as some like to say, Iran is just buying time ... which would absolutely backfire (for them)."

ElBaradei also warned Washington to resist making any short-notice decisions.

"We don't see based on evidence we have that (Iran poses) a clear and present danger requiring you to go beyond diplomacy." he said   “I see war drums (being beaten) by those basically saying the short solution is to bomb Iran, which makes me shudder because the rhetoric reminds me of pre-Iraq war.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey objected to that characterization in a Friday press briefing.

“People speak in interesting language all the time.  I would certainly hope that those kinds of comments wouldn't be referring to the United States because they certainly wouldn't be true,” he said.  “Look, I think the United States, first and foremost, appreciates the efforts that the IAEA has made in trying to help us all answer those questions that exist about Iran's nuclear program.”

Today, ElBaradei reaffirmed his call for all sides to step back and allow time for diplomacy to work.

“A double time-out of all enrichment-related activities and of sanctions could provide breathing space for negotiation to be resumed,” he said.  “The earlier we move from confrontation and distrust to dialogue and confidence building, the better for Iran and for the international community.”

For their part, Iranian leaders over the weekend reaffirmed their intention to press forward with nuclear plans they describe as entirely peaceful.

“The Iranian nation has no atomic bomb and has no plans to create this deadly weapon,” Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said yesterday in a speech to a group of Revolutionary Guards, the Associated Press reported.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced a similar refrain, although with harsher rhetoric.

“The Iranian people have climbed over difficult mountain passes on their path of progress.  The enemies need to step aside from our path and give up their satanic ideas,” he said yesterday, Agence France-Presse reported.

“One or two countries are refusing to accept that Iran is now mastering nuclear technology,” he added.  “Some countries are racing towards hell.  But this makes us sad and, for the good of their people, we will resist."

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