U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Could Delay Iran Nuclear Report

The International Atomic Energy Agency could delay a highly anticipated report on Iran’s nuclear program because of disputes between technical staffers and agency head Mohamed ElBaradei, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Feb. 11).

The report had been expected around Feb. 20, according to diplomats close to the agency. 

However, consultations between ElBaradei and staff members are now expected to continue into next week.

“There were disagreements between ElBaradei and his technical staff.  ElBaradei is pushing for one thing, while the people who went on a technical visit to Iran during January disagree,” said one Western diplomat.

“It should now be published maybe one week later, so in the last week of February,” the diplomat added.

Under a 2007 agency “work plan,” Tehran committed to resolving outstanding agency concerns about its past nuclear activities on a step-by-step basis.  The concerns — which included the discovery of weapon-grade uranium traces at a Tehran university building, Iran’s development of uranium-enriching centrifuges and its possible military use of nuclear equipment — are intended to clarify whether Iranian nuclear efforts are directed at weapons development.

The work plan’s original deadline has lapsed, but ElBaradei last month agreed to give Iran a four-week extension.

According to some observers, Iran has exploited ElBaradei’s desire to peacefully resolve the international standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.

“I've heard that some of [ElBaradei’s] technical staff are not happy,” a second diplomat said.  “There’s a concern that most of the big issues are going to be declared as resolved when there’s still a feeling that they're anything but.”

Some Western diplomats have expressed concern that Iran’s current nuclear activities have become less transparent — a point ElBaradei has acknowledged — as IAEA officials have sought to clarify the country’s nuclear history (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, Feb. 11).

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today insisted that Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

“The Iranians are moving forward with their plans to create a capacity for nonconventional weapons.  There is evidence that the plan of the Iranians is not that naive and innocent,” Olmert said after meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

“This is a main challenge.  We can't afford to make one mistake on that issue,” he said (Agence France-Presse II/Google News, Feb. 12).

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