Global Security Newswire

Three European nations yesterday offered sharp criticism of Iran’s plan to process uranium, while an internal report by the International Atomic Energy Agency contradicted Iran’s claims that it granted unrestricted access to inspectors, the Los Angeles Times reported (see GSN, March 31).

The report said “the agency’s [January] visit was ‘managed’ by the Iranians in the sense that the inspectors were not permitted to take pictures with IAEA cameras or use their own electronic equipment.” Iran asserted earlier this month that the inspectors had unrestricted access to nuclear sites during the visit (Douglas Frantz, Los Angeles Times, April 1).

Meanwhile, Germany, France and the United Kingdom yesterday said in a strongly worded joint statement that Iran’s plan to process uranium at a plant in Isfahan “sends the wrong signal regarding Iran’s readiness to implement a suspension of its activities relating to uranium enrichment.” 

The statement also says the move would “make it more difficult for Iran to restore international confidence in its activities.” The three countries called on Iran to “explain its announcement and its intentions.”

The United States has long maintained that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, while Germany, France and the United Kingdom broke with Washington in September to offer Iran a nuclear technology sharing deal in exchange for a complete abandonment of its uranium enrichment program, according to Reuters (David Crossland, Reuters, March 31).