Global Security Newswire

Iran has not provided adequate information to the International Atomic Energy Agency to back the Middle Eastern state's claim that it never conducted nuclear-weapon design research, agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in a report released yesterday (see GSN, May 23). The report states that "Iran has not provided the agency with all the information, access to documents and access to individuals necessary to supports Iran's statements. "The agency is of the view that Iran may have additional information, in particular on high explosives testing and missile related activities, which could shed more light on the nature of these alleged studies and which Iran should share with the agency," the report says, adding that the alleged studies "remain a matter of serious concern."

Iran pledged in April to explain evidence of the studies, which had been provided to the U.N. nuclear watchdog by Western powers concerned that Tehran might secretly develop a nuclear weapon. 

The agency subsequently provided Iran with documents suggesting the country has established an underground weapon test site, developed high-voltage detonator firing equipment and attempted to simultaneously set off exploding bridgewire detonators.  Iran confirmed the simultaneous detonator tests but said they were intended for civilian and conventional military purposes.

The agency also presented evidence that Iran had conducted at least one test of a hemispherical, converging explosive shock system that could be used to detonate a nuclear bomb.

Iran questioned the authenticity of reports suggesting that it had attempted to create a new payload chamber for the re-entry vehicle of the Shahab 3 missile, stating that the electronic format of the documents made them vulnerable to manipulation.

In an overall assessment of the evidence provided by the agency, Tehran said the documents "do not show any indication that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been working on (a) nuclear weapon," adding that many of the documents had been "forged" or "fabricated."

As expected, the agency reported that Iran continues to enrich uranium in defiance of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.  The uranium enrichment process can produce an essential nuclear weapon ingredient, although Tehran maintains it only desires nuclear power plant fuel.

The report confirms the Iran's development of a new proprietary centrifuge, dubbed the IR-3.  Agency inspectors noted on April 19 that Iran had installed two of the prototype machines in the experimental branch of its Natanz uranium enrichment plant.   Iran placed about 42 pounds of uranium hexafluoride into its experimental centrifuges between Jan. 28 and May 16, the report says.

The report calls on Iran to increase its transparency by signing the Additional Protocol, which would allow agency inspectors to conduct more intrusive inspections of the nation's nuclear facilities. 

The report also says that Iran should offer more information on how it received documents describing how to shape uranium metal into hemispheres -- a key step to producing nuclear weapon cores -- and provide details on activities by Iranian military entities that could have bearing in a clandestine nuclear weapons program (Diane Barnes, Global Security Newswire, May 27).

The report states that Iran's main uranium enrichment site only has 3,500 operating centrifuges, the Associated Press reported.  However, a high-level U.N. official said it is "pretty much plausible" that the nation could meet its goal of increasing the number to 6,000 by this summer.

Iran also has yet to shed light on allegations of bureaucratic links between a clandestine uranium enrichment program and an effort to redesign the Shahab 3 missile to accommodate a nuclear warhead (George Jahn, Associated Press/Washington Post, May 27).

While the report does not specify the amount of uranium being produced in the main production branch of the Natanz facility, one high-level official close to the agency put the figure at about 330 pounds of uranium, or roughly twice the quantity the being produced 1 1/2 years ago, the New York Times reported.

"The Iranians are certainly being confronted with some pretty strong evidence of a nuclear weapons program, and they are being petulant and defensive," said David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security.  "The report lays out what the agency knows, and it is very damning.  I've never seen it laid out quite like this" (Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, May 27).

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday said the new report proves the peaceful nature of his nation's nuclear work, Reuters reported.

The report "is another document that shows Iran's entire nuclear activities are peaceful" Iran's Fars News Agency quoted Ali Asghar Soltanieh as saying.  "Once more it has been explicitly underlined that there has been absolutely no evidence regarding the diversion of Iran's nuclear activities or materials toward military purposes" (Reuters, May 27).

However, the U.S. envoy to the agency said the report offers little new information to clear Iran of nuclear suspicion, Agence France-Presse reported.

"Iran continues to rebuff the IAEA's efforts to investigate troubling indications that Iran has engaged in studies, engineering work, and procurement relevant to building nuclear weapons," Gregory Schulte said.  "The report shows in great detail how much Iran needs to explain, and how little it has" (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, May 26).

Meanwhile, high-level officials in Israel and the United States continue to debate the option of addressing Iran's developing nuclear capabilities through military action, Time reported Thursday.

Support for military strikes on Iran has flagged among Republican lawmakers concerned about shoring up electoral support, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have publicly expressed little enthusiasm for the use of force against Iran.

"A military option is not a good option," for addressing the nuclear stalemate with Iran, one senior Israeli official said.  "But there's only one thing worse than that, which is Iran going nuclear."

"People in the region really want to see it solved peacefully," a high-level White House official said, "but they're also concerned for their own safety and they're also mindful of the calendar, and they know that [U.S. President George W. Bush] has been very strong."

Yossi Kuperwasser, former senior intelligence officer for the Israeli Defense Central Command, called for military strikes.  "I'm worried that by November it's going to be too late" to prevent Iran from becoming capable of building nuclear weapons, he said.  Referring to the need for military action against Iranian nuclear facilities, he said, "Just do it.  For Christ's sake, do it and solve our problem" (Massimo Calabresi, Time, May 22).

In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday said he hopes to soon present Iran with a nuclear compromise proposal from the five permanent U.N. Security Council member nations and Germany, AFP reported.

"I still don't have a date but it will be soon I hope.  I met [Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr] Mottaki in Lebanon yesterday," Solana told journalists.  "We have a new proposal.  I would like very much to present it to them" (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, May 26).