Amberglass
11-16-2009, 01:58 PM
IAEA report: Teheran may be hiding more nuclear facilities
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Talkbacks for this article: 5
Article's topics: Iran, IAEA, Nuclear Weapons, Qom, Barack Obama
After a a new uranium enrichment site at Qom in Iran several weeks ago, the International Atomic Research Agency raised concern about possible further secret nuclear sites, Reuters reported quoting an IAEA report obtained by the news agency on Monday.
According to the report, Iran told the IAEA it had begun building the site at Qom in 2007 - but the IAEA, the United Nations' global nuclear proliferation watchdog, had evidence the project had begun in 2002, paused in 2004 and resumed in 2006.
The report said Iran had provided full access for IAEA inspectors on their first visit to the Qom site three weeks ago, but had yet to provide full, credible answers to verify that the plant was only for civilian purposes.
The IAEA's report states "The agency has indicated (to Iran) that its declaration of the new facility reduces the level of confidence in the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction and gives rise to questions about whether there were any other nuclear facilities not declared to the agency. Moreover, Iran's delay in submitting such information to the agency does not contribute to the building of confidence."
The IAEA also said Iran had yet to give answers about the site's chronology and purpose.
Iran voluntarily disclosed the existence of the Qom site in September, apparently in an effort to preempt an appearance of intransigence against the world; the announcement to the IAEA was made just days before US President Barack Obama confronted Iran publicly during the G-20 meeting, when he revealed the existence of Qom in a press conference flanked by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
The West followed up on the Qom accusation with an offer to take Iran's uranium enrichment abroad, in an effort to make the process transparent to the international community. According to the proposal, Iran's uranium would be shipped to Russia for preliminary processing, then to France where it would be formed into fuel rods.
The proposal would drain Iran of most of its uranium, though some of the material, crucial for the production of nuclear weapons, would stay in the Islamic Republic. Iran has been stalling since the proposal was made, lower level officials in Teheran saying the country would not accept the proposal. But Teheran has yet to officially approve or reject the plan.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027304245&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Talkbacks for this article: 5
Article's topics: Iran, IAEA, Nuclear Weapons, Qom, Barack Obama
After a a new uranium enrichment site at Qom in Iran several weeks ago, the International Atomic Research Agency raised concern about possible further secret nuclear sites, Reuters reported quoting an IAEA report obtained by the news agency on Monday.
According to the report, Iran told the IAEA it had begun building the site at Qom in 2007 - but the IAEA, the United Nations' global nuclear proliferation watchdog, had evidence the project had begun in 2002, paused in 2004 and resumed in 2006.
The report said Iran had provided full access for IAEA inspectors on their first visit to the Qom site three weeks ago, but had yet to provide full, credible answers to verify that the plant was only for civilian purposes.
The IAEA's report states "The agency has indicated (to Iran) that its declaration of the new facility reduces the level of confidence in the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction and gives rise to questions about whether there were any other nuclear facilities not declared to the agency. Moreover, Iran's delay in submitting such information to the agency does not contribute to the building of confidence."
The IAEA also said Iran had yet to give answers about the site's chronology and purpose.
Iran voluntarily disclosed the existence of the Qom site in September, apparently in an effort to preempt an appearance of intransigence against the world; the announcement to the IAEA was made just days before US President Barack Obama confronted Iran publicly during the G-20 meeting, when he revealed the existence of Qom in a press conference flanked by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
The West followed up on the Qom accusation with an offer to take Iran's uranium enrichment abroad, in an effort to make the process transparent to the international community. According to the proposal, Iran's uranium would be shipped to Russia for preliminary processing, then to France where it would be formed into fuel rods.
The proposal would drain Iran of most of its uranium, though some of the material, crucial for the production of nuclear weapons, would stay in the Islamic Republic. Iran has been stalling since the proposal was made, lower level officials in Teheran saying the country would not accept the proposal. But Teheran has yet to officially approve or reject the plan.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027304245&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull