New IAEA report echoes past allegations

According to Reuters, the UN nuclear supervisory body circulated its confidential report on Friday in which the Director General Yukiya Amano has also explained the reason for the failure of recent IAEA missions to Tehran.

On February 21, a high-ranking delegation from the IAEA came to the Iranian capital for negotiations about further cooperation on Iran’s nuclear program. The visit was preceded by another trip to Iran by a team of IAEA inspectors on January 29.

Amano claimed on Wednesday Feb. 22 that both teams had failed to secure an agreement with Iran over the country’s atomic activities as the Islamic Republic had rejected a request by the inspectors to visit a key military site.

“The Agency continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program,” the Vienna-based UN body claimed in its latest quarterly report on Iran’s atomic activities.

The report also said that Iran has carried out a significant expansion of activities at its main enrichment plant near the central city of Natanz, and also increased work at the Fordow underground facility which is located near the city of Qom, south of Tehran.

At Natanz, the IAEA report said, 52 cascades – each containing around 170 centrifuges – were now operating, up from 37 in November.

The report further stated that at Fordow, almost 700 centrifuges are now refining 20 percent uranium and preparations are under way to install many centrifuges.

According to the report, Iran has produced nearly 110 kg of uranium enriched to 20 percent since early 2010.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program, using this pretext to impose sanctions against Iran and threaten the country with military attack.

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.

The IAEA has never found any evidence indicating that Tehran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted towards nuclear weapons production.

SS/HGH

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes