The United States set a March deadline on Thursday for Iran to start
cooperating in substance with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation,
warning Tehran the issue may otherwise be referred to the U.N. Security
Council.
The comments by U.S. diplomat Robert Wood to the board of the
International Atomic Energy Agency signaled Washington's growing
frustration at a lack of progress in the IAEA's inquiry into possible
military dimensions to Tehran's nuclear program.
Iran - which was first reported to the U.N. Security Council over its
nuclear program by the IAEA's 35-nation board in 2006 and then was hit
by U.N. sanctions - rejects suspicions it is on a covert quest for
atomic bomb capability.
But its refusal to curb nuclear work with both civilian and military
applications, and its lack of openness with the IAEA, have drawn tough
Western punitive measures and a threat of pre-emptive military strikes
by Israel.
A year ago, the IAEA published a report with a trove of intelligence
indicating past, and some possibly continuing, research in Iran that
could be relevant for nuclear weapons.
The IAEA has since tried to gain access to Iranian sites, officials and
documents it says it needs for the inquiry, but so far without any
concrete results in a series of meetings with Iran since January. The
two sides will meet again in December.
In his statement, Wood requested IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano to
say in his next quarterly report on Iran, likely due in late February,
whether Tehran has taken "any substantive steps" to address the agency's
concerns.
"If by March Iran has not begun substantive cooperation with the IAEA,
the United States will work with other board members to pursue
appropriate board action, and would urge the board to consider reporting
this lack of progress to the U.N. Security Council," Wood said,
according to a copy of his statement.
"Iran cannot be allowed to indefinitely ignore its obligations ... Iran must act now, in substance," Wood said.
Amano earlier told the board that there had been no progress in his
agency's year-long push to clarify concerns about suspected atom bomb
research in Iran, but said he would continue his efforts.
EU SEES IRANIAN "PROCRASTINATION"
A simple majority in the IAEA board would be required to refer an issue
to the U.N. Security Council, which has imposed four sanctions
resolutions on Iran since 2006.
It is unclear whether Russia and China - which have criticized
unilateral Western sanctions on Iran - would back any U.S. initiative to
report Iran again to the Security Council.
Wood later told reporters he hoped the December talks between the IAEA
and Iran would be fruitful. But, he added, "I have my doubts about the
sincerity of Iran."
The 27-nation European Union told the board that Iran's
"procrastination" was unacceptable. "Iran must act now, in a substantive
way, to address the serious and continuing international concerns on
its nuclear program," it said.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, criticised what he
called "political noise" and "pressure" from the United States and the
EU.
Diplomacy between Iran and the powers - the United States, China,
Russia, France, Germany, and Britain - has been deadlocked since a June
meeting that ended without success.
Both sides now say they want to resume talks soon, after the re-election
of U.S. President Barack Obama, and diplomats expect a new meeting in
Istanbul in December or January.
Iran is ready for a "face-saving" negotiated solution to the nuclear
dispute, but the West must accept the reality that Tehran would never
suspend uranium enrichment, Soltanieh said.
Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear energy plants, Iran's stated
aim, and also provide bomb material if processed further, which the
West suspects is Iran's ultimate aim.
The West wants Iran to suspend enrichment, but Iran is showing no sign of backing down.
Iran "has provocatively snubbed the international community by expanding
its enrichment capacity in defiance of multiple United Nations Security
Council resolutions," Wood said.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
(Source : dailymirror
