Iran has not stuck to an agreed timeline on answering questions about suspected nuclear weapons development projects, the UN nuclear watchdog said Friday in Vienna.
On a positive note, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran has now effectively got rid of its stock of uranium that had been enriched to a grade of 20 per cent.
After years of stonewalling, Iran agreed this year with the IAEA that it would answer questions about several suspicious research and development programmes.
Although Tehran was supposed to share information about high explosives testing and certain computer simulation work by August 25, the IAEA said in a report that Iran began discussions with the Vienna-based agency on these topics only on August 31.
“In [the IAEA’s] thinking, it could be moving faster than it is,” a senior official with knowledge of the IAEA probe said in Vienna.
In addition, the IAEA has repeatedly asked Iran to propose additional weapons-related topics that it would be ready to discuss, but no concrete answer has been provided so far.
The five UN Security Council veto powers and Germany, which are negotiating with Iran about curbing its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, have made clear that they also want to see progress on the IAEA probe.
So far, Iran has only provided information about specialized detonators that could be used in nuclear warheads, according to the IAEA.
Despite the delays, Iran’s engagement with the IAEA is “helping the Agency to gain a better understanding of Iran’s nuclear programme,” the report said.
While Iran has explained that it developed these devices for the oil and gas industry, the IAEA said that it needed a complete picture of all the suspicious research and development projects before it could verify this claim.
The report also highlighted that Iran no longer has 20-per-cent uranium, after having processed the material in several ways.
In addition, the IAEA said enrichment of lower-grade uranium has not been expanded, and no major new components have been installed at the plutonium-producing Arak reactor.
World powers have been concerned that high-grade uranium or plutonium could be quickly turned into weapons-grade material.
The IAEA has collected Western intelligence findings and other information on projects that it says have little use other than for developing key nuclear weapons components.
“The Agency remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of undisclosed nuclear related activities involving military related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile,” the IAEA report said.
Tehran says the findings are fabricated, and that its projects were geared towards non-nuclear applications.
The IAEA has been demanding to inspect the Parchin military site near Tehran, where key nuclear weapons components have allegedly been tested, but Iran has banned visits and has remodelled and landscaped the site.
Since May, reconstruction at two main building at Parchin has continued, according to the new report.
“These activities are likely to have further undermined the Agency’s ability to conduct effective verification,” it said.
A senior US administration official has indicated that the speed of Iran’s cooperation on the weapons issue would influence the six power’s position on their offers under the planned nuclear agreement, which include lifting economic sanctions and civilian nuclear cooperation.
Senior US and Iranian negotiators met for a second day of bilateral talks in Geneva on Friday, in preparation to a full meeting between six world powers and Iran that is to start in New York on September 18.
Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany aim to conclude an agreement with Iran by November 24.
GNA
