IAEA says Iran allowing better surveillance
August 30, 2009 - 0:0
VIENNA/TEHRAN - The International Atomic Energy Agency handed over its last report about Iran’s nuclear activities on Friday in which it said Tehran has allowed better camera surveillance of its nuclear activities at the Natanz enrichment facility.
The IAEA report also said Iran allowed inspectors to revisit the Arak heavy-water reactor site this month after barring access for a year.“In this inspection many of the plots were foiled,” Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s representative to the Vienna-based agency, told the ISNA news agency.
He said during the time that Iran was not obligated to allow inspections of the Arak reactor many “false reports” were released.
Iran reported to the IAEA that the complex was 63 percent complete and the reactor vessel would be installed in 2011.
In this report IAEA Director Mohamed ElBaradei again insisted that the agency, under his leadership, has not found any nuclear material diverted for military purposes.
Soltanieh said ElBaradei in all his reports has announced that the agency “has not found any evidence that Iran’s nuclear material has been diverted toward” weapons program.
Soltanieh added, “The world must pay attention to this important point in ElBaradei’s reports and a few Western countries, which have closed their eyes to these realities and the IAEA’s historical documents about the peacefulness of Iran’s nuclear activities, should open their eyes and see these realities…”
The UN nuclear watchdog’s report added that Tehran has refused to freeze its nuclear enrichment work as demanded by the UN Security Council.
The IAEA representative also said, “Iran will continue incessantly its enrichment activities without any delay under the supervision of the agency’s cameras and inspectors.”
All of Iran’s nuclear activities in Natanz are done under the observation of IAEA and “regular and surprise visits are also made to the site”.
The IAEA report added that since the release of its last report on Iran it has conducted three snap inspections in Iran. It added since March 2007 the agency has carried out a total of 29 surprise visits inspecting Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Soltanieh cited unannounced visits as an important point in ElBaradei’s report, saying surprise visits fall within (comprehensive) agreement and it is not related to the additional protocol.
Iran’s representative to the IAEA said unaccounted visits “demonstrate close and professional cooperation between Iran and the agency.”
On alleged nuclear weapons studies mentioned in ElBaradei’s report, he said Iran has asked the IAEA to present any documents on the alleged studies.
He said the alleged studies by U.S. intelligence services are “fabricated”.
Soltanieh added that even ElBaradei has unequivocally announced that he will not “endorse” any claims about some alleged secret documents that have not been presented to Iran.
The diplomat insisted that Iran has answered all questions raised by the agency within the modality plan.
He said Iran will open-handedly “study and answer” any demand by the UN nuclear watchdog.
Meanwhile, a senior political analyst and nuclear expert Ali Khorram said the IAEA report facilitated the path for reopening of negotiations between Iran and the six major powers (five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany).