WORLD / IAEA
UN watchdog meets on Iran in Security Council prelude
Updated: 2006-03-06 09:07
The UN atomic watchdog's board of governors meets on Monday to weigh
Iran's snub of calls to curb nuclear activity, opening the way to
possible UN Security Council action over concerns Tehran covertly seeks
atom bombs.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei will
submit a report to the 35-nation meeting saying Iran has largely ignored
a resolution demanding that it take steps to defuse a crisis of
confidence in its nuclear program.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani smiles before the start of a
news conference in Tehran March 5, 2006. Iran on Sunday dismissed calls
that it stop nuclear research and vowed to resume industrial-scale atomic
fuel production if the U.N. Nuclear watchdog ships Iran's case to the
Security Council. [Reuters]
ElBaradei's report will be forwarded to the Security Council after the
gathering as mandated by a board vote a month ago after three years of
IAEA probes often parried by Tehran.
No new resolution was expected because the February motion, which at the
insistence of Russia, China and developing states gave Iran a month to
comply, was deemed enough for the Council to take up the issue.
ElBaradei will open the meeting with a speech at 0930 GMT.
When the Council might act remains unclear. The timing could hinge on the
course of talks between Russia and Iran on Moscow's offer to enrich
uranium on Tehran's behalf to prevent siphoning of nuclear materials into
secret bombmaking on Iranian soil.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator on Sunday repeated that its
uranium-enrichment research drive was non-negotiable. He vowed Tehran
would pursue industrial-scale nuclear fuel production if the Council
tackles its case, potentially with sanctions.
Tehran seemed to be counting on opposition to any sanctions from Russia
and China, both with vetoes on the Council.
John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned Iran faced
"tangible and painful consequences" if it pushed ahead with uranium
enrichment and Washington would use "all tools at our disposal" to
neutralize Tehran's atomic project.
But nuclear scientists estimate Iran remains some years away from
mastering technology to enrich enough uranium for bombs.
ElBaradei felt the board vote to alert the Council was premature and
could aggravate tensions, agency sources say.
Western diplomats say the IAEA has been too tolerant of what they call
Iranian playing for time in hopes of staying the Council's hand while it
accelerates uranium-enrichment efforts.
Iran says its nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity
for a growing economy. But Tehran obscured sensitive aspects of nuclear
work from the IAEA for 18 years until 2003 and has publicly called for
Israel's destruction.
IRAN DEFIES INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
ElBaradei's report said Iran had disregarded the February resolution
urging it to shelve all enrichment-related work and stop stonewalling
IAEA inquiries to verify if the Islamic Republic's nuclear program is
solely peaceful or not.
Instead, Iran is testing a cascade of 20 centrifuges, machines that
convert uranium UF6 gas into fuel for atomic power reactors or, if
purified to high levels, weapons.
He said Iran aims to begin installing 3,000 centrifuges later this year
in what it calls research and development (R&D) that has nothing to do
with industrial-scale fuel production, but which a suspicious West says
could have no other motivation.
Iran has struggled to operate cascades -- or networks -- of the delicate
centrifuges without breakdowns. But about 1,500 centrifuges running
optimally could yield enough highly enriched uranium for one atomic bomb
per year, experts say.
"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses, the harder and
more intractable it will become to solve," Bolton told the leading
pro-Israel lobby group in the United States.
Trying to slow momentum toward Council intervention, Iran offered in
talks with "EU3" foreign ministers on Friday to hold off industrial-scale
fuel production for one to two years and restore short-notice IAEA
inspections while continuing with enrichment R&D. The ministers countered
by asking for a moratorium of around 10 years, which Iran rebuffed.
The Security Council's first step would probably be a presidential
statement summoning Iran to heed IAEA resolutions.
A U.S. official said Washington was considering seeking a 60- to 90-day
deadline for Iran to cooperate or face action.
The Security Council could also consider endowing the IAEA with more
intrusive, short-notice inspection powers.
Trade sanctions seem a more distant prospect given broad international
reluctance to isolate the world's No. 4 oil exporter and not least the
resistance of Russia and China, both with heavy trade stakes in the
Islamic Republic.
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