IAEA: Iran secretly made nuclear material

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 12, 2003

IAEA: Iran secretly made nuclear material

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The International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that Iran has secretly produced small amounts of nuclear materials, including low-enriched uranium (LEU) and plutonium that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, according to a confidential report obtained by CNN.

"Iran has now acknowledged that it has been developing, for 18 years, a uranium centrifuge enrichment program, and, for 12 years, a laser enrichment program. In that context, Iran has admitted that it produced small amounts of LEU using both centrifuge and laser enrichment processes, and that it had failed to report a large number of conversion, fabrication and irradiation activities involving nuclear material, including the separation of small amounts of plutonium." , CNN quoted the report.

Although the report says there is no evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities were related to a nuclear weapons program, it emphasizes that it is premature to "conclude that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes."

Plutonium can be used in nuclear weapons, but it also has civilian uses in generating power -- which Iran says is the sole purpose of its nuclear activities, The Associated Press reports. The United States accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and has pressed for the IAEA to declare Tehran in breach of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, according to the AP.

The primary reason cited by the IAEA for its continued skepticism is "Iran's past pattern of concealment."

Last week, Iran turned over to the U.N. nuclear agency a document that Tehran said provided full disclosure on its nuclear weapons program. The IAEA Board of Governors had given Iran until October 31 to clear up questions about its program that the nuclear watchdog agency had raised in the past few months. (Full story)

The report warns that despite the fact most of the breaches identified involved "limited quantities of nuclear material," they have "dealt with the most sensitive aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including enrichment and reprocessing."

A senior State Department official told CNN the United States is studying the report, and there is "a lot in there that doesn't come as a surprise."

The report, the official said, "substantiates much of what we've been saying for some time."

As to next steps, the official said it is too early to say if the United States would seek to have Iran declared in violation of its nuclear treaty obligations.

Ultimately, it will come down to, "A, what we want and, B, what we think we can get" from the 35-member IAEA board of directors, explained the official.

The report details a veritable laundry list of additional failures by Iran to report and provide critical information regarding its nuclear program.

The 30-page report was distributed Monday to the IAEA's 35-member board of governors, which is scheduled to meet later this month to discuss next steps.

As CNN reported Monday, the IAEA received a letter from the government of Iran in which Iran accepted the draft text of an additional protocol that would allow IAEA inspectors to conduct snap inspections and have unlimited access to Iran's nuclear facilities. (Full story)

In addition, in another move welcomed by the IAEA, Iran informed the IAEA's director general that it had "decided to suspend, with effect from 10 November 2003, all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities in Iran."

However, the IAEA report notes that it will now put Iran's words to the test and "undertake all the steps necessary to confirm that the information provided ... is correct and complete."

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