UN Praises Iran, Sets Up Roadblock For Sanctions
Mohammed El Baradei kissing Ali Ardashir Larijani secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. Larijani is the most trusted person of Iran’s Supreme Ruler Ali Khamenei
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The U.N. nuclear agency said Thursday that Iran was producing less nuclear fuel than expected and praised Tehran for “a significant step forward” in explaining past atomic actions that have raised suspicions.
The report is expected to make it more difficult for the United States to rally support for a new round of sanctions against Tehran.
Drawn up by IAEA chief and frequent US critic Mohamed ElBaradei, much of the confidential report obtained by The Associated Press focused on the already publicized action plan finalized just a few weeks ago between the agency and Iran, restating progress in some areas and time frames for Iran to respond to additional questions. ElBaradei once fired his main inspector because Iran didn’t like him.
In Tehran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited senior nuclear official Mohammad Saeedi as saying that conclusion “ended all the baseless U.S. accusations against Iran over reprocessing plutonium.”
At the same time, the report confirmed that Iran continued to expand its uranium enrichment program, reflecting the Islamic republic’s defiance of the U.N. Security Council. Still, U.N. officials said, both enrichment and the building of a plutonium-producing reactor was continuing more slowly than expected.
International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen, who brokered the cooperation deal with Iran, highlighted the importance of the agreement, noting that Tehran’s past refusal to answer the IAEA’s questions triggered Security Council sanctions in the first place.
But he cautioned that Iran still needed to fully implement its commitments, telling reporters that “the key is that Iran … provides the information that we need” in a time frame that results in clarity about Iran’s past suspicious activities by year’s end.
There was no immediate U.S. comment. But France, a close U.S. ally on Iran, said cooperation by Tehran was not enough to eliminate the threat of new U.N. penalties.
“As long as there is not a clear … decision from Iran about the suspension of activities linked to enrichment, we will pursue … looking into a third sanctions resolution,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said in Paris.
In that plan, Iran agreed to come up to answer the final questions from agency experts by November.
If that and all other deadlines are met and Iran provides all the information sought, the agency should be able to close the file on its more than four-year investigation of Tehran’s nuclear activities by year’s end, a senior U.N. official said.
He and other U.N. officials—all speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment to media—declined to comment, however, on whether a clean bill that banishes suspicions about Iran’s former nuclear programs and experiments would be enough to derail the threat of new U.N. sanctions.
The United States and its closest allies said more were needed because of Tehran’s defiance of council demands that it mothball its uranium enrichment program and stop building a plutonium-producing reactor. Both can create the product that can serve as the fissile component of nuclear warheads.
Like the joint plan on cooperation between Iran and the agency, the report—to be considered at a meeting by the 35-nation IAEA board starting Sept. 10—said the agency felt that information provided by Iran on past small-scale plutonium experiments had “resolved” agency concerns about the issue.
The agency report also noted cooperation on other issues, while specifying that Tehran still needed to satisfy the agency’s curiosity about its enrichment technology and traces of highly enriched uranium at a facility linked to the military.
The report also said Iran agreed to study documentation from the agency on the “Green Salt Project”—a plan that the U.S. alleges links diverse components of a nuclear weapons program including uranium enrichment, high explosives testing and a missile re-entry vehicle.
Diplomats told the AP last year that the agency was made aware of the alleged program by U.S. intelligence. One of the U.N. officials suggested the IAEA might share its confidential documents—possibly including secret U.S. information—with Iran in its investigation of the “Green Salt Project,” but declined to offer details.
As expected, the report also confirmed that, while Iran continued to expand its uranium enrichment program, it was doing so much more slowly than expected, and had produced only negligible amounts of nuclear fuel that was far below the level usable for nuclear warheads.
One of the U.N. officials also noted that construction of the plutonium-producing reactor at the city of Arak had slowed in recent months.
He said that “design difficulties, getting equipment, materials and components, and fuel technology, plus perhaps some political considerations,” could be causing the delay.
The allusion to “political considerations” appeared linked to reports that Iranian officials might be considering stopping construction of the Arak reactor in another sign of good will calculated to blunt the threat of new U.N. sanctions.
Citing unidentified Iranian sources, Jane’s Defense Weekly earlier this week said some members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council were pushing for such a move.
That—along with the months-long slowdown in enrichment activity, plus significant Iranian readiness to cooperate with the IAEA investigation—could combine to stymie the U.S.-led push for new U.N. penalties, diplomats said.
(This version CORRECTS starting date of board meeting to Sept. 10, not next week.)
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Just looking at that picture says it all to what side the “Appeasement” IAEA is on. ElBaradei number one priority is to “protect” the Mullahs to make progress for the A-bomb and when they have it (I hope before then, they get B-52′d) hell say..”Oops, its to late they do have it,now we cant do nothing”. And of course that picture too with his kissy kissy shmuchie Mookie makes it more obvious that its more than a diplomatic friendship..its a Muslim Agenda.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:49 amThe IAEA has two standards…one for the US and one for everyone else. Al Baredei is a useless UN fucktard who needs
August 30th, 2007 at 6:56 ama depleted uranium enema. The other asshole could use the same treatment, along with the rest of his apostate fellows.
Not only does this set the stage for no more UN sanctions, it also creates the perfect setting in which any strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities will be regarded by the UN not only with opprobrium but as an act of war. Iran really knows how to play the game, you’ve gotta give ‘em that. But I’d rather we gave them a totally demolished nuclear program!
August 30th, 2007 at 7:17 amWhat a joke the UN is, maybe the G8 should become the new UN, and let that freak show of dictators and corruption move to tehran or belgium or just straight to hell.
how many bombs could we build for the money we put into that whorehouse?
August 30th, 2007 at 7:19 amWas this photo taken in an airport men’s room? WTF, I’m pukkin’. Enough already. Light em up!
August 30th, 2007 at 7:49 amLooks like these two can’t wait to get a room
August 30th, 2007 at 8:19 amTypical UN behavior.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:39 amHow long will these dumbasses think we will play multi-personality politics. Its the same soap opera over and over again. Bad guy, good guy, trusted guy, religious guy, rogue rebel and who ever else they need to create to sway opinion….they play the media like a violin.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:59 amMissle shield in Europe and Israel. Carrier groups in the gulf. Troops in Iraq and Afganistan. It maybe a lost cause. But steps are being taken to save the world from the Mahdi. Or at least those that desire his return.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:23 amWulf,
So right. No attempt to conceal the steps being taken, either. That’s why the goat fuckers are doing all this romantic, moonlight dancing on the beach.
Care to guess how many Ohio class subs (each with 24 Trident missiles aboard) are in the area? You can’t show all your cards.
August 30th, 2007 at 10:14 amSame as the Iraq inspections shellgame. The chief inspector WANTS to find compliance, so he does.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:28 pmA dude named Muhammed is chief of the UN nuclear agency?
Whoop t’ do! Nuts!
August 30th, 2007 at 6:43 pmcant say that i trust a muslim in charge of the IAEA. remember , thay can lie if it protects islam.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:58 pmRight is wrong and wrong is right and evil has the upperhand right now.
Politicians have brought us to here with their corruption and lies.
The public has participated by being bleating sheep.
November 1st, 2007 at 5:25 pm