Vienna, Austria – The U.N. nuclear watchdog expressed “serious concern” today over Iran’s resumption this week of nuclear activities that could lead to an atomic bomb, but the agency left open the possibility of further negotiations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board of directors adopted a resolution that said “outstanding issues relating to Iran’s nuclear program have yet to be resolved.” It did not mention reporting the regime to the U.N. Security Council, which has the power to impose crippling sanctions.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and geared only toward producing electricity. The United States and others contend it is covertly trying to build atomic weapons.
The resolution expressed “serious concern” over the regime’s resumption of uranium conversion at its nuclear facility at Isfahan, saying the move “underlines the importance of rectifying the situation … and of allowing for the possibility of further discussions in relation to that situation.” However, the resolution noted that in 2004, the IAEA found that “all the declared nuclear material in Iran had been accounted for, and that such material had not been diverted to prohibited activities.” The board asked IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to provide it with a comprehensive report on Iran’s compliance with an agency safeguards agreement by Sept. 3.
Gregory Schulte, the U.S. envoy to the IAEA, told reporters that the adoption of the resolution “shows that the international community is united in its determination that Iran move off the dangerous course that it is on.” Mohammad Saeedi, an Iranian negotiator in Vienna, said earlier that Tehran rejected the text because it would bar Iran from converting uranium, a process it is allowed to pursue under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Enriched uranium can be used to produce energy or to make weapons, depending on the degree to which it has been enriched.
