Feb 20, 2009, 21:48 GMT
New York/Vienna - United Nations Security Council members on Friday said a new UN report offered proof that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, while some raised the spectre of Iran being able to produce an atomic bomb with the amount of enriched uranium it has.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, said in a report released Thursday that Iran has produced 1,010 kilograms of low-enriched uranium. Non-proliferation experts estimate that 1,000 to 1,700 kilograms are theoretically needed for use in an atomic weapon, although the material would have to be further enriched.
Britain's UN Ambassador John Sawers said the report showed that Iran was making advances in mastering its capability to enrich uranium for military use.
'What we do have is proof that it is not for civilian purposes because Iran has only one civilian nuclear power station run with nuclear fuel provided by Russia,' Sawers said. 'So what is the purpose of producing enriched uranium if not to stock it for other purposes?'
Envoys from Japan and France said the 15-nation Security Council is concerned by the findings and would have to tackle the new situation with Iran.
'They are going on with the programme and not complying anymore with the IAEA's rules,' French Ambassador Jean Maurice Ripert said at UN headquarters in New York. 'We will have to deal with it.'
The IAEA report also determined that Tehran had produced a third more enriched uranium last November than originally declared.
In Vienna, a diplomat close to the IAEA explained that such discrepancies are not unusual, as agency inspectors also take stock of significant amounts of material that get trapped in the plant's systems, but which Iranian operators cannot remove themselves without breaking IAEA seals.
'We have no reason to think Iran is trying to cover something up,' the diplomat said.
Diplomats close to the IAEA said the findings have been blown out of proportion. They pointed out that the low enriched uranium that Iran has would have to be refined even more.
'This is theoretical and this is dependent on several variables. They would have to throw out the inspectors and leave the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty),' one senior diplomat told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
'In my view, it was quite hyped in the media,' another diplomat said.
In three rounds of sanctions, the Security Council has demanded that Iran end its uranium enrichment programme, end the construction of a heavy-water reactor and allow IAEA inspectors in there.
The United States said the IAEA's report reinforced doubts that Iran's intentions are purely peaceful, and that time was of the essence in forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
But the White House would not comment specifically on the allegations that Iran had enough fissile material to produce a nuclear bomb.
'This White House understands that, working with our allies, that this is a problem that has to be addressed and that we can't delay addressing it,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Iran insists it is using its enrichment programme only to supply domestic power reactors with fuel.
The report was released to IAEA member states amid recent signs from US President Barack Obama that the two countries might be interested in ending three decades of political estrangement and resume direct talks on Iran's nuclear programmes, along with topics such as the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that his country would not suspend its controversial nuclear-enrichment programme for the sake of improving ties with the US.
The IAEA report also showed that Iran has slowed the expansion of its uranium-enrichment programme, but the country still is not cooperating fully.
The report by IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei stated that since last November only 164 additional centrifuges have started producing low- enriched uranium. Currently, 3,936 such machines are operating, the report said.
The IAEA has received intelligence from several member states indicating that past research into high explosives, missile design and uranium metal could have been geared towards nuclear weapons work.
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