IAEA concerned about Iran's repeated vetoing of inspectors

Sep 6, 2010, 17:13 GMT

Vienna - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that Iran has complicated its work in the country by repeatedly vetoing certain nuclear inspectors.

It is only one example of the lack of cooperation the agency reported, three months after the United Nations Security Council decided on another round of sanctions targeting the Islamic republic.

Iran is legally allowed to reject the agency's list of designated inspectors. But a senior diplomat familiar with the investigation said the latest rejection of two inspectors on the list 'makes work more difficult.'

For one, it takes time to train new experts, the diplomat said, adding that inspectors might also feel increasing pressure that they could be kicked out.

Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said in Monday's report that Iran has continued to enrich uranium despite the Security Council's orders to stop, and has made 2,803 kilogrammes of low-enriched uranium.

Experts say this theoretically is nearly enough material for three nuclear bombs, if it were processed further. Iran denies having any such plans and says it needs the enriched material to fuel power reactors.

The report noted that Iran is not making much overall progress in expanding its uranium enrichment capacity, neither at the Natanz facility, nor at the new enrichment plant in Fordow that is still under construction.

But Amano said Iran urgently needs to shed light on past activities that were possibly related to developing nuclear arms.