New info on Iranian nuclear project heightens IAEA concerns

Mar 7, 2011, 14:33 GMT

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General, Yukiya Amano, during a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, Austria, 07 March 2011. Alleged suspect nuclear activities by Iran and Syria are high on the agenda when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board starts meeting in Vienna, but no action against them is expected for now, diplomats said. EPA/GEORG HOCHMUTH

Vienna - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has received 'concerning' new information that Iran may have continued nuclear weapons-related projects in the past six years, the agency's head revealed Monday.

'Since the previous (IAEA) board in December, we have received some information raising further concerns,' IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters in Vienna, where the agency's governing body was meeting.

The information pertains to activities Iran could have carried out before late 2003 and after 2004, Amano said - adding that it was more related to the earlier date rather than to the latter one. He did not provide further explanation.

Several US intelligence agencies have said in a joint assessment that they think Iran halted its nuclear weapons work in autumn 2003.

'We are not saying Iran has a nuclear weapons programme,' Amano said. 'We have concerns and we want to clear the matter.'

The IAEA has not shared its new suspicions with Iran because the Islamic state has refused to talk to the Vienna-based inspectors about this issue, he added.

The IAEA previously received documents and data from several intelligence agencies about seven alleged Iranian research and development projects to make a nuclear warhead. Iranian officials have charged that this material was fabricated.

In a related development, Amano announced that the IAEA has provided mandatory data protection training for its staff, in an announcement that followed Iranian complaints about the leaking of sensitive nuclear information.

Tehran has criticized the Vienna-based nuclear agency for allegedly leaking details of its nuclear programme to the media, for revealing too many details in its regular reports, and for passing on names of Iranian nuclear scientists to the UN Security Council. Regarding Syria, the Japanese diplomat confirmed that his inspectors would be allowed to visit a chemical plant, as part of its effort to find out if the country had a secret nuclear programme.

'But this does not solve all the problems, of course,' Amano said, referring to Syria's ongoing refusal to allow visits to any other locations.

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