UN: Little Progress on Iran Nuclear Program

            Iran still has not provided information on key areas of investigation into the potential military dimensions of its nuclear program, according to a November 2014 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Specifically, Iran failed to address two practical measures agreed upon in May 2014. These measures, which were supposed to have been completed by late August, could have helped determine if Iran carried out explosives tests and other activities related to nuclear weapons production.
           But the report also confirmed that Tehran is still complying with elements of the interim nuclear deal. Iran has not enriched uranium above five percent and it has converted or downblended all of its uranium enriched to 20 percent. Iran also has not installed any major components at the Arak heavy water reactor. The following are excerpts from the report.

            While the Agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material at the nuclear facilities and LOGs declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, the Agency is not in a position to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.
 
            Iran and the Agency held technical meetings on two separate occasions in Tehran to discuss the two outstanding practical measures agreed in May 2014 in the third step of the Framework for Cooperation.
 
            Iran has not provided any explanations that enable the Agency to clarify the outstanding practical measures, nor has it proposed any new practical measures in the next step of the Framework for Cooperation.
 
            The Agency is ready to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues under the Framework for Cooperation. This can be realized only by increased cooperation by Iran and by the timely provision of access to all relevant information, documentation, sites, material and personnel in Iran as requested by the Agency. Once the Agency has established an understanding of the whole picture concerning issues with possible military dimensions, the Director General will report on the Agency’s assessment to the Board of Governors.
 
            The Agency continues to undertake monitoring and verification in relation to the nuclear-related measures set out in the JPA, as extended.

Five Practical Measures, agreed on 20 May 2014
 

1. Exchanging information with the Agency with respect to the allegations related to the initiation of high explosives, including the conduct of large scale high explosives experimentation in Iran.

2. Providing mutually agreed relevant information and explanations related to studies made and/or papers published in Iran in relation to neutron transport and associated modeling and calculations and their alleged application to compressed materials.
 
3. Providing mutually agreed information and arranging a technical visit to a centrifuge research and development center.
 
4. Providing mutually agreed information and managed access to centrifuge assembly workshops, centrifuge rotor production workshops and storage facilities.
 
5. Concluding the safeguards approach for the IR-40 Reactor.
 
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