On August 30, the U.N. nuclear watchdog criticized Tehran for failing to provide information and access to scientific personnel that would help resolve questions about Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) specifically warned that Iran had “sanitized” a suspect site at the Parchin military complex in ways that “significantly hampered” the agency’s investigation into Iran’s past activities.
The IAEA’s quarterly report also expressed concern about activities that could expand Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities at Fordo, an underground facility outside the holy city of Qom. Uranium enrichment is a process that can be used for both peaceful nuclear energy and a nuclear weapon. Since May, the number of centrifuges for enrichment at Fordo had doubled from just over 1,000 to more than 2,100, the IAEA said.
The report concluded, “Despite the intensified dialogue between the Agency and Iran since January 2012, no concrete results have been achieved in resolving the outstanding issues. Given the nature and extent of credible information available, the Agency considers it essential for Iran to engage with the Agency without further delay on the substance of the Agency’s concerns. In the absence of such engagement, the Agency will not be able to resolve concerns about issues regarding the Iranian nuclear programme, including those which need to be clarified to exclude the existence of possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme.”
The following is a link to the full IAEA report.
Click here for an assessment by the Institute for Science and International Security on the latest IAEA report.