IAEA: Iran worked on nuclear arms until "quite recently"

Iran seems to have been developing atomic weapons until recently, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday, issuing one of the clearest assessments to date on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, dpa reported.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano urged Iran to finally answer questions about various research and development projects which the Vienna-based nuclear agency says has little other uses than for military aims.

"The activities in Iran related to the possible military dimensions seem to have been continuing until quite recently," Amano told reporters at a regular meeting of the IAEA board in Vienna.

In his latest report on Iran issued in May, Amano specified seven suspicious research areas, including turning uranium metal "into components relevant to a nuclear device."


/Trend/