IAEA: Expanded enrichment, possible nuclear clean-up in Iran

Iran is expanding its controversial uranium enrichment programme and may be trying to cover up evidence of nuclear weapons research, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday in a new report.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came a day after the five Security Council members and Germany failed to convince Iran in talks in Baghdad to halt its enrichment. They are concerned the technology can be used not only to make reactor fuel, but also nuclear bombs, dpa reported.

The restricted document, which was obtained by dpa, showed that several hundred new centrifuges have been installed at the underground Fordo nuclear facility.

The plant there has been turning out additional amounts of uranium enriched to a level of 20 per cent. Iran is also enriching at this level at its Natanz facility, and the IAEA has calculated that the country now has a total stock of 94 kilos.

At current production rates, the Islamic Republic would have enough stock by the end of the year for one nuclear weapon, if the material was processed further, a European diplomat told dpa.

In Baghdad, Iran told the grouping of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China that it could only stop Fordo if sanctions were lifted first.

Iran denies that it wants to make nuclear weapons, and the IAEA report showed that so far, Tehran has been only using the 20-per-cent material to make fuel for a research reactor.

"What they are doing is what they said they were going to do," an international official said in Vienna.

The IAEA reported also that Iran started possible efforts to remove traces at the Parchin military site near Tehran, where nuclear warhead components may have been tested, according to Western intelligence agencies.

The report said that "at this location, where virtually no activity had been observed for a number of years, the buildings of interest to the Agency are now subject to extensive activities that could hamper the Agency's ability to undertake effective verification."

"Activities involved the presence of cars and trucks. It involved what looks like rinsing water," the international official said, adding that work was started in November, when an IAEA report had spelled out details about suspected experiments at Parchin.

The IAEA has made its top priority in recent months to visit there.

The IAEA and Iran agreed in principle on Monday that Tehran would let international nuclear inspectors see this and other sites, as well as documents and experts related to alleged nuclear weapons work, but an agreement has yet to be signed.

The nuclear agency also reported that it had found traces of uranium enriched to 27 per cent at Fordo, a level that would bring Iran potentially closer to a nuclear weapon.

Iran has told the IAEA that this higher rate was due to technical reasons and not intentional, according to the report. Nuclear inspectors are now verifying Tehran's claim.

Two Western diplomats told dpa shortly before the report was issued that Iran's explanation was credible and that higher enrichment levels could occur when new facilities are started up.


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