When the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, lands in Tehran today, he will step into a new reality created by yesterday's announcement by the mullahs that Iran has "joined the group" of nuclear nations.The brazen boast in Tehran yesterday that Iran is now able to enrich uranium independently instantly changed the diplomatic landscape, but at the United Nations few diplomats expect any action from the Security Council before April 28, when Mr. ElBaradei is scheduled to report on Tehran's compliance with the council's demand to stop all enrichment activities. "All eyes are now on ElBaradei," an American official said yesterday. America is expected to argue that Iran is in noncompliance with last month's unanimous statement by the Security Council, and ask for punitive measures.
"Iran is not paying attention to what the Security Council said," American Ambassador John Bolton told The New York Sun. The Islamic Republic's clerics "show why we feel a real sense of urgency," he added. "Iran has to realize that it is clearly going down the wrong road."
An IAEA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the agency was not immediately able to verify yesterday's announcement by Iran's atomic organization chief, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, that Iranian scientists have succeeded in enriching uranium at Natanz to the level of 3.5%. IAEA inspectors are expected to look today at cameras and other devices installed in Iranian nuclear facilities.