| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran boosts nuclear work: IAEA |
| 2010-09-07 |
| [Pak Daily Times] Iran is pushing ahead with its atomic work in defiance of tougher sanctions and the UN nuclear watchdog is concerned about Tehran's objections to some of its inspectors, an IAEA report shows. The confidential report, obtained by Rooters on Monday, also said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains concerned about possible activity in the Islamic Republic to develop a nuclear payload for a missile. It calls on Iran, which denies accusations that it is seeking to build nuclear bombs, to grant the UN agency access to relevant sites, equipment and persons without further delay, to help in its investigation. Western powers are likely to see the report's findings as backing up their suspicions that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear bombs and underlining the need for the country to enter serious negotiations to curb its nuclear programme. "This is a pretty critical report and it seems the sides have reached an impasse," said head of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, David Albright. Iran's envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said that the report had damaged the agency's technical reputation "but it also made clear that all of Iran's nuclear activities were under its complete supervision". The West hopes the imposition since June of additional UN, US and European sanctions on the country would persuade the Iranian leadership to back down and halt sensitive atomic work. |
| Posted by:Fred |