U.N. nuclear inspectors have determined that traces of enriched uranium found in Iran came into the country on contaminated equipment bought through middlemen and dealers, some of whom were connected to Pakistan's nuclear black market, according to experts and diplomats working on the investigation. The findings do not rule out the possibility that Iran may be concealing a weapons program, but they do lend support to the country's contention that it unknowingly imported tainted equipment.
U.S. officials have cited the residue as proof that Iran was enriching uranium or importing the material as part of a program to build a nuclear bomb, and the new findings could complicate U.S. efforts to muster international pressure on the Islamic republic over its nuclear program. The uranium issue is expected to feature prominently when the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board meets in Vienna next month to determine whether Tehran is violating international law.
| Just the excuse the IAEA needed to vote to do nothing. |
The Bush administration, Iran and Europe's main powers are locked in a standoff in the face of mounting evidence that Tehran has concealed elements of a nuclear program that the country insists is designed to produce peaceful energy. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said recently it was increasingly likely that Iran's behavior would have to be brought up with the U.N. Security Council. But France, Britain and others have been reluctant to do so without clear-cut proof of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. On Monday, President Bush vowed to keep up the pressure on Iran but stopped short of threatening to use force. |