VIENNA, May 31 (Reuters) – Iran has carried out secret nuclear activities with materials not declared by the UN nuclear watchdog at three locations that are long under investigation, Watchdog said in a wide range of secret reports to member states seen by Reuters.
The findings of the “comprehensive” International Atomic Energy Agency report, requested in November by the governor’s committee of 35 government agencies, paves the way for the US, UK, France and Germany to promote, paving the way for the board to declare Iran in violation of its non-enhancing obligations.
The resolution could infuriate Iran and further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.
Using the findings from the IAEA report, the four Western countries will submit a resolution for the board to adopt at their next meeting on June 9, diplomats say. It is probably the first time in almost 20 years that Iran has been officially found for non-compliance.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Iran’s nuclear agency rejected the report, calling it “politically motivated” in a joint statement. They said Tehran will take “appropriate measures” in response to efforts to take action against the country at the board meeting, state media reported without elaborating.
Tehran says it has long denied accusations by Western countries that it wants to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and is aiming to develop nuclear weapons.
While many of the findings have been related to activities several decades ago and have been done before, the conclusions of the IAEA report were more conclusive. It summarises recent developments and points out more clearly the coordinated secret activities related to the production of nuclear weapons.
He also writes that Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA continues to do things that are “not satisfying” with “many respect.” The IAEA is still seeking an explanation of uranium tracing found several years ago at two of the four sites it is investigating. Three hosted secret experiments have been found.
The IAEA concluded that “these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared, unstructured nuclear programme conducted by Iran until the early 2000s, with some activities using undeclared nuclear material.”
Nuclear materials and/or severely contaminated equipment from that program were stored at the fourth site Turquzabad between 2009 and 2018.
“The agency concludes that Iran did not declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities in three undeclared locations in Iran.
At Rabisan Cian in Tehran, discs made of uranium metal were used at least twice in 2003 “used in the production of explosively driven neutron sources.” This is a process designed to launch a nuclear weapon explosion, the report says, and is part of a “small” test.
The report is likely to lead to Iran being introduced to the UN Security Council, but it will likely happen at the later IAEA Council, diplomats said.
More immediately, Iran could lead to re-accelerating or expanding its rapidly moving forward nuclear program, as it did after its previous responsibilities at the board. It could also complicate consultations with the US that aim to curb the program.
Uranium enrichment
According to another IAEA report sent to member states on Saturday, Iran’s uranium stock was concentrated to a maximum of 60% purity, nearly 90% of the arms grade, up from about half to 408.6 kg. According to the IAEA Yard Stick, if it’s even richer, it’s enough for nine nuclear weapons.
Both IAEA reports say enrichment to such a high level is “serious concern” as it is the only country that does not produce nuclear weapons.
Israel has long urged strong action against Iran’s nuclear program, and the IAEA report said it showed Tehran is determined to complete its nuclear weapons program. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the world should now act to stop Iran from doing this.
The US intelligence agency and the IAEA have long believed that Iran has a secret coordinated nuclear weapons program that was stopped in 2003.
Separately on Saturday, Foreign Minister Abbas Arakich said his Omani counterparts presented elements of the US proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington when he visited Tehran.
In a post on X, Araqchi said Iran “responds to US proposals in line with the principles, national interests and rights of the Iranian people.”
His statement preceded the expected sixth round talk between Washington and Tehran. The date and location of the meeting have not been announced yet.
(Reporting by François Murphy, Ala El Din and Muhammad Al Gebery of Dubai Edited by Toby Chuprah and Francis Kelly)
