jesuitsdidit
23-02-2009, 03:24 AM
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that Iran is "cooperating well" with UN nuclear inspectors to help prevent discrepancies in reported amounts of enriched uranium.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=86490§ionid=351020104
'No subterfuge' in Iran dealings with IAEA
Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:24:07 GMT
Amid concerns that Iran does not allow easy access to its nuclear sites the IAEA makes clear the country's level of cooperation with the agency.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that Iran is "cooperating well" with UN nuclear inspectors to help prevent discrepancies in reported amounts of enriched uranium.
The IAEA statement appeared to be in response to reports based on the agency's latest report on Iran's nuclear program on Thursday which claimed that Tehran provided wrong figures to UN inspectors.
According to figures presented in the report by the IAEA, Iran had under-reported the 1,010-kilogram stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) in its possession.
Reuters, however, cited diplomats familiar with the matter as saying on Friday that the IAEA believed, "The discrepancy was due to faulty estimates that can arise from complexities in the phased enrichment process, not to any maneuver to divert LEU out of sight."
IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming for her part said on Sunday that "The (IAEA) has no reason at all to believe that the estimates of LEU produced in the (Natanz) facility were an intentional error by Iran. They are inherent in the early commissioning phases of such a facility when it is not known in advance how it will perform in practice."
"Iran has provided good cooperation on this matter and will be working to improve its future estimate," she added.
Following the mistake, media reports blamed the IAEA's "restricted access" to Iran's nuclear facilities for the underestimation.
In his Thursday report Mohamed ElBaradei head of the IAEA said unless Iran implements the Additional Protocol, the nuclear watchdog will not be in a position to clear the country of nuclear military charges.
The Additional Protocol requires member states to provide an expanded declaration of their nuclear activities and grants the agency broader rights of access to sites in the country.
Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says a broader access would expose sensitive information related to its conventional military and missile related activities, insisting that any government would be reluctant to accept the protocol due to national security concerns.
Earlier a report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) claimed that based on the latest findings of the IAEA on Iran's nuclear program, the country had reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability."
The ISIS technical analysis claimed that Iran has in theory stockpiled sufficient low-enriched uranium - between 1,000 to 1,700kg - to produce the 20-25kg of highly enriched uranium necessary for one small bomb.
The report followed media estimations that Iran might -- without the knowledge of UN inspectors -- take a step and reprocess its LEU into weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU).
However, Fleming went on to dismiss the possibility of any such move by Iran explaining that, "No nuclear material could have been removed from the facility without the agency's knowledge since the facility is subject to video surveillance and the nuclear material has been kept under seal."
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=86490§ionid=351020104
'No subterfuge' in Iran dealings with IAEA
Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:24:07 GMT
Amid concerns that Iran does not allow easy access to its nuclear sites the IAEA makes clear the country's level of cooperation with the agency.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that Iran is "cooperating well" with UN nuclear inspectors to help prevent discrepancies in reported amounts of enriched uranium.
The IAEA statement appeared to be in response to reports based on the agency's latest report on Iran's nuclear program on Thursday which claimed that Tehran provided wrong figures to UN inspectors.
According to figures presented in the report by the IAEA, Iran had under-reported the 1,010-kilogram stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) in its possession.
Reuters, however, cited diplomats familiar with the matter as saying on Friday that the IAEA believed, "The discrepancy was due to faulty estimates that can arise from complexities in the phased enrichment process, not to any maneuver to divert LEU out of sight."
IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming for her part said on Sunday that "The (IAEA) has no reason at all to believe that the estimates of LEU produced in the (Natanz) facility were an intentional error by Iran. They are inherent in the early commissioning phases of such a facility when it is not known in advance how it will perform in practice."
"Iran has provided good cooperation on this matter and will be working to improve its future estimate," she added.
Following the mistake, media reports blamed the IAEA's "restricted access" to Iran's nuclear facilities for the underestimation.
In his Thursday report Mohamed ElBaradei head of the IAEA said unless Iran implements the Additional Protocol, the nuclear watchdog will not be in a position to clear the country of nuclear military charges.
The Additional Protocol requires member states to provide an expanded declaration of their nuclear activities and grants the agency broader rights of access to sites in the country.
Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says a broader access would expose sensitive information related to its conventional military and missile related activities, insisting that any government would be reluctant to accept the protocol due to national security concerns.
Earlier a report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) claimed that based on the latest findings of the IAEA on Iran's nuclear program, the country had reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability."
The ISIS technical analysis claimed that Iran has in theory stockpiled sufficient low-enriched uranium - between 1,000 to 1,700kg - to produce the 20-25kg of highly enriched uranium necessary for one small bomb.
The report followed media estimations that Iran might -- without the knowledge of UN inspectors -- take a step and reprocess its LEU into weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (HEU).
However, Fleming went on to dismiss the possibility of any such move by Iran explaining that, "No nuclear material could have been removed from the facility without the agency's knowledge since the facility is subject to video surveillance and the nuclear material has been kept under seal."