VIENNA, Aug 31: Iran failed to stop nuclear work by a Thursday deadline, the UN atomic watchdog said, clearing the way to possible sanctions by the Security Council due to western fears Tehran could be trying to make atom bombs.
A confidential report of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had resumed enriching small amounts of uranium in recent days. The agency said lack of Iranian cooperation had blocked its probe.
“Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities,” the report said. “Iran has not addressed the long-outstanding verification issues or provided the necessary transparency to remove uncertainties associated with some of its activities.”
US President George Bush said Iran must pay the price.
“It is time for Iran to make a choice,” Mr Bush told a convention of US veterans. “We’ve made our choice. We will continue to work closely with our allies to find a diplomatic solution, but there must be consequences for Iran’s defiance and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he deplored Iran’s unsatisfactory response, but Russia was less forthright.
“The stage at which the UN Security Council is involved should start. This will happen very soon,” a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said. Washington said the council could meet to discuss sanctions against Iran as early as next week.
Iran was defiant and shrugged off the threat of sanctions.
“The Iranian nation will never abandon its obvious right to peaceful nuclear technology,” Iranian state radio quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying before the deadline.
The UN. Security Council had asked Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the IAEA, to spell out on Aug 31 whether Iran had complied with the deadline set in a July 31 resolution.
Iran says it wants atomic energy only for electricity, although it hid sensitive research from UN inspectors for almost 20 years and has hindered UN investigations since.
Western leaders suspect a veiled arms project and the UN Security Council ordered Iran to suspend the work by Aug 31.
The IAEA report said its inspectors in mid-August found traces of highly-enriched uranium, of potential use for atom bombs, in a container at Iran’s Karaj waste storage facility. The IAEA asked Iran to explain the source of the contamination.—Reuters
