VIENNA: The UN nuclear watchdog chief said it was his duty to warn the world about suspected Iranian activities that point to plans to develop atomic bomb, maintaining pressure on Tehran ahead of rare talks between Iran and his agency expected this month.
Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made clear in an interview with Financial Times Deutschland that the UN body would press for full cooperation in meetings with Iranian officials in Tehran.
“What we know suggests the development of nuclear weapons,” he was quoted as saying in comments published in German on Thursday, adding Iran had so far failed to clarify allegations of possible military links to its nuclear programme.
“We want to check over everything that could have a military dimension.”
An IAEA delegation, to be headed by Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, is expected to seek explanations for intelligence information that indicates Iran has engaged in research and development relevant for nuclear weapons.
Tension between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear programme has increased since November, when the IAEA published a report that said Tehran appeared to have worked on designing a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity.
“I have absolutely no reason to soften my report. It is my responsibility to alarm the world,” Amano said. “The overall pattern led me to the decision to alarm the world. The more pieces (of information), the clearer the pattern become.”
Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told Reuters on Tuesday that Iranian officials were open to discussing “any issues” in the talks in Tehran, which he said were set for January 29-31.
Western diplomats, who have often accused Iran of using stalling tactics as it presses ahead with its nuclear programme, have expressed doubt that the planned IAEA trip will lead to any major progress in the long-running nuclear dispute.
While UN inspectors regularly monitor Iran’s declared nuclear facilities, their movements are otherwise restricted, and the IAEA has complained for years of a lack of access to sites, equipment, documents and people relevant to its probe. (PTI)
