The United States is deeply concerned about information the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified concerning Iran's nuclear program, says Ambassador Kenneth Brill.
Responding on June 18 to the IAEA director general's report on Iran, Brill noted that clandestine Iranian nuclear activities made public in news reports last summer were confirmed as a result of the IAEA's inspection visit to Iran in February. He also said that "without the outside revelations, Iran's extensive nuclear program would still be proceeding on a largely clandestine basis" and the report "confirms that Iran's nuclear program is cause for grave concern."
Brill, who is the U.S. Representative to United Nations organizations in Vienna, noted that Iran told the IAEA that it had a policy of "full cooperation" and "complete transparency" concerning its nuclear program.
"Iran's 'complete transparency' proved not to extend, however, to the import of nuclear material, or to the subsequent processing of that material, or to the facilities where the material was stored and processed," Brill said. "In fact, Iran's 'complete transparency' has proven in crucial respects to be an empty promise, intended to distract attention from its reluctant confirmation of the existence of a whole series of clandestine activities and facilities," he continued.
Iran’s program to mine its own uranium has prompted American concern that the state is continuing to develop its nuclear weapons plan. The Iranian government announced in February that it will soon open a facility to process the ore into fuel, moving ahead with a nuclear program solely for electrical production. Iran maintains that it is following international regulations and that all its facilities are open to inspectors from the IAEA. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
