The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently completed its most comprehensive assessment in months of Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's degree of cooperation with the agency and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Although the Aug. 28 report (.pdf) notes some new developments, its basic message is that Iran has not appreciably changed its main nuclear policies despite years of negotiations, U.N. sanctions, and its recent presidential elections. As a result, as in the past, both advocates and opponents of harsher sanctions on Tehran can cite some of the agency's findings to support their positions.
The report, which was promptly leaked to the media, relates that Iran is still not providing the IAEA with the information required to determine the accuracy of intelligence indicating that Iranians earlier conducted studies regarding the military application of nuclear technologies. These include how to make a nuclear warhead and a re-entry vehicle capable of delivery on Iran's ballistic missiles. Iranian officials continue (.pdf) to either characterize some of the "alleged studies" as involving non-nuclear materials whose substance could not be revealed because they concerned Iran's national security, or else dismissed the evidence altogether as forgeries. They have repeatedly denied IAEA requests for access to essential documents, sites, and individuals that might clarify these activities. ...
|