‘Iran providing full nuclear disclosure’
Iran has insisted it is providing full disclosure of its atomic programme to the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Pirooz Huseini said on Monday Tehran did not report all its activities last October “because what we announced at that time was based on our obligations under the safeguard agreement” of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iran in December signed an additional protocol to the NPT allowing for wider inspections.
“As you know we have signed the additional protocol and are including it as if we have ratified it, so under that, according to the timeline of the additional protocol, we are going to provide every information which is necessary for the agency,” said Huseini.
IAEA warning
The IAEA said in a report last month Iran had failed to declare possible weapons-related nuclear activities, despite promising full disclosure and warned Tehran to make sure this did not happen again.
Iran had not told the IAEA it had designs for sophisticated “P-2” centrifuges for enriching uranium nor it had produced polonium-210, an element which could be used as a “neutron initiator (to start the chain reaction) in some designs of nuclear weapons,” the report said.
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“As you know we have signed the additional protocol and are Pirooz Huseini, |
This was despite Iran’s claim last October, repeated both in Vienna and in Tehran, it had given the IAEA a full picture of its nuclear programme.
“The conclusion that omission of reference to P2 R & D (research and development) questions the completeness of the full disclosure is not justified,” said the Iranian delegation in a statement on Monday.
“Iran intended to submit information on R & D of P2 along with further declarations it is required to provide in accordance with its obligations under the additional protocol within the timetable established by the IAEA,” the statement said.