UN atom chief: New data suggests Iran military link

Iran may until recently have carried out nuclear work with possible military links, the UN atomic watchdog chief said on Monday, voicing growing frustration at Tehran's failure to address his concerns.

The statement by Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to the IAEA's board is likely to be welcomed by Western powers as a sign that he is gradually ratcheting up the pressure on the Islamic Republic.

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The United States and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons capability. Iran rejects the accusation, saying its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.

For several years, the IAEA has been investigating Western intelligence reports indicating Iran had coordinated efforts to process uranium, test explosives at high altitude and revamp a ballistic missile cone so it can take a nuclear warhead.

Western diplomats believe Amano is in effect warning Tehran to cooperate or face a possible assessment by the IAEA on the likelihood it has carried out military-linked nuclear activity.

Ahmadinejad in Natanz nuclear reactor (Photo: AP)

Such an assessment could lend weight to any renewed Western push to tighten sanctions on the major oil producer.

Amano said the UN agency had received "further information related to possible past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities that seem to point to the existence of possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program."

"There are indications that certain of these activities may have continued until recently," he told the closed-door session, according to a copy of his speech.

He did not disclose the source of the new information.

Letter diplomacy

Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment, activity which can have both civilian and military uses, has drawn four rounds of UN sanctions since 2006.

The Japanese IAEA chief has taken a blunter approach than his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, toward the Islamic state.

Amano said he had written last month to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, "reiterating the agency's concerns about the existence of possible military dimensions."

He had also asked for Iran to "provide prompt access" to locations, equipment, documentation and officials to help resolve the agency's queries.

Amano made clear that Iran's response had not been satisfactory, saying he had sent a new letter to Abbasi-Davani on June 3 "in which I reiterated the agency's requests to Iran."

The IAEA, tasked with ensuring that nuclear technology is not diverted for military aims, says Iran has not engaged with the agency in substance on these issues since mid-2008.

Iran was "not providing the necessary cooperation to enable the agency to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran," Amano said.

"I urge Iran to take steps toward the full implementation of all relevant obligations in order to establish international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program," he said.

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