WORLD / Middle East
UN nuclear inspectors to arrive in Iran on Friday
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-04-18 17:34
TEHRAN - Senior inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) will arrive in Iran on Friday to visit nuclear sites, including
the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, a senior Iranian official said on
Tuesday.
"
The visit follows Iran's declaration last week that it had enriched
uranium for use in power stations for the first time, stoking Western
suspicions of a covert atomic bomb project.
Iran insists it wants nuclear technology for civilian purposes to satisfy
its booming demand for electricity.
"We will discuss Iran's enrichment of uranium to 3.5 percent," said the
official, who asked not to be named.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who visited Iran last week, said inspectors
from the U.N. nuclear watchdog had taken samples and would report back to
the IAEA's board on whether the Iranians had indeed achieved 3.5 percent
enrichment.
The U.N. Security Council has urged Iran to stop enrichment work and has
asked ElBaradei to report on Iranian compliance by April 28. The IAEA
director said Iran had told him it would step up efforts to answer
questions on its atomic plans.
Iran has repeatedly vowed to pursue its nuclear activities but would
cooperate with the IAEA, as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT).
"The deputy head of the IAEA and the inspectors will discuss the
remaining issues," the official said, calling the visit a routine part of
Iran's commitment to international treaties.
The state IRNA news agency identified the IAEA official as Olli Heinonen,
ElBaradei's deputy for safeguards issues. One diplomat said Heinonen's
presence suggested Iran was ready to provide some missing information.
The IAEA says it cannot verify Iran's nuclear programme is entirely
peaceful despite three years of investigating but it has found no hard
proof of efforts to build atomic weapons.
In February, Tehran ended snap inspections of its nuclear facilities
after it was referred to the Security Council, which can impose sanctions.
The United States will press other major world powers at a meeting in
Berlin of the council's five permanent members and Germany on Tuesday to
consider targeted sanctions against Iran.
Russia and China oppose punitive measures against Tehran.
Experts say it would take Iran two decades to produce enough highly
enriched uranium for one bomb from its current 164 centrifuges. But Iran
says it will to install 3,000 centrifuges, which could make enough
material for a warhead in one year.
Iranian officials say the Natanz enrichment plant has a capacity for
54,000 centrifuges.
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