UN security council leaders to meet on Iran
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-25 20:15

MISTRUST

The West suspects a clandestine nuclear arms program is under way in Iran, which concealed atomic research work including uranium enrichment from the IAEA for almost 20 years until it was exposed by Iranian exiles in 2002.

Iran says its nuclear program is designed solely to generate electricity for its growing economy and that atomic bombs would violate its Islamic faith.

IAEA safeguards investigators led by deputy agency director general Olli Heinonen flew to Tehran on Tuesday in a concerted effort to get Iran to cooperate fully with the agency's demands on past nuclear activities, diplomats close to the IAEA said.

They said Heinonen would press for access to the Lavisan military site that was razed before inspectors could reach it and test for evidence of radiation. He also wants information on Iran's nuclear black market activity and on a blueprint said by diplomats to describe how to build the core of a nuclear bomb.

Western concern has risen due to Tehran's calls for wiping out Israel, an alleged pattern of delays and evasion in dealing with IAEA inspectors since 2003 and its announced resumption of nuclear fuel research on January 9, breaking a deal with the EU.

That fuel research move dismayed the West and sparked the current EU-U.S. push for Security Council involvement.

But the senior diplomat said that while Iran had begun moving equipment around and clearing space at its pilot uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz, it was not known to have begun operating machinery there.

Some diplomats believe Iran may be holding off on such work to await the outcome of the February 2 IAEA crisis gathering.

IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei believes transferring Iran's case from agency to Security Council jurisdiction next week would be premature and has rejected EU-U.S. requests to speed up a wide-ranging report on Iran for the February 2 board.

Diplomats close to the IAEA say ElBaradei must stick to IAEA due process under which he has given Iran until the next regular board meeting on March 6 to answer questions about alleged violations of nuclear non-proliferation rules.