IAEA in probe of uranium found in Iran

May 12, 2006
The Financial Times
Roula Khalaf


The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is investigating the source of traces of highly enriched uranium found on equipment procured by a suspicious Iranian site once associated with the defence ministry. The preliminary finding of traces of material that could be used in nuclear weapons production will add to concerns that Iran is concealing the more dubious parts of its nuclear programme.

It comes as members of the UN Security Council struggle to forge a common policy on Iran’s nuclear crisis. But the results of sampling taken by the International Atomic Energy Agency this year could also be due to contaminated equipment bought from Pakistan, as was the case with previous suspicious samples taken by UN inspectors from other Iranian sites.

Western diplomats on Friday confirmed a Reuters report that the traces of highly enriched uranium were found in samples taken from equipment bought by the Physics Research Centre. The site at Lavizan Shian, northeast of Tehran, was tied to the defence ministry and had been under investigation by the IAEA since 2003. But it was razed in 2004, before it was visited by inspectors, fuelling even greater concern about its previous activities.

Tehran says it has enriched uranium only to low levels needed for fuel in nuclear reactors. But a history of concealment and resistance to demands for information from the IAEA have reinforced doubts about Iran’s facilities.

The US and other western governments suspect Tehran of pursuing a parallel, clandestine nuclear programme.

So far, the IAEA has not found a “smoking gun”, but nor has it been able to reassure the world community that Iran is not seeking to build atomic bombs.

In a report last month, the IAEA said Tehran was still resisting agency requests to interview one of the former heads of the Lavizan centre and inspectors were still waiting for clarification on the procurement of equipment.

Tehran’s resumption of small-scale, low-level uranium enrichment this year provoked the high-stakes crisis now facing the Security Council.

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