Iran lifts ban on nuclear inspectors

VIENNA - Iran has lifted a yearlong ban and allowed UN inspectors to visit a nearly completed nuclear reactor and has granted greater monitoring rights at another atomic site, diplomats said yesterday.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors visited the nearly finished Arak heavy water reactor last week, the diplomats said. They added that Iran agreed last week to agency requests to expand monitoring of the Natanz uranium enrichment site, which produces nuclear fuel that can be further enriched into warhead material.

The diplomats demanded anonymity because their information was confidential.

Iran is softening its position days before the release of a new report on its facilities from the international watchdog group. It is unclear whether the increased access is an attempt to influence how much unsubstantiated information would be released in the report.

The inspectors had sought additional cameras and inspections of the Natanz site, to track the rapidly expanding enrichment program. Iran's stonewalling had raised agency concerns that its inspectors might not be able to ensure that material produced at Natanz is not diverted for potential weapons use.

Since its clandestine enrichment efforts were revealed more than six years ago, Iran has steadily increased them, shrugging off three sets of UN sanctions and rejecting talks meant to induce it to mothball the activity.

A June report from the inspectors said nearly 5,000 centrifuges were enriching at Natanz - about 1,000 more than at the time of the last agency report, issued in February - with more than 2,000 others ready to start enriching.

The agency's next report is due within two weeks. It is expected to confirm that operations continue to expand - along with Tehran's potential capacity to produce weapons-grade uranium.

The United States, Britain, France, and Germany, which are considering new sanctions, are urging the nuclear watchdog to reveal all the information it has that suggests Tehran is pursuing atomic weapons, diplomats said.

The nations are planning to hold talks on Iran's nuclear program next month with Russia and China, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Western diplomats say. To make a strong case for more sanctions, diplomats said, the four Western powers have been urging Mohamed El Baradei, the outgoing head of the UN nuclear watchdog, to reveal information he has on Iran that they say could help bring Russia and China around.

Western diplomats said they hoped El Baradei would include unreleased information the agency has gathered on Iran.

One senior Western diplomat said that some of that information related to Iran's so-called 'alleged studies' into building a nuclear weapon.

'The alleged studies are more than alleged,' the diplomat said on condition of anonymity, adding that El Baradei has for years been 'overly cautious' about his Iran reports.

[link to www.boston.com]

Last Edited by D. Bunker on 08/21/2009 12:51 AM