With latest IAEA report in hand, UN chief slams Iran for lack of cooperation (+video)
Speaking in Tehran today, UN chief Ban Ki-moon criticized Iran for failing to reassure the world it is not pursuing nuclear weapons as the IAEA reported its nonmilitary nuclear work continues apace.
Istanbul, Turkey
Even as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) today backed Iran's nuclear program in its final statement from the Tehran summit, the United Nations chief and a new UN report condemned Iran's lack of cooperation in reassuring the international community it is not pursuing nuclear weapons.
Iran has made steady progress with its advanced program in the past six months, doubling production compared to the previous two years of 20 percent low-enriched uranium – the level world powers want Iran to stop production of because it is not far off from weapons-grade – according to a report by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made public yesterday. Iran has already converted half of it to fuel, however, making it of little use top Iran for any bomb-making.
Iran also doubled the number of centrifuges used for enrichment at the relatively small underground Fordow facility, although none of the new ones were yet working.
With nuclear talks between Iran and world powers stalled for months, the IAEA reported no progress resolving questions about "possible military dimensions" that have dogged Iran for years.
Iran has also yet to allow the IAEA to visit a military site at Parchin, where the agency suspects Iran carried out explosives testing that it is now working to cover up, which has "significantly hampered" the agency's investigation efforts.
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