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IAEA Confirms Iran’s
Uranium Enrichment Suspension
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ElBaradei hoped the new development will help dispel concerns about the nature of Iran's nuclear program (AFP)
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VIENNA,
November 29 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In a major
breakthrough in the standoff, the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Monday,
November 29, that Tehran has suspended all uranium enrichment
activities.
“We
have now…completed our verification of Iran's decision to suspend all
enrichment and reprocessing related activities,” said International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Regarding
the 20 disputed centrifuges Iran initially wanted to exclude from the
all-out freeze, he said the UN body has “already verified these 20
centrifuges and they are under (the) agency surveillance system.”
ElBaradei
praised the development as “a first step in the right direction,”
hoping it will help dispel concerns about the nature of Iran's nuclear
program.
The
IAEA adopted a British-French-German draft resolution which is
relatively uncritical of Iran and praises the Islamic Republic for
suspending uranium enrichment as a confidence-building measure.
The
resolution was adopted by consensus by IAEA’s 35-nation board of
governors, spokesman Mark Gwozdecky told reporters.
The
resolution calls for continuing investigation into sensitive aspects of
Iran's program and reflects Tehran's view that the voluntary suspension
is “not legally binding,” since the country has the right to enrich
uranium according to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
EU
negotiators had agreed with Iran in Paris on November 7 on a freeze of
all enrichment activities as a confidence-building measure.
This
involves spinning uranium gas in cascade arrangements of centrifuges to
make what can be fuel for nuclear reactors but also the explosive core
of atomic bombs.
The
suspension went into effect on November 22.
Iran
had initially
reacted with defiance to the IAEA’s resolution demanding
suspension of uranium enrichment, threatening not to allow tough
inspections of its nuclear sites.
Tehran
suspended enrichment in October 2003 as a confidence-building measure
but has continued support activities such as building the centrifuges
that refine the uranium.
“New
Era”
Hours
before the vote, Iranian nuclear negotiator Hossein Moussavian told AFP
the draft resolution “is without doubt the most positive one to be
presented to the (IAEA) board of governors since the beginning of the
Iranian nuclear crisis.”
He
said the EU-negotiated nuclear agreement should open up a new era of
cooperation between Tehran and Europe after a quarter-century of
tensions.
“The
substantial issue from now looking forward will be the comprehensive
commercial, technology, security, political and even nuclear issues”
the EU has promised to work out with Iran in a long-term agreement with
negotiations set to start on December 15, Moussavian said.
Not
Afraid
Commenting
on the IAEA’s resolution, the White House said the world must
“remain vigilant” about Iran's nuclear pursuits.
“The
implementation and verification of the agreement is critical,”
spokesman Scott McClellan said.
A
few hours earlier, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his
country would press on with its nuclear program and was not afraid of
pressure from the United States.
“The
people and the officials are not scared of the political threats made by
the powers in the service of oppression,” he was quoted by state
television as saying during a meeting with visiting Venezuelan President
Hugo Chavez.
“Iran
will never stop its nuclear program, that is our red line,” said
Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state.
“The
United States and the other powers know full well that Iran is not
seeking to have a nuclear weapon, but their accusations are designed to
make Iran give up nuclear technology.”
The
United States, and its Mideast alley Israel, accuse Iran of secretly
trying to develop nuclear weapons but Tehran denies
the accusation, saying it merely wants to produce fuel to
generate nuclear energy.
Khamenei
said the IAEA “would lose credibility if, in its judgments and
positions, it is influenced by the United States and its allies.”
In
June, the UN nuclear watchdog admitted it had wrongly
accused Iran of withholding information about importing magnets
for advanced centrifuges.
Iran
signed the
additional protocol to the NPT in December last year, but
parliament has yet to ratify it. The text obliges Iran to accept tougher
IAEA inspections, including short-notice visits to even undeclared
facilities.
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