UN nuclear watchdog in crisis talks over Iran

THE UN nuclear watchdog agency held an emergency meeting yesterday to assess Iran's resumption of uranium conversion.

Meanwhile an Iranian dissident said Tehran has manufactured about 4,000 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium to weapons grade.

The meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-nation board of governors came a day after Iran restarted some activities at its nuclear plant at the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, who helped uncover nearly two decades of covert nuclear activity in 2002, told The Associated Press the centrifuges - which he said are unknown to the IAEA - are ready to be installed at Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz.

Mr Jafarzadeh, who runs Strategic Policy Consulting, a Washington-based think tank focusing on Iran and Iraq, said the information - which he described as "very recent" - came from sources within the Tehran regime who have proven accurate in the past.

His claims could not immediately be independently verified. The IAEA was taking the allegation "seriously" and will investigate "should we find anything credible contained within it," spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said.

In Tehran, Ali Hafezi, spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said the IAEA had been given a full disclosure of Tehran's nuclear program, including the number of centrifuges. He would not say how many centrifuges Iran has.

Meanwhile, diplomats in Vienna said the IAEA's board of governors was likely to issue a resolution by tomorrow urging Tehran to again suspend its nuclear activities.

"Iran must not be allowed to violate its international commitments and must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons," said Gregory Schulte, US envoy to the IAEA.

But there was no talk of reporting Iran to the UN Security Council, which could impose economic or political sanctions on the regime, according to a Western diplomat.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the debate within the closed-door meeting, which was adjourned until this afternoon.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said he was hopeful the standoff could be resolved.

"The board will request Iran to reconsider its decision to unravel a part of the suspension," Mr ElBaradei told reporters. "The important thing for me at the end of the day is to go back to the negotiating process and avoid any escalation of the situation."

Tehran, which had agreed to suspend nuclear activities in November, insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Washington accuses it of covertly trying to build a weapon.