UN watchdog pleased with Iran co-operation

THE head of the UN nuclear watchdog said yesterday there is a “shifting of gears” in Iran’s confrontation with the West to more co-operation and transparency and he announced that international inspectors would visit Tehran’s newly revealed uranium enrichment site on October 25.

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking at a news conference in Tehran with Iran’s top nuclear official, said his agency “has no concrete proof of an ongoing weapons program in Iran”. But the IAEA has “concerns about Iran’s future intentions,” he said.

“I see that we are at a critical moment. I see that we are shifting gears from confrontation into transparency and co-operation,” said ElBaradei.

His visit followed a week of intense diplomatic activity surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme, set off by the revelation that Tehran had been secretly constructing a new uranium enrichment plant just north of the holy city of Qom.

On Thursday, Iran and six world powers put nuclear talks back on track at a landmark session in Geneva that included the highest-level bilateral contact with the US in years.

US President Barack Obama’s national security adviser said yesterday that Washington was also pleased with the level of co-operation from Iran.

“For now, things are moving in the right direction,” James Jones said on CNN.

ElBaradei arrived on Saturday to set up the UN inspection of the Qom facility.

The revelation of the plant heightened suspicion that Tehran is using a civilian nuclear programme as a cover for developing weapons.

Iran claims its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

“It is important for us to send our inspectors to do a comprehensive verification of that facility, to assure ourselves that it is a facility that is built for peaceful purposes,” ElBaradei said, seated beside Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency. “We agreed that our inspectors would come here on October 25 to do the inspection and to go to Qom and I hope and I trust that Iran will be as transparent with our inspectors team as possible.”

The US ambassador to the United Nations said that the permanent members of the UN Security Council are studying options for more sanctions if Iran does not prove its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told ElBaradei that Iran’s co-operation with the agency has left no ambiguity.

“Outstanding issues were resolved due to good co-operation between Iran and the agency,” he said. “Today, there are no ambiguous issue left.”