Atomic Energy Agency fears Iran nuclear cover-ups

The International Atomic Energy Agency appears to be on the track of new nuclear cover-ups on the part of Iran, diplomats say.

The diplomats said yesterday the agency was concerned about evidence that Iran was razing parts of a restricted area next to a military complex in a Tehran suburb.

Satellite imagery showed several buildings had been destroyed and topsoil removed at Lavizan Shiyan, according to one diplomat.

To his knowledge, the agency had not been at the site, although IAEA officials had talked to the Iranians of their concern because of the unexplained moves on the part of Tehran.

“It‘s vanishing now, so they need to look at it,” said the diplomat, adding without elaboration that the agency was also focusing on other sites.

The diplomats spoke to the Associated Press as delegates to the IAEA‘s board of governors prepared to approve a toughly-worded Iran resolution today. Such approval has been a formality in the past, once delegates to the 35-nation board meeting hammered out consensus in informal meetings, as they did today.

Agreement came despite Iranian efforts to substantially tone down the text, including tactics that today forced IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei to admit one mistake in a report criticising Tehran for repeated lack of co-operation with an agency probe of its nuclear programme.

The text expresses “strong concern” at or “deplores” foot-dragging by Iran on revealing its nuclear secrets but contains no “trigger mechanism” – a clause sought by Washington that could send the Iran dossier to the UN Security Council for violating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

But a western diplomat familiar with the US position said the Americans were content because they “feel this… helps tee (Iran) up for Security Council action” at the next board meeting in September.

He did not elaborate. But another diplomat said Washington was looking for new incriminating evidence to be found by the IAEA by the Autumn, including signs that Iran was trying to hide past covert nuclear activity at Lavizan Shiyan and the results of enriched uranium samples from military sites still under IAEA analysis.

The diplomat suggested the IAEA had access to American intelligence on the Lavizan Shiyan site. Agency officials refused comment.

Iran maintains that under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, it has a legitimate right to pursue a peaceful nuclear programme, including enrichment.