|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3421
Building on the Opportunity of the IAEA Report on Iran
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Olli Heinonen - Despite denials, Iran is working on the building blocks for making nuclear weapons. The details regarding the nuclear program's suspected military dimension are in addition to already known areas of concern: the continued production of enriched uranium, the shift to higher-enriched uranium that would shorten the time to reach weapons-grade level, the concealment of nuclear activities and related construction, and Tehran's history of problematic cooperation with the IAEA. Concealment and denial have been hallmarks of Iran's nuclear activities. This track record only exacerbates broader concerns about the possible existence of undeclared nuclear facilities and related materials in Iran. The strength of any resolution passed at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on Nov. 17-18 will be an indication of the level of international agreement on how to deal with Iran. The writer formerly served as deputy director-general and head of the Department of Safeguards at the IAEA.