Israel slammed the U.N. nuclear watchdog Friday for failing to expose
what it said was Iran's drive to acquire an atomic bomb in a key report
on the latter's nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's report Thursday
said Iran has made some progress in revealing the extent of its nuclear
program, but that it is still defying U.N. demands to suspend its
controversial uranium enrichment.
"The report fails to expose (Iranian President Mahmoud)
Ahmadinejad's intentions that are well known to the IAEA and its chief
Mohamed ElBaradei," Deputy Foreign Minister Majalli Whbee told AFP.
Israel and the West fear that Iran's nuclear program is
cover for a drive to develop the bomb, but Iran insists it is solely
for peaceful ends.
The IAEA report, which said that Iran's "cooperation has
been reactive rather than pro-active," allows the Islamic republic to
buy time in its drive to produce a nuclear weapon, Whbee said.
"ElBaradei is aware of Iran's selective cooperation. He
knows the truth that it wants to carry on enriching uranium," he said.
"Any extension of time that the international community
gives Iran will allow it more time to develop a bomb. The international
community must act to make Iran stop its program and abide by the U.N.
Security Council resolutions."
Thursday's report acknowledged that Iran had provided
"sufficient access" and responded in a "timely manner" to questions and
requests for clarifications.
Whbee said the report could act as a milestone on the road
to a third round of Security Council sanctions against Tehran, adding
that "the world must toughen the sanctions and not accept Iran's
selective cooperation."
Washington wants further U.N. sanctions against Tehran. The
U.K. and France said they needed more time to study the report, but
both urged Iran to cooperate fully with the international community.
Whbee joined a growing chorus of senior Israeli officials who have called for the IAEA chief to step down.
"ElBaradei is hiding his head in the sand and exposing the
region and the entire world to a real threat. This raises many
questions," he said.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, warned
cooperation with the IAEA would be affected if the U.N. Security
Council ordered a third round of sanctions.
The IAEA report had proved that Iran's atomic drive was
peaceful and that claims it had military aims "are not true," Jalili
insisted.
Israel, which belongs to the U.N. nuclear watchdog but is
not a signatory to its key Non-Proliferation Treaty, is widely
considered to have the Middle East's sole - if undeclared - nuclear
arsenal.
It considers Iran its chief enemy after repeated statements by Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map.