Multiple rounds of international sanctions are failing to have any effect on Iran's controversial nuclear program, the head of the United Nations atomic agency said Tuesday.
Multiple rounds of international sanctions are failing to have any
effect on
Iran
's
controversial nuclear program, the head of the United Nations atomic agency
said Tuesday.
"We are verifying the activities at the nuclear sites in
Iran
and
we do not see any effect," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head
Yukiya Amano said in
Paris
.
"They are for example producing enriched uranium up to 5% and 20% with a
quite constant pace."
Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of the international community's concerns
about Iran's nuclear program, since the material produced can be used not only
for peaceful purposes--Iran's stated intention--but also, when further treated,
for a nuclear bomb.
The UN Security Council has passed six resolutions calling on
Iran
to
suspend all enrichment, passing four rounds of sanctions.
Mr. Amano's comments follow the release of the IAEA's latest report on
Iran
on
Friday.
It said
Tehran
was
on the threshold of being able to triple its monthly production of 20%-enriched
uranium after completing the installation of machinery at its Fordo site, dug
into a mountain near the holy city of
Qom
.
Mr. Amano also said it was "difficult to predict" whether
Iran
and
the IAEA will make progress in their next round of talks in
Tehran
on
Dec. 13 following a string of fruitless earlier meetings.
The talks are aimed at persuading
Iran
to
respond to "overall, credible" claims set out in a major IAEA report
a year ago that until 2003 and possibly since,
Tehran
conducted nuclear weapons research work.
On Wednesday,
Britain
,
China
,
France
,
Russia
, the
United
States
, and
Germany
are
due to hold their first talks since the
U.S.
presidential election ahead of a possible new round of talks with
Iran
,
perhaps before the end of the year.
Διαβάστε ακόμα
Τρι, 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 19:58
Τρι, 24 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 19:54
Τετ, 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 18:32
Τετ, 18 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 18:27
Τρι, 17 Σεπτεμβρίου 2024 - 20:01