Today’s leaked report of Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano on Iran’s recent nuclear activities, which has to be studied in greater detail, states that:

 “48. Contrary to the relevant resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security Council, Iran has continued with the operation of PFEP (Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant) and (FEP at Natanz, and the construction of a new enrichment plant at Fordow. Iran has also announced the intention to build ten new enrichment plants. Iran recently began feeding low enriched UF₆ produced at the FEP into one cascade of PFEP with the aim of enriching it up to 20% in U-235. The period of notice provided by Iran regarding related changes made to PFEP was insufficient for the Agency to adjust the existing safeguards procedures before Iran started to feed the material into PFEP. The Agency’s work to verify FPEF and to understand the original purpose of the facility and the chronology of its design and construction remain ongoing. Iran is not providing access to information such as the original design documentation for FPEP or access to companies involved in the design and construction of the plant.”

The Agency does not mention the lasting-for-months charade beginning with Iran’s request for fuel rods for its research reactor in Tehran (TRR) early in June 2009 in order to produce medical radioisotopes; the proposal of Western powers afterwards to swap most of Iran’s low enriched uranium; lack of mutual trust which has resulted in another stalemate in negotiations; and this week’s letter of French, Russian and American Ambassadors to the IAEA which suggested Iran to provide itself with radioisotopes on the world market, thus indirectly asking for the shut-down of the TRR.

Last update February 18, 2010