BICOM

Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said yesterday that Iran must urgently engage with the international body over its nuclear programme.

Speaking to the IAEA’s board, in its first session since the summer election of new Iranian President Hassan Rowhani, Amano said that the watchdog “remains committed to working constructively with Iran, under the country’s new government, to resolve outstanding issues by diplomatic means.” However, he said that “Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable us to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities” and that “The agency therefore cannot conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities.”

Amano implored Iran to cooperate, saying “Given the nature and extent of credible information available to the agency about possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme, it remains essential and urgent for Iran to engage with us on the substance of these concerns.” Reuters reports that Amano expressed particular concern over activities at the Parchin site, to which IAEA inspectors have been denied access.

The latest IAEA quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear programme, published last month, revealed that Tehran is continuing to grow its capability to enrich uranium. In particular, it highlighted a significant increase in the number of advanced centrifuges at Iran’s central enrichment facility at Natanz, enabling the rapid enrichment of uranium to weapons-grade material. IAEA officials are set to meet Iranian officials on 27 September to discuss international inspections of nuclear facilities. In June, Amano described previous talks between the two as “going around in circles.” A parallel diplomatic track, between the so-called P5+1 forum (United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany) and Iran has also failed to make any real progress in resolving international concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.