BICOM

The International Atomic Energy Agency released a statement early this morning saying Iran has refused an IAEA request for access to a site where the agency suspects explosive testing related to nuclear weapons took place.

“It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin during the first or second meetings,” said IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, referring to a military site where a simulated nuclear warhead was allegedly tested. He added that despite “intensive efforts,” no agreement was reached on how to re-launch the probe, which has been stalled for nearly four years.

The unusual timing of the release of the statement – shortly after midnight in Europe, after the IAEA team left on a return flight to Vienna – reflects the urgency the IAEA attached to the communiqué. The two-day visit by the IAEA team, which started Monday, is the second in less than a month amid growing concerns over an alleged Iranian nuclear programme.

Since 2008, Iran has refused to answer the IAEA’s questions about alleged nuclear weapons research and development projects. The IAEA in previous reports have made clear that these activities appear to cover the stages of developing and testing components for such arms, judging from its own sources and intelligence material.