VIENNA: Since Hassan Rowhani became president, Iran has halted a rapid expansion of its uranium enrichment capacity, a UN inspection report showed yesterday, in a potential boost for diplomacy to end Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West.
The quarterly report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said no further major components had been added to a potential plutonium-producing reactor since August.
The marked slowdown in the growth of activities of possible use in developing nuclear bombs may be intended to back up Rowhani’s warmer tone towards the West after years of worsening confrontation, and strengthen Tehran’s hand in negotiations with world powers due to resume on November 20.
Iran stopped increasing its capacity to refine uranium — which can fuel nuclear power plants but also bombs if processed much more — “when their team changed” in August, a senior diplomat said, referring to Rowhani and his administration.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who strongly opposes any deal with Iran short of dismantling its enrichment programme — said he was “not impressed”.
“I am not impressed with reports that we hear that Iran has not expanded its nuclear facilities and the reason for that is they don’t need to. They’ve got enough facilities, enough centrifuges to develop and to complete the fissile material which is at the core of an atomic bomb,” Netanyahu said.
The Arak reactor, which Iran previously said it would start up in the first quarter of 2014 but later postponed, is of great concern for Western powers as it could yield weapons-grade plutonium once it is operating. It was a major sticking point in talks between Iran and the powers in Geneva last week.
Iran has “more or less frozen” construction of the heavy water reactor, the diplomat said.
The IAEA document was the first that included developments only since Rowhani took office on August 3, prompting a diplomatic opening during which Iran and six major powers have made progress towards a possible nuclear deal.
REUTERS
