Iran Must Disclose Its Nuclear Activities

Iran Must Disclose Its Nuclear Activities

The European Union, Russia, China and the United States recently reaffirmed a two-track approach to curbing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions and are offering negotiations conditioned on Iran's suspension of enrichment and reprocessing activities.

If Iran does not suspend its activities, then it faces additional sanctions, a senior U.S. envoy says.

This follows the October 25 announcement by the United States that it was imposing new sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and three Iranian state-owned banks. The guard and the affiliated Quds Force were singled out for their support of proliferation and terrorism. (See related article.)

The sanctions were imposed in an effort to strengthen diplomacy, according to Greg Schulte, U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Schulte told an audience at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute October 30 that Iran's leaders still have the opportunity to open their nuclear activities to full scrutiny.

Full disclosure and the verified suspension of all enrichment activities are necessary, Schulte said. He also underlined the international community's expectation that Iran will start implementing all measures under the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it signed and will honor the terms of the IAEA Nuclear Safeguards Agreement.

With the approach of the IAEA November 22 board meeting, Schulte said Iran must answer lingering questions about past and present nuclear activities. Iran can foster international confidence that its activities are peaceful, he said, by explaining what kind of assistance it sought and received from the A.Q. Khan network. Pertinent questions awaiting answers include why Iran possesses a document relevant only to the process of "fabricating uranium hemispheres for a nuclear weapon."

Schulte said the U.N. Security Council needs to pursue more sanctions against Iran. He added the United States is encouraged that other partners, including the European Union, are examining what further measures might be taken -- including sanctions -- in support of collective international diplomacy.

ENDS

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