IAEA Inspectors Monitoring Natanz Facilities

IAEA inspectors are monitoring the Natanz facilities - January 26, 2004. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is negotiating with Iran regarding the definition of the suspension of the country's uranium enrichment activities, which Tehran accepted to do last year under international pressure. According to Melani Suli, a Voice of America reporter from Vienna, the IAEA is asking Tehran to suspend more activities related to uranium enrichment that could be used for nuclear weapons. A resolution passed by the IAEA's Board of Governors last year states that Iran's uranium enrichment activities are a serious concern and that suspending this work is of critical importance. The IAEA states that its inspectors in Iran are monitoring a large facility in Natanz, which had been kept hidden from the agency until last year. Inspectors say that Iran has not installed new centrifuges or centrifuge facilities in Natanz but continues assembly and operation according to its contracts. Centrifuge technology can be used for both peaceful uranium enrichment and bomb-making. Lutear Vedekind, a spokesperson for the IAEA, says that the Iranians revealed the scope of the Natanz facility last summer. He states, 'They informed us that over 100 of the approximately 1,000 desired centrifuge tubes had already been installed at the Natanz power plant. The overall plan was to have 50,000 of these centrifuges in hand.' Scientists say that several thousand centrifuges are needed to enrich uranium for weapon-making purposes. Washington claims that Iran's advanced nuclear program, which has been concealed from the IAEA for nearly two decades, has no tangible and logical use for peaceful purposes. However, Tehran insists that its uranium enrichment program is solely for electricity generation for the country's growing population. Meanwhile, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, states that both Iran and Libya have purchased nuclear technology on the global black market. He described this advanced global network as smart and sophisticated and likened illegal trade in nuclear materials to organized crime or mafia-like activities. Mr. ElBaradei expressed concern in an interview with the German magazine Spiegel that dictators or terrorists might gain access to nuclear weapons. The IAEA chief is expected to prepare a report on his inspectors' work in Iran and Libya and present it to the agency's board in mid-February.