USA: Iran Must Accurately Report Its Nuclear Activities - 2004-02-26

The United States states that Iran's recent report to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was neither complete nor accurate, and that Iran must properly report its nuclear activities. Mr. 'Kent Bril', head of the U.S. delegation to the IAEA, announced on Wednesday that the U.S. holds the Islamic Republic of Iran responsible for continuing deception and delaying acknowledgment of its nuclear ambitions. Mr. Bril stated that Iran's actions, along with the details in the recent IAEA report, confirm the U.S. view that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program contradicts its declared intentions and aims to achieve nuclear weapons. UN inspectors and nuclear experts reported in their findings released on Tuesday that during inspections in Iran, they discovered technical plans and equipment that the Islamic Republic did not mention in its declaration of its nuclear program last year. The report also noted that Iran has produced and tested plutonium, which can be used in nuclear explosions. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran has rejected proposals aimed at clarifying its nuclear program. Hassan Rouhani, a senior national security official of the Islamic Republic, stated on Wednesday that Iran has plans for conducting nuclear research that it currently does not feel obligated to disclose. Additionally, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that what was revealed in the recent IAEA report regarding Iran's nuclear program was based on 'misunderstanding.'