THE UN nuclear watchdog has expressed fears that Iran may have other secret nuclear sites following the discovery of the facility hidden in a mountain near the holy city of Qom.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in a report published yesterday, said the previously secret site at Fordo was in “an advanced state of construction” and was scheduled to start up in 2011.
The IAEA reprimanded Iran for failing to inform it until September about the site, even though construction had begun at least two years ago. In a more pointed criticism of Iran than usual, the IAEA said the delay “reduces the level of confidence in the absence of other nuclear facilities under construction and gives rise to questions about whether there were any other nuclear facilities not declared to the agency”.
The expression of concern comes at a sensitive moment, with no sign of a peace deal between Iran and the US, backed by Britain, France and Germany.
Iran has not yet formally replied to a compromise offered by US president Barack Obama, who said at the weekend that time was running out.
The IAEA sent inspectors to the Fordo site late last month but yesterday indicated it is to seek clarification on several issues, in particular how long the Fordo site had been planned.
The report said technicians had moved sophisticated technical equipment into the uranium enrichment facility situated deep inside the mountain.
An IAEA official said the facility was designed to produce about a ton of enriched uranium a year, enough for a small warhead.
The report quotes Iran insisting that it “did not have any other nuclear facilities that were currently under construction or in operation that had not yet been declared to the agency”.
Iran claims it is only intent on using nuclear energy to help meet its electricity needs.
The report is the last by the head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, who has been accused by the US of being too soft on Iran.
In contrast with the concern expressed in the report, Mr ElBaradei, in an interview with the New York Timeslast week, played down the significance of the previously undisclosed site, saying it was "nothing to worry about".
The report may reflect the thinking of the IAEA's inspectors and Mr ElBaradei's political staff, who have tended to be more sceptical than their chief. – (Guardian service)