IRAN: A report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog says Iran has ignored a UN Security Council call to suspend all nuclear fuel enrichment by yesterday's deadline and has accelerated the programme, diplomats said.
They said the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said Iran had done little during a 30-day grace period to answer questions meant to determine whether its nuclear activity is solely for civilian purposes.
The report was being sent to the security council, which could impose sanctions against Iran. Tehran has said its enrichment policy is irreversible and it could withstand any consequences, whether financial penalties or military attack.
"Iran was supposed to suspend, but since they continue to do experiments, they have not suspended enrichment efforts. The information available to us shows they have not heeded the request for compliance so far," said a senior official close to the IAEA.
The report said inspector tests confirmed Iran's claim this month to have enriched uranium with a cascade of 164 centrifuges to the low level needed for fuelling nuclear power plants. It must be purified to a much higher level to set off the chain reaction required for a bomb.
Iran was also building two new cascades of 164 centrifuges at its underground enrichment plant. IAEA inspectors were monitoring the construction.
The Security Council could eventually impose sanctions on Iran, which has vowed to go on purifying uranium whatever the consequences.
The United States, backed by Britain and France, favours limited sanctions if Iran refuses to shelve enrichment quickly. Russia and China, the council's other two veto-holding permanent members who want to protect lucrative stakes in Iran's energy sector, have so far opposed such moves.
Yesterday's report said questions persisted over Iranian research on advanced "P-2" centrifuges, which can enrich uranium two to three times faster than the older "P-1" model Iran now runs. With P-2s, Iran could cut the time it would need to make bomb-grade fuel, currently estimated at three to 10 years, analysts say.
Iran was also still refusing to credibly explain its possession of documents showing how to design an atomic bomb core, and intelligence reports of links between uranium ore processing, high-explosives tests and a missile warhead design.
"With the information we have we cannot proceed any further. We are stuck," the senior official said.