Today.Az » World news » IAEA still debates whether Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful
05 March 2012 [18:15] - Today.Az
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday his organisation could not be sure that Iran's nuclear programme did not have military aims, Reuters reported.
"The agency is unable to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities," Yukiya Amano said, according to a copy of his speech to a closed-door meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation governing board.
Amano said that since late last year, Iran had tripled monthly output of higher-grade enriched uranium.
Iran, which is entering the ninth year of the IAEA probe, has insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Feb. 23 that possession of nuclear weapons is a "big sin." The U.S. and its allies suspect Iran may be trying to build an atomic bomb.
IAEA inspectors reported last month that Iran tripled production of enriched uranium. Iran is now making almost 31 pounds (14 kilograms) of 20 percent-enriched uranium a month compared with almost nine pounds in November, according to the report.
/Trend/
|
|
