Iran nuclear program inspections
Western officials are ‘ rather skeptical’ the talks will bring a breakthrough
UN inspectors arrived in Iran to push for transparency about its nuclear program, a day after Tehran responded to tightened EU sanctions by halting oil sales to Britain and France.
TEHRAN — Senior UN inspectors arrived in Iran on Monday to push for transparency about its disputed nuclear program, a day after Tehran responded defiantly to tightened EU sanctions by halting oil sales to British and French companies.
Iran denies Western allegations it is covertly seeking the means to build nuclear weapons and has again vowed no nuclear retreat in recent weeks, but also voiced willingness to resume negotiations with world powers without preconditions.
The five- member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, led by its global inspectorate chief Herman Nackaerts, planned two days of meetings in another attempt to extract answers from Iran regarding intelligence suggesting its declared civilian nuclear program is a facade for developing bombs.
Nackaerts said on departure from Vienna he wanted “concrete results” from the talks. His delegation was expected to seek, among other things, to question Iranian nuclear scientists and visit the Parchin military base believed to have been used for highexplosive tests relevant to nuclear warheads.
But Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi dampened speculation about increased IAEA access when he told the student news agency ISNA the agency officials would not be going to any nuclear sites. “No. Their work has just begun,” Salehi said.
Diplomats doubted the talks would bring a breakthrough.
“I believe most are rather skeptical concerning the outcome because, well, Iran had a chance at the last meeting and didn’t seize it,” a senior Western official said, referring to the last trip by the senior IAEA team to Tehran at the end of January.
Referring to recent announcements by Iran of nuclear advances, he said: “They send out the wrong signals that Iran is really willing to cooperate. We will see what will come out of this meeting but we should be prepared that Iran might try some technical steps to appear co- operative without really providing the necessary cooperation.”
The outcome of the discussions will have diplomatic repercussions because it could either deepen a standoff that has stoked fears of war or provide scope to reduce tensions.
In a sign of Iranian concern about possible last- resort air strikes by arch- enemies Israel or the United States, Tehran on Monday began a four- day military exercise in protecting its nuclear sites, according to Iranian media.
The European Union enraged Tehran last month when it decided to slap a boycott on its oil from July 1. Iran, the world’s fifth- largest oil exporter, threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the main Gulf oil shipping lane, in retaliation and the United States signalled it would use force to keep it open.
The spiking tension has put upward pressure on oil prices.
Iran’s oil ministry announced Sunday it had stopped selling oil to French and British companies, although the move will be largely symbolic as those firms had already greatly reduced purchases of Iranian crude.
China, in rare criticism of one of its major oil suppliers, rebuked Iran over the move to bar sales to Britain and France.
“We have consistently upheld dialogue and negotiation as the way to resolve disputes between countries, and do not approve of exerting pressure or using confrontation to resolve issues,” Foreign Ministry representative Hong Lei said. China buys about 20 per cent of total Iranian oil exports.