Drawings showing how to make atomic warhead found in Iran---a drawing of a nuke is not a nuke, however

Drawings showing how to make atomic warhead found in Iran

GEORGE JAHN
IN VIENNA

IRAN has documents that serve no other purpose than showing how to produce nuclear warheads, it was revealed yesterday.

The news came from Mohamed El Baradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who told a meeting of the 35-nation IAEA board in Vienna that the country was in possession of what appeared to be drawings of the core of an atomic warhead.

Britain, in a statement on behalf of the European Union, offered new negotiations meant to lessen concerns over Tehran's insistence that it must be in full control of uranium enrichment - a possible pathway to nuclear arms.

'But Iran should not conclude that this window of opportunity will remain open in all circumstances,' Peter Jenkins, the chief British delegate to the IAEA, said, in what was seen as a veiled threat of referral to the United Nations Security Council.

'It won't be open for a great deal longer,' Mr Jenkins said later when asked how much time Iran had to influence the language of a report to the Security Council.

The United States was more bullish, saying Iran could not avoid referral to the Security Council for violating the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, but that Washington and its European allies were delaying such a move to give Tehran a chance to defuse fears it wanted to make nuclear arms.

'Iran must understand that the report to the council is required and will be made at a time of this board's choosing,' Gregory Shulte, the chief US delegate to the IAEA, said.

With even traditional allies Russia and China increasing the pressure on Tehran, the Iranians are 'digging themselves deeper into a hole that threatens to collapse around them', Mr Shulte said.

The main issue is Iran's refusal to give up its right to enrichment, which can be used to generate power but also to make weapons-grade material for nuclear warheads. Iran says it wants only to make fuel, but international concern is growing that the programme could be misused.

A plan floated in recent weeks would move any Iranian enrichment work to Russia. There, in theory, Moscow would supervise the process to make sure enrichment is only to fuel levels.

But Iran insists it wants to master the complete fuel cycle domestically. Its foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, told reporters on Wednesday that, while his country was willing to resume formal talks with key European powers on its nuclear programme, 'naturally we aim to have enrichment on Iran's territory'.

Yesterday, however, a senior Iranian diplomat appeared to soften his country's stance.

'We are considering it,' Mohammed Mehdi Akhounzadeh Basti, the chief Iranian delegate to the IAEA, said when asked about the plan to move Iran's enrichment programme to Russia.

A separate Iranian statement prepared for the board meeting accused the 'US and terrorist groups' of fabricating 'false allegations against Iran' in suggesting it was interested in nuclear arms.

It described the discovery of the warhead documents as a 'minor issue' that should not detract from the 'tremendous progress achieved by joint co-operation of [the] IAEA and Iran' in clearing up questions about Tehran's nuclear programme.


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