The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said on Monday he regrets that Iran began conversion activities before the agency’s surveillance system could be tested on site.
Iran on Monday resumed uranium conversion at its nuclear facility in Isfahan, a step that Europeans and the United States have warned would prompt them to seek UN sanctions against Tehran.
The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets on Tuesday to discuss Iran. It could refer Iran to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.
IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei informed the agency’s board “that Iran started to feed uranium-ore concentrate into the first part of the process line at the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan”, agency spokesperson Mark Gwozdecky said.
“The activity was commenced following the installation today [Monday], by the agency, of cameras covering the input stage of the uranium-ore concentrate process line, but regrettably prior to the completion of the … testing of the cameras, which normally take 24 hours following installation,” Gwozdecky said.
“It should be noted that the sealed parts of the process line remain intact.”
Converting uranium is a three-step process. The second and third steps remain under agency seals.
It was unclear whether the surveillance system, which is intended to enable agency experts to determine whether any nuclear material is diverted, was working properly, but the IAEA still has inspectors at the plant in Isfahan. — Sapa-AP
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