LONDON Ñ Iran has been given an Oct. 31 deadline to cooperate with
the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A resolution cosponsored by the United States that called on Iran to
cooperate fully with the agency by Oct. 31 was passed by all 35 members of
the board of governors. Iran walked out of the conference hall in Vienna
before the resolution was adopted on Friday.
An Aug. 26 IAEA report said Iran has repeatedly provided false
information on its nuclear program, Middle East Newsline reported. The report said Iran has established gas
centrifuge and heavy water facilities -- usually reserved for nuclear
weapons production.
"We will have no choice but to have a deep review of our existing level
and extent of engagement with the agency vis-a-vis this resolution," Iran's
envoy to the IAEA in Vienna, Ali Akbar Salehi, said.
The resolution also requests that the IAEA director-general Mohammed El
Baradei submit a report by November to reach "definitive conclusions" about
Iran's weapons program. This would be the third report by the IAEA.
"'Definitive conclusions' means that we will have before us a report
that adds to the body of knowledge developed by the agency, and that based
on that we should be able to come to a definitive conclusion as to whether
Iran is in compliance with its safeguards agreement," U.S. envoy to the IAEA
Kenneth Brill said. "I don't think it's any secret to anyone that the United
States believes that the evidence to date already indicates that Iran is not
in compliance. But, the board decided to give Iran one last chance to comply
with the agency's request and the board's request that it make available all
the information the agency is asking for and allow access to all the sites
and installations the agency needs to visit and take samples in."
The IAEA board plans reconvene in November to determine whether Iran
remains in noncompliance. But Brill acknowledged that this did not mean that
the agency would send the Iranian nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.
