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Iran has revealed it’s developing a second uranium enrichment plant. Until now it’s acknowledged only one. President Obama called on Tehran today to open the facility international inspectors. The World’s Katy Clark has the story.
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MARCO WERMAN: I’m Marco Werman and this is The World. Western leaders are condemning Iran over new revelations about its nuclear program. Iran now says it’s building a second uranium enrichment facility. Tehran told the International Atomic Energy Agency – the IAEA – about the plant in a letter earlier this week. Before that, Iran’s leaders had only admitted to one nuclear fuel facility. The World’s Katy Clark begins our coverage.
KATY CLARK: Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and that it’s not building a nuclear weapon. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stuck to that line today, saying his government has done nothing wrong.
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD: We have no secrecy and we work within the framework of the IAEA, and based on specific regulations and pre-determined time frames. We disclose information about our operations and facilities to the IAEA, not that anyone forces us to.
CLARK: That’s “technically” true, sort of, says Martin Malin. He’s with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
MARTIN MALIN: Iran has full-scope safeguard agreement with IAEA. Under that agreement, it’s required to give notification of construction of a nuclear facility. But that requirement specified in an annex to original agreement, paragraph 3.1.
CLARK: Malin says Iran signed on to the annex in 2003. But in 2005, Tehran turned around and said it wouldn’t implement that agreement.
MALIN: So the IAEA is in a position of having an agreement with Iran that under original terms wouldn’t necessarily require Iran to give advance notification before construction, but would if this extra paragraph is operating.
CLARK: MIT political science professor Barry Posen says the legalities of this particular case are one thing. But Iran is also seen as acting in bad faith.
BARRY POSEN: Iranians are serial offenders in violating safeguards. And if they want others not to be frightened of their program, they have to come clean in an entirely open and direct way. This is more examples of Iranian subterfuge.
CLARK: President Obama seems to agree.
OBAMA: This is not the first time that Iran has concealed information about its nuclear program. Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear power that meets the energy needs of its people. But the size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program.
CLARK: Mr. Obama delivered those remarks this morning while attending the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. Standing alongside him were French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime minister Gordon Brown. Brown said the international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand.
GORDON BROWN: On October 1st, Iran must now engage with the international community and join the international community as a partner. If it does not do so, it will be further isolated.
CLARK: October 1st is when talks resume in Geneva, with Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany. Barry Posen suggests the threat of sanctions might not be the only thing weighing on Tehran. Western intelligence agencies apparently had this
secret nuclear plant in their sights for some time. Posen says if Iran has other secret sites, leaders there have got to be asking themselves if those sites are also under surveillance. For The World, this is Katy Clark.
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