IRAN: Nuclear plant will open to inspectors

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The head of Iran’s nuclear program said today that he will soon announce a timetable for international inspectors to visit what until last week was a secret underground uranium-enrichment plant being built near the holy city of Qom.Iran’s Press TV reported that Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, has informed the United Nations that the plant will produce uranium enriched up to 5% – it takes at least 90% enrichment to make a nuclear weapon.

Salehi was quoted as saying: ‘It is against our tenets, it is against our religion to produce, use, hold or have nuclear weapons or arsenal, how can we more clearly state our position, since 1974 we have been saying this.’

The offer to grant international inspectors access to the plant comes as Western pressure is growing to enact new economic sanctions against Tehran. Washington and its European allies have accused Iran of deception in a nuclear program that they maintain is intended for building weapons. The U.S. and other world powers will meet with an Iranian delegation on Thursday in Geneva.

Reuters quoted a senior Western diplomat as saying: ‘The talks are pretty much doomed. It’s clear Iran is not going to say what we want to hear, and we’re going to have to move to the next phase,’ he said, alluding to wider sanctions.

-- Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo