UN report says Iran continues uranium enrichment
A UN inspection report, published by the International Atomic Energy Agency, says Iran is continuing to stockpile enriched uranium.
The Agency claims that Tehran has already accumulated around three tonnes of low-enriched uranium which, if further refined, could be enough to produce three atomic bombs.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the position of the Five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, which are engaged in the settling the Iranian nuclear issue, might be reviewed.
“Position of the Five plus One powers, based on which we have been keeping contact with the Iranian side so far, was approved more than three years ago. It won’t hurt to take a look at this document once more while preparing for the resumption of the negotiations and see how adequately all parts of it reflect the state of things today,” Lavrov said.
Igor Khokhlov, political analyst from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, says experience has shown that further sanctions are unlikely to have any effect on Iran’s persistent efforts.
“Sanctions against Iran cannot be effective because Iran is a large and self-sufficient country, unlike North Korea or Cuba,” Kholkov said.
“There are many reasons why Iran is so reluctant to follow the American line. One of the basic reasons is the presence of a defective nuclear power in the region,” Kholkov added, referring to Israel.
Meanwhile, London-based journalist Afshin Rattansi claims the report has nothing to do with the Agency itself, rather than “the Obama administration collapsing in the face of upcoming congressional voting.”
“We know that the Obama administration relies on Israeli money, on the Israeli lobby to finance its hopes coming up in congressional elections,” Rattansi told RT. “Now, how many weapons does Israel have? Iran has decreased the number of centrifuges from 3936 to 3772, according to the latest report. Why is it the whole media seem to be saying Iran wants this enrichment for nuclear weapons?”
