Iran-UN inspectors find radioactive traces raising new concerns

Last year, Iran IAEA inspectors for seven months did not check the sites involved, leading to a strike. Tehran has long denied that it was trying to make an atomic bomb, saying all its core work is for peaceful purposes such as power generation and healthcare. There were no immediate comments from Iran on the findings.

In Washington, White House and State Department officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In recent months, Iran has sharpened its nuclear activities and violated many of the limits in the 2015 nuclear deal it concluded with the US, European powers, Russia and China. These moves began more than a year after the Trump administration terminated the agreement in May 2018 and subsequently imposed broad sanctions against Iran that were lifted under the agreement.

It also threatened to restrict IAEA inspectors’ access to sites from later this month. These steps have caused increasing concern in Washington about Iran’s nuclear intentions.

U.S. and Israeli officials have said that Iran’s retention of nuclear material, equipment and information contained in a nuclear archive struck by Israel in 2018 shows that the country intends to re – establish its nuclear weapons program.

The IAEA listed in a report in June, asking Iran to explain a series of works that could be used for nuclear weapons. One suspicion was the Iranian drilling of a uranium metal disk that could be used to create material for a neutron initiator, according to experts, an important component of a nuclear weapon. A second suspicion was that nuclear material was set up at a place where Iran could test high explosives that could be used to detonate a nuclear weapon.

The agency is also questioning Iran over another unexplained website where illegal conversion and processing of uranium has taken place.

All of the suspected activities, according to the agency, took place in the early 2000s or earlier. Two of the sites were leveled years ago. Another site was disinfected by Iran in 2019, the IAEA reported. The IAEA said that it was not excluded that material from this core work had recently been used more.

“The discovery of radioactive material in these areas would indicate that Iran does indeed have undeclared nuclear material, despite its denial,” said David Albright, a former weapons inspector and president of the Institute of Science and International Security in Washington. “This would indicate that Iran did have a nuclear weapons program in the past, which probably led to the IAEA asking for access to more websites and more explanations from Iran.”

The IAEA said in 2015 it thought Iran had a structured nuclear weapons program until 2003 and continued some activities thereafter. Washington and European powers came to similar conclusions.

The IAEA has not yet reported the latest findings to member states, diplomats said. Iran is currently being asked to provide a standard practice statement, according to one of them. The agency declined to comment on the new findings.

The IAEA earlier said it had found several unexplained uranium particles, including enriched uranium, in a separate secret location in Tehran in 2019, apparently a warehouse for nuclear equipment. The finding led the agency to seek access to other sites in Iran.

The US, European powers and others have encouraged Iran to cooperate fully with the expansion of the agency in Iran’s previous nuclear activities.

Tensions have risen over the past 18 months over the investigation into the unexplained material by the IAEA. The core function of the IAEA is to protect nuclear material used for civilian purposes and to ensure that it is not diverted to nuclear weapons. Iran is supposed to declare all nuclear material in the country under its international obligations.

Last year, member states voted in the IAEA council to reprimand Iran for not cooperating. Iran rejected the move as unfair pressure and was backed by Russia and China.

Iran says the IAEA investigation is based on fabricated Israeli information and has urged the agency to complete its work quickly. Iran’s threat to restrict IAEA inspectors’ access to sites later this month if the US does not lift sanctions against Tehran could limit the agency’s ability to deepen its investigation.

After the IAEA requested access to the two sites in January 2020, Iran repeatedly refused until IAF Director-General Rafael Grossi traveled to Tehran in August and reached an agreement. Inspectors took samples at the two sites and shortly afterwards conducted an additional inspection at another location.

While the samples were being tested in laboratories, Mr. Grossi intensified pressure on Iran to properly explain the presence of the uranium particles found in Tehran in 2019.

Mr. Grossi has promised to continue the IAEA investigation until Iran accounts for all unexplained material. In November, he described Iran’s statements for the uranium particles found at a Tehran site as “not technically credible”, saying Iran should account for the material “fully and quickly”. Iran has said it is working with the agency.

Write to Laurence Norman by [email protected]