UN atomic agency to issue report on Iran

AL Jazeera  English Middle East

IAEA set to release most detailed intelligence yet as Israeli leader says an attack on the Islamic Republic is closer. Last Modified: 07 Nov 2011 17:19

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is expected to issue its most detailed report yet on research in Iran seen as geared to developing atomic bombs. Iranian officials have already seen the Vienna-based IAEA's intelligence to be released to the UN this week, diplomats told the AFP news agency. In a report on its website, the Washington Post newspaper quoted Western officials as saying that the new information reinforced concerns that Iran continued to conduct weapons-related research after 2003 when, according to US intelligence agencies, Iranian leaders halted such experiments in response to international and domestic pressures. In the run-up to the report's release, Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, said the military option to stop the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons was nearer. Some experts say Israel will launch a strike if it is convinced that the West is not going to take stronger steps against nuclear Iran. Iran insists its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. Ali Akbar Salehi, the Iranian foreign minister, said in comments published in Iran on Sunday that it was based on "counterfeit" claims. And in comments carried by the Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar on Monday, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has said the US fears of Iran's growing military power because it is now able to compete with Israel and the West. "Yes, we have military capabilities that are different from any other country in the region," Ahmadinejad is quoted as saying. "Iran is increasing in capability and advancement and therefore we are able to compete with Israel and the West and especially the United States. "The US fears Iran's capability. Iran will not permit [anyone from making] a move against it." Russian warning For its part, Russia has said that a possible military strike against Iran would be a "very serious mistake" that would only lead to further conflict and civilian casualties. "It would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences," Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said on Monday. Iran's rulers deny accusations that they are seeking nuclear weapons and say they will respond to any attacks by striking at Israel and US interests in the Arabian Gulf. A senior US military official said on Friday Iran had become the biggest threat to the US. In the newspaper interview, Ahmadinejad repeated that Iran does not own a nuclear bomb, but said Israel's end was inevitable. "It is Israel that has about 300 nuclear warheads. Iran is only keen to have nuclear capability for peaceful means," he said, accusing the US of lumping Iran with Syria, Hamas [which rules the Gaza Strip] and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The US portrays those four as "the Axis of Evil to save the Zionist entity [Israel]. But the Zionists are bound to go out of existence", Ahmadinejad said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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