A UN report shows that Iran is still enriching uranium and the United States says that further sanctions are in order, though Iran still insists its uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes, not nuclear weapons as the US claims. The news of the UN report on Iran's uranium enrichment came as no surprise after repeated diplomatic attempts to negotiate with Tehran failed.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Tehran had actually increased its uranium enrichment rather than curtail it as the UN Security Council had dictated to the Iranian government, giving Tehran a deadline to comply before sanctions would be imposed.
Mohamed El-Baradei, head of the IAEA, today turned over to the United Nations Security Council a six-page report on Iran's nuclear activities.
On 23 December 2006 the Security Council requested "within 60 days a report from the Director General of the IAEA on whether Iran has established full and sustained suspension of all activities mentioned in this resolution, as well as on the process of Iranian compliance with all the steps required by the IAEA Board and with the other provisions of this resolution, to the IAEA Board of Governors and in parallel to the Security Council for its consideration."
That report was simultaneously circulated to the AgencyŽs Member States and to the Security Council in New York this afternoon.
The 35-member IAEA Board will consider the report at its next meetings beginning in Vienna 5 March.
In December, the UN Security Council had voted to impose a 60-day deadline for Iran to unconditionally stop a pilot program that has begun small-scale uranium enrichment, as well as stop construction of a heavy water reactor and installation of a much larger enrichment facility.
While the IAEA has not released the content of its report to the public, UN sources say that El-Baradei states that Iran has actually increased its uranium enrichment activity and that "no progess" had been in getting Tehran to cooperate with the Security Council's ruling.