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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 8 November 2019
Iran alleges UN inspector tested positive for explosives

By KIYOKO METZLER A U.N. official from the IAEA
PHILIPP JENNE witnessed the injection, Iran
JON GAMBRELL said. The centrifuges ulti-
Associated Press mately will begin enriching
VIENNA (AP) — Iran alleged uranium up to 4.5%, which is
Thursday that the U.N. in- just beyond the limits of the
spector it blocked from a nuclear deal, but nowhere
nuclear site last week test- near weapons-grade levels
ed positive for suspected of 90%.
traces of explosive nitrates. Since the U.S. withdrew
The U.N.'s nuclear watch- from the deal, the other
dog, the International countries involved — Ger-
Atomic Energy Agency, many, France, Britain, Rus-
disputed Iran's claim. sia and China — have
The allegation made by Ira- been struggling to save it.
nian representative Kazem German Chancellor An-
Gharib Abadi came as Iran gela Merkel told reporters
injected uranium gas into in Berlin that Iran's latest
centrifuges at its under- moves were another "step
ground Fordo nuclear com- in the wrong direction."
plex early Thursday, tak- Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Gharib Abadi, waits for "With every step they take,
ing its most-significant step the start of the IAEA board of governors meeting at the International Center in Vienna, Austria, the situation becomes
away from its 2015 nuclear Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. more difficult," she said.
deal with world powers. It Associated Press Experts have suggested
also dominated an IAEA happened. Iran's nuclear representative to the IAEA, this is the tip of the iceberg," that the limits imposed un-
meeting that included dis- industry has been targeted earlier called the inspec- one Israeli official said. der the 2015 deal, when
cussions about alleged ra- by sabotage and its sci- tor's rejection an "outra- Wolcott also suggested obeyed, meant that Iran
dioactive material found at entists assassinated in the geous provocation." that IAEA inspectors recov- would need a year to
an undeclared site in Iran. past."Needless to say that "All board members need ered possible nuclear ma- gather enough material to
These latest steps by Iran Iran, like all other members to make clear now and terial there. build a nuclear weapon if
put additional pressure of the agency, cannot con- going forward that such "Iran has refused to provide it chose to do so — a time
on Europe to offer Tehran done any behavior or ac- actions are completely — and apparently cannot known as a "breakout pe-
a way to sell its crude oil tion which may be against unacceptable, will not be provide — a credible, verifi- riod."
abroad despite the U.S. the safety and security of tolerated and must have able answer to the funda- U.S. Secretary of State Mike
sanctions imposed on the its nuclear installations, es- consequences," Wolcott mental question of where Pompeo criticized Iran's
country since President pecially ... considering the said in remarks released to the particles detected by decision to inject gas into
Donald Trump unilaterally past sabotage attempts in journalists. the IAEA came from, and the Fordo centrifuges. In a
withdrew America from the its nuclear facilities," Abadi The IAEA meeting also in- where the material and statement, he made no ref-
nuclear deal over a year said. cluded discussions about equipment they came erence to Trump's decision
ago. This marks the first known an undeclared site on the from is today," she said. to leave the deal in May
The Oct. 28 incident with instance of Iran blocking outskirts of Tehran that Is- Iran has denied the claims 2018, which sparked the
the inspector happened an inspector amid the ten- raeli Prime Minister Benja- by Israel, which has its own crisis.
at Iran's Natanz nuclear sions. min Netanyahu described undeclared nuclear weap- "Iran's expansion of prolif-
facility, which includes the The IAEA offered a rare to the U.N. in 2018 as a "se- ons program. The IAEA eration-sensitive activities
majority of the centrifuges statement to journalists dis- cret atomic warehouse." released no information raises concerns that Iran is
now enriching uranium in puting Abadi's account. Senior Israeli intelligence of- about those discussions positioning itself to have the
the country. The entrance "The agency does not go ficials, who spoke on condi- Thursday. option of a rapid nuclear
of Natanz includes equip- into details in public about tion of anonymity to The As- Meanwhile, Iran began to breakout," Pompeo said. "It
ment to check for traces of such matters, but based on sociated Press to discuss in- inject gas into centrifuges is now time for all nations to
nitrates, Abadi said. the information available telligence gathered there, after midnight at Fordo, a reject this regime's nuclear
"The detector's alarm went to us, the agency does not alleged the site contained facility built under a moun- extortion and take serious
off and it was signaling agree with Iran's charac- undeclared nuclear ma- tain north of the Shiite holy steps to increase pressure."
to a specific person," he terization of the situation in- terials. They claimed there city of Qom, the Atomic Pompeo did not elabo-
said. "They have repeated volving the inspector, who were "several other" similar Energy Organization of Iran rate on what those serious
this procedure again and was carrying out official clandestine nuclear facili- said. Fordo's 1,044 centri- steps should be. The U.S.
again, and unfortunately, safeguards duties in Iran," ties under the purview of fuges previously spun with- earlier this week imposed
the results were the same the IAEA said. Iran's Defense Ministry, not out uranium gas for enrich- sanctions on members of
all the way for only that The IAEA added that it will the country's civilian atom- ment under the deal, which the inner circle of Iran's Su-
specific inspector." "consult with Iran with a ic energy agency. saw Iran limit its uranium preme Leader Ayatollah Ali
As they waited for a female view to clarifying the situa- Iran insists its program is for enrichment in exchange Khamenei.q
employee to search the in- tion." It did not elaborate. peaceful purposes. How- for the lifting of economic
spector, the woman went Nitrates are a common ever, the IAEA has said Iran sanctions.
off to the bathroom. Abadi fertilizer. However, when "carried out activities rele- The 2015 nuclear deal with
alleged when she came mixed with proper amounts vant to the development of world powers had called
back, she no longer tested of fuel, the material can a nuclear explosive device" for Fordo to become "a
positive. He said the team become an explosive as in a "structured program" nuclear, physics and tech-
took samples from the powerful as TNT. Swab tests, through the end of 2003. nology center." Now, it's
bathroom, as well as seized common at airports and The Israeli officials said they become an active nuclear
her handbag. other secure facilities, can believe equipment at the site again and represents
Abadi said he hoped fur- detect its presence on the warehouse came from that the most-serious step away
ther tests by Iran and the skin or objects. program. from the deal it has taken
IAEA would explain what Jackie Wolcott, the U.S. "The main concern is that amid the tensions.