Obama administration officials have long said they did not expect Iran to offer some public confession on their past nuclear work.
Advertisement
The U.N. nuclear watchdog produced a report on Wednesday on whether Iran’s past nuclear activities had anything to do with nuclear weapons, an assessment required under a landmark deal with six major powers that could lead to a lifting of sanctions. Pending its approval by the IAEA’s board of governors at a December 15 special meeting, the document will formally close the weapons inquiry and bring Iran one step closer to relief from global economic sanctions. Iran has said it will not uphold its side of the deal unless the matter is closed by the board.
The report said the alleged suspected activities in Iran’s nuclear program “did not advance beyond feasibility and scientific studies, and the acquisition of certain relevant technical competences and capabilities”.
It added: “The agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009”.
In the case of “dual use” technologies that could be applied both for civilian and nuclear weapons programs, Iran said the experiments were civilian in nature or meant for conventional military purposes, the agency said.
Last week, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano had said that the report would not deliver a “yes or no” answer to the question whether Iran’s nuclear energy program has had military dimensions.
He also noted that the report fulfilled the conditions laid down in the July 14 nuclear deal.
Ebrahim Noroozi/AP The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi (c.) ends his speech in an open session of parliament while discussing a bill on Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in October.
Advertisement
Although Iranian officials continued to deny Wednesday after the report’s publication that Tehran has ever conducted work on nuclear weapons, it was long believed by western officials Iran had a nuclear program option until 2003.
