Iran’s nuclear chief proposed on Monday to allow the UN nuclear watchdog “full supervision” of its nuclear activities for five years, but conditioned that offer on the sanctions against Tehran being lifted.
Iran’s nuclear program is already subject to routine inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but the IAEA has repeatedly complained Iran is impeding its inspections under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has sought technical knowledge specific to the manufacture of implosion devices.
According to a report in the Associated Press, Iranian Vice President Fereidoun Abbasi told the Iranian ISNA news agency, “We proposed that the agency keep Iran’s nuclear program and activities under full supervision for five years provided that sanctions against Iran are lifted.”
Abbasi did not elaborate what he meant by “full supervision” or how far the IAEA could go in trying to prevent his country’s nuclear program from producing weapons.
The United Nations has imposed four rounds of Security Council sanctions on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
Abbasi also claimed that Iran is facing increasing “sabotage” in its nuclear program.
“We’ve witnessed increasing acts of sabotage in our nuclear program,” Abbasi was quoted by ISNA as saying. “They (the West) are constantly trying to harm our nuclear facilities through (computer) viruses, sale of flawed equipment, etc.”
He was likely referring to the powerful Stuxnet virus that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and other industrial sites last year.
Iran acknowledged that Stuxnet affected a limited number of centrifuges at its main uranium enrichment facility in the central city of Natanz, but claimed its scientists discovered and neutralized the malware before it could cause serious damage.
In April Iran said its nuclear program had once again been attacked, this time by a different computer virus called Stars.
Reports of Iran’s supposed turnaround about allowing access to its nuclear sites comes after IAEA officials warned that Tehran has made headway with advanced uranium enrichment machines that could speed production of reactor fuel and weapons-grade material that could be used for atomic bombs.
A confidential IAEA report leaked to the press last week says Iran has begun installing two newer versions for larger-scale testing at a research and development site near Natanz.