Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), states there is no evidence to suggest Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
Background-The Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program goes back many decades. However, in recent years, due to global political changes Iran is finding its program under severe scrutiny and even facing charges of developing a nuclear weapon capability.
Iran had maintained that the purpose of its nuclear program was the generation of power; any other use being a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, of which it is a signatory. The U.S. had insisted late in 2003 that Tehran be "held accountable" for allegedly seeking to build nuclear arms in violation of its agreements. Since then Iran's nuclear development program has taken a center stage in Middle Eastern as well as world politics.
On November 14, 2004, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said that his country agreed to voluntarily and temporarily suspend the uranium enrichment program after pressure from the European Union on behalf of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, as a confidence-building measure for a reasonable period of time, with six months mentioned as a reference. However, on November 24 it emerged that Iran was seeking to amend the terms of its agreement with the EU to exclude a handful of the equipment from this deal for research work. The U.S. has also alleged that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear missiles.
After three years of continued controvery and pressure, mostly in the Western media, as of January 2005, neither IAEA has found any evidence to support the charges that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, nor has the US or any other countries provided any evidence to support such claims.
The foundations for Iran's nuclear program were laid in the 1960 under auspices of the US within the framework of bilateral agreements between the two countries. In 1967 the Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) was built and run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The TNRC was equipped with a US supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor. Iran signed and ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. With the establishment of Iran's atomic agency and the NPT in place plans were drawn by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Iran's King) to construct up to twenty three nuclear power stations across the country together with U.S. by the year 2000. Numerous contracts were signed with various western firms, and the German firm Siemens began construction on the Bushehr power plant. Work was halted with the 1979 Iranian Revolution and Siemens withdrew from the project. Shortly afterwards Iraq invaded Iran and the nuclear programme was stopped until the end of the war. In 1990, Iran began to look outwards towards partners for its nuclear programme; however, due to a radically different political climate and punitive US economic sanctions, few candidates existed. In 1995 Iran signed a contract with Russia to resume work on the half complete Bushehr plant. It was not until 2002 that the U.S. began to question Iran's nuclear intentions after the MKO revealed the existence of the Natanz and Arak facilities.
Iran claims that nuclear power is necessary for a booming population and rapidly industrialising nation. It points to the fact that Iran's population has more than doubled in 20 years, the country regularly imports gasoline and electricity, and that burning fossil fuel in large amounts harms Iran's enviornment drastically [1] (http://www.payvand.com/news/03/oct/1022.html). Additionally, Iran questions why it shouldn't be allowed to diversify its sources of energy, especially when there are fears of its oil fields eventually being depleted. It continues to argue that its valuable oil should be used for high value products, not simple electricity generation. Iran also raises financial questions, claiming that developing the excess capacity in its oil industry would cost it $40 billion, let alone pay for the power plants. Harnessing nuclear power costs a fraction of this, considering Iran has abundant supplies of accessible uranium ore [2] (http://www.payvand.com/news/03/oct/1022.html).
Iran claims to have a legal right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the NPT. Iran, and many other developing nations who are signatory to the NPT, believe the Western position to be hypocritical, claiming that the NPT's original purpose was universal nuclear disarmament. ([3] (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,726557,00.html)) Iran also compares its treatment as a signatory to the NPT with three nations that have not ratified the NPT: Israel, India, and Pakistan. Each of these nations developed, or in the case of Israel is believed to have developed, an indigenous nuclear weapons capability: Israel by 1968 [4] (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/nuke/index.html), India by 1974 [5] (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/india/nuke/index.html) and Pakistan by 1998 [6] (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/).
Since 2002, the US has countered that Iran does not need nuclear power due to its abundant oil reserves. The argument also lies on financial grounds: The US argues that in production, each kilowatt of nuclear power costs $1000, a high figure when compared to the $600-800 of oil power. While this claim is also justified by economics, the true reason behind US resistance lies in regional Middle Eastern geopolitics. In essence, the US feels that it must guard against even the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapons capability. Furthermore, the particular type of nuclear power Iran is pursuing is termed by critiques as being dual-use technology—i.e. it can be used for peaceful energy generation, but the same technology, it is argued, could also be used to develop nuclear weapons, the same sort of situation which resulted in India's own nuclear weapons programme in the 1960s.
The claims and counter claims have put an immense amount of pressure on Iran to reveal all aspects of its nuclear programme to date. A great deal of this pressure has come from Iran's trade partners: Europe, Japan, and Russia. Iran has been slow to respond, claiming the pressure is an attempt by the US government to prevent it from obtaining nuclear technology.
Since the involvement of the IAEA, under the auspicies of Mohammad El-Baradei and the UN, Iran has responded to the American accusations by cooperating with the agency. But the degree of cooperation has varied depending on other geopolitical issues: at times the IAEA has had to admonish Iran, while at other times it has praised it.
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Geopolitics
Note: there have been significant developments since this report has been published. [7] (http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_printable&report_id=96&language_id=1) IAEA finds enriched uranium samples are not Iranian. Iran signs the additional protocol etc.
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Facilities
Zirconium Production Plant (ZPP), Isfahan. Iran. Here, special alloys are made that have direct applications in claddings for nuclear power plants. The ZPP plant is also capable of producing other special alloys for industrial purposes.Bushehr: A two reactor light water nuclear power plants. [8] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/bushehr.htm)
Arak: A heavy water production facility. Heavy water is used as a moderator in some reactors. Iran has plans to build a heavy water reactor at this location at a later date. [9] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/arak.htm)
Saghand: (32°28'45"N 55°24'30"E) Location of Iran's first uranium ore mines, expected to become operational by March 2005. The deposit is estimated to contain 3,000 to 5,000 tons of uranium oxide at a density of about 500 ppm over an area of 100 to 150 square kilometers. [10] (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6590762(Reuters))[11] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/saghand.htm)
Natanz: This is a uranium enrichment facility for converting uranium ore into a form usable by power plants. It can also create highly enriched uranium HEU. [12] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/natanz.htm)
Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC): Run by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). It is equipped with a US supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor capable of producing 600g of plutonium annually in spent fuel.
Nuclear Technology Center of Isfahan: A nuclear research facility. The Isfahan Center currently operates four small nuclear research reactors, all supplied by China. It is run by the AEOI. [13] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/esfahan.htm)
Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF), Isfahan. Here, Uranium Oxides are claimed to be produced as well as Uranium Hexafluoride and other Uranium compounds. This facility constitutes the fuel fabrication part of Iran's fuel cycle.Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility, located in Isfahan converts yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride. As of late October 2004, the site is 70% operational with 21 of 24 workshops completed. There is also a Zirconium Production Plant (ZPP) located nearby that produces the necessary ingredients and alloys for nuclear reactors. [14] (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6590762)
Bonab Atomic Energy Research Center: Reasearch facility investigating the applications of nuclear technology in agriculture. It is run by the AEOI.
Center for Agricultural Research and Nuclear Medicine at Hashtgerd, Karaj: Established in 1991 and run by the AEOI. [15] (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/karaj.htm)
Anarak waste storage site, near Yazd.
Ardekan Nuclear Fuel Site: Construction is reportedly scheduled to be finished in mid-2005.
Lashkar Ab’ad pilot plant for isotope separation. Established in 2002, laser enrichment experiments were carried out there, however, the plant has been shut down since Iran declared it has no intentions of enriching uranium using the laser isotope separation technique.
Parchin: Suspected, but not confirmed facility, according to the IAEA.
Lavizan II: Suspected, but not confirmed facility, according to the IAEA.
Chalous: Suspected, but not confirmed facility, according to the IAEA.
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