Iran failed to meet a deadline to provide information on its past nuclear work, a United Nations watchdog said Friday, raising fresh concerns about resolving the decadelong standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
It was the first time since a November agreement between Iran and the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency to resolve all outstanding issues over Tehran's nuclear program that Iran had missed a deadline.
While Iran has fulfilled a series of minor pledges to the agency mainly on providing access to nuclear-related sites, Tehran has still addressed only one of the 13 main areas of special concern the IAEA has raised about Iran's past work.
The lack of progress "undermines Iran's credibility and makes it harder to reach a [nuclear] deal or sell a deal if Iran is not even going to meet the first steps that it had agreed to with the IAEA," said Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the nonproliferation and disarmament program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
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| Asghar Zarean, deputy head of Iran's atomic agency, shown with equipment from the country's nuclear facilities. Iran is engaged in talks over the future of its nuclear program. Associated Press |
Mr. Fitzpatrick said the report did underline that Iran was continuing to meet its commitments to reduce its stockpile of nuclear material as it had pledged.
While there are no specifics on how much information Iran must provide on its past work, U.S. and European officials have said Iran's openness about its previous activities is key to winning international confidence that Tehran doesn't intend to build nuclear weapons in the future.
Western officials have repeatedly warned that progress in Iran's talks with the IAEA is necessary if Tehran and six major powers are to sign a comprehensive nuclear agreement by a Nov. 24 deadline.Read the rest of the Story HERE.
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