IAEA: Iran accepts tough N-checks

[zimv20]

link (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/08/iran.nuclear/index.html)


Iran Saturday promised to give the International Atomic Energy Agency letters agreeing to tougher nuclear inspections and to suspend its uranium enrichment program, an IAEA official said.

Mark Gwozdecky, a spokesman for the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, told CNN that "it is very much in their interest to work with us. They claim that their program is peaceful. We're the best way for them to demonstrate that to the international community, through cooperating with us."

The tougher inspections would allow the IAEA to conduct environmental testing of the air and soil and to conduct tests in undeclared areas with short notice.

Inspectors would be able to fully account for all the nuclear material in the country and satisfy any questions regarding the use of uranium for a weapons program and not civilian use

Iran has been accused by the United States of working on nuclear weapons. Iran has denied all such accusations and said that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

[Macmaniac]

I'm glad to see Iran cooperating with the inspections. Hopefully they will find more then the inspectors in Iraq have found.
This is evidence that sometimes international pressure works.

[yamabushi]

This is probably just political damage control on the part of Iran. They have already been caught being involved in weapons development. The international community would obviously like to have hard evidence one way or the other. However there is some evidence from various sources that they have been developing or at least intend to develop nuclear weapons. Thus we have to assume that they have them unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they do not.

This is a very dangerous situation for everyone, since effective arms control negotiations, agreements, or treaties are impossible without verification. Thus there is a risk of use of these weapons by unofficial nuclear nations without warning. The risk of transfer of technology or weapons to third parties that might use them for acts of terrorism is also very high when there is no verification or oversight by any international body.

The desire to develop nuclear weapons seems to be far too common. Several government officials in various developing nations have said off the record that they sought out fission reactors for electric power because they thought they could eventually be the foundation of a weapons program.

[mactastic]

What would you do if the US had troops on both sides of your borders?

[yamabushi]

Probably the same thing as North Korea if I already possesed nuclear weapons - declare my country as a nuclear power. However, I would also immediately work very hard towards forming new peace treaties and sign on to non-proliferation agreements as well as test ban treaties. There would be no need to build more than a handful of nukes and I would publicly state a clear intention to severe limitations on the number of weapons we intend to build. Building more just encourages others to build up their military strength further and gets you nowhere. A much better solution is to avoid developing them in the first place.