U.N.: Iran cooperates in nuclear dispute

TEHRAN — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Sunday there is a “shifting of gears” in Iran’s confrontation with the West to more cooperation and transparency, and he announced that international inspectors would visit Tehran’s newly revealed uranium enrichment site on Oct. 25.

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking at a news conference in Tehran with Iran’s top nuclear official, said that his agency “has no concrete proof of an ongoing weapons program in Iran” but that the IAEA has “concerns about Iran’s future intentions.”

“I see that we are at a critical moment. I see that we are shifting gears from confrontation into transparency and cooperation,” Mr. ElBaradei said.

His visit followed a week of intense diplomatic activity surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, set off by the revelation that Tehran had been secretly constructing a new uranium enrichment plant just north of the holy city of Qom. On Thursday, Iran and six world powers put nuclear talks back on track at a landmark session in Geneva that included the highest-level bilateral contact with the United States in years.

President Obama’s national security adviser said Sunday that Washington also was pleased with the level of cooperation from Iran.

“For now, things are moving in the right direction,” retired Gen. James Jones said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

Mr. ElBaradei arrived Saturday to set up the U.N. inspection of the Qom facility. The revelation of the plant heightened suspicion that Tehran is using a civilian nuclear program as a cover for developing weapons. Iran denies that and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

“It is important for us to send our inspectors to do a comprehensive verification of that facility, to assure ourselves that it is a facility that is built for peaceful purposes,” Mr. ElBaradei said, seated beside Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency. “We agreed that our inspectors would come here on the 25th of October to do the inspection and to go to Qom, and I hope and I trust that Iran will be as transparent with our inspectors team as possible.”

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said that the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are studying options for more sanctions if Iran does not prove its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes only.

Ambassador Susan Rice, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” also cautioned that Iran had a “finite period” to completely open its nuclear program to international inspections. She refused to set a deadline.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Mr. ElBaradei that Iran’s cooperation with the agency has left no ambiguity over Tehran’s nuclear activities.

“Outstanding issues were resolved due to good cooperation between Iran and the agency,” state TV quoted Mr. Ahmadinejad as saying. “Today, there are no ambiguous issue left.”

But the IAEA says there are still outstanding issues that Iran needs to clarify, including alleged studies by Iran on high explosives and a missile delivery system for a nuclear warhead.

Late last month, Mr. Obama and the leaders of France and Britain accused Iran of keeping the construction hidden from the world for years. Mr. Obama said Iran’s actions “raised grave doubts” about its promise to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only. Uranium enrichment can be used in the process of producing both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons.

“As I have said many times and I continue to say today, the agency has no complete proof that there is an ongoing weapons program in Iran,” Mr. ElBaradei said. “There are allegations that Iran has conducted weaponization studies. However, these allegations we are still looking into, and we are looking to Iran to help us clarify,” he added.

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