The Iranian regime's February decision to increase the level
of its uranium enrichment to nearly 20 percent reveals that Iran's claims that
it needs to enrich uranium for medical use is a "transparent ploy," a top Obama
administration official said Tuesday.
"It has nothing to do with trying to help Iranian cancer
patients who will need medical isotopes later this year," Dan Poneman, the
deputy energy secretary, told an audience Wednesday at the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy, adding that the decision was "a provocative move that
calls into question its nuclear intentions."
"We have even offered to facilitate Iran's procurement
though world markets of the medical isotopes its citizens need," he said, "but
there's been no follow-up and Iran has refused to discuss its nuclear program
further, despite the Geneva understanding."
The Obama administration offered Iran a deal to exchange
nuclear material in a third country in order to fuel the Tehran Research
Reactor, the U.S.-built facility where the enrichment is suspected to be taking
place, but the IAEA has still never
received a formal response. "It's out there. It has not been formally
withdrawn," Poneman said.
He also launched the opening
salvo in what many believe will be a bitter confrontation between the United
States and Iran when the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty comes up for
discussion in a major review conference in May. Iran is poised to disrupt the
conference significantly by raising objections to any U.S. initiatives and
generally working to thwart any attempts to address what Western powers see as its
clear failure to comply with the treaty.
"Iran essentially has not been in compliance with its IAEA
safeguards agreement since 1982," Poneman said, referring to Iran's pattern of
undeclared nuclear material, facilities, and experiments.
"In the case of Iran, it does not appear that its nuclear
program is for peaceful purposes," he added. "The NPT does not contain the
right to pursue nuclear efforts of this character. After all it is the nuclear non-proliferation treaty."
Poneman said the latest IAEA
report on Iran "clearly shows Iran's continued failure to live up to its
international obligations."
Read More
(0)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE