In a previously unannounced visit, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog agency will travel to Iran this week to help persuade the Tehran government to meet an Oct. 31 deadline to prove it is not producing atomic weaponry, the agency said.
In a statement on Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke of "important questions that are still outstanding" about the nature of Iran's nuclear program -- wording that suggested that Tehran was not forthcoming with information needed to dispel suspicions about its activities.
It was unclear how long the trip by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei had been planned, but agency officials had in recent weeks said a visit to Tehran was not on the schedule before the Oct. 31 deadline.
The IAEA has been pressing Iran to prove it is not producing nuclear weapons, as the US strongly suspects. Iran has protested the deadline -- agreed on by the agency's board of governors -- and said its nuclear program is to generate electricity as its oil reserves decline. Failure to satisfy the IAEA, whose board of governors will meet again on Nov. 20 to assess the Iranians' compliance, would result in Iran being referred to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.
In recent weeks, Iran has twice confirmed that particles of wea-pons-grade uranium had been found in separate places in the country. The government said the particles came from imported nuclear equipment that had been contaminated.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's senior delegate to the IAEA, said earlier this month that the IAEA representatives had reached "total agreement" with Iran on measures to prove the country's nuclear program is peaceful. Iran has agreed to provide the IAEA with a list of imported equipment it contends had been contaminated.
But diplomats familiar with the progress of the agency's work have recently indicated foot-dragging on the part of Tehran and said time is running out for Iran to meet the Oct. 31 deadline.
ElBaradei will urge Iranian officials "to provide ... all the remaining information required to clarify important questions that are still outstanding about Iran's nuclear programs," said the agency statement.
It did not offer details about his itinerary, but diplomats familiar with the agency said ElBaradei planned to leave for Tehran today and was expected back before the weekend.
Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which bans the spread of nuclear weapons.
Pierre Goldschmidt, an IAEA deputy director general, and another top agency official held two days of talks in Tehran earlier this month. An IAEA inspection team is also in Tehran to carry out routine inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.
China’s military news agency yesterday warned that Japanese militarism is infiltrating society through series such as Pokemon and Detective Conan, after recent controversies involving events at sensitive sites. In recent days, anime conventions throughout China have reportedly banned participants from dressing as characters from Pokemon or Detective Conan and prohibited sales of related products. China Military Online yesterday posted an article titled “Their schemes — beware the infiltration of Japanese militarism in culture and sports.” The article referenced recent controversies around the popular anime series Pokemon, Detective Conan and My Hero Academia, saying that “the evil influence of Japanese militarism lives on in
DIPLOMATIC THAW: The Canadian prime minister’s China visit and improved Beijing-Ottawa ties raised lawyer Zhang Dongshuo’s hopes for a positive outcome in the retrial China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing. Schellenberg’s lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo (張東碩), yesterday confirmed China’s Supreme People’s Court struck down the sentence. Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before China-Canada ties nosedived following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟). That arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians — Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig — on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. In January
A sign hanging from a rusty ice-green shipping container installed by Thai forces on what they say is the border with Cambodia reads: “Cambodian citizens are strictly prohibited from entering this area.” On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand’s military showed off its gains. Thai forces took control of several patches of disputed land along the border during fighting last year, which could amount to several square kilometers in total. Cambodian Kim Ren said her house in Chouk Chey used to stand on what is now the Thai
NEW RULES: There would be fewer school days, four-day workweeks, and a reduction in transportation services as the country battles a crisis exacerbated by US pressure The Cuban government on Friday announced emergency measures to address a crippling energy crisis worsened by US sanctions, including the adoption of a four-day work week for state-owned companies and fuel sale restrictions. Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga blamed Washington for the crisis, telling Cuban television the government would “implement a series of decisions, first and foremost to guarantee the vitality of our country and essential services, without giving up on development.” “Fuel will be used to protect essential services for the population and indispensable economic activities,” he said. Among the new measures are the reduction of the working week in
RSS