No 'smoking gun' in Iran

2005-12-07 17:01

London - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no "smoking gun" in Iran that would indicate a nuclear weapons programme, the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday quoted IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei as telling the daily.

But ElBaradei admitted that Teheran maintained an undeclared nuclear programme for 18 years until three years ago, which the IAEA failed to detect.

Elbaradei was answering questions after giving a speech at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, in which he said he hoped his agency would be able to reach definitive conclusions about the nature of Iran's nuclear programme within a year.

There is "lots of speculation" about an Iranian drive to nuclear capability, but "we try to work on the basis of fact", he said in response to a question from the Post.

"We haven't seen a smoking gun in Iran. We haven't seen an underground production enrichment facility. We haven't seen enough materials in Iran, other than gram quantities, to put into a weapon."

More transparency and active co-operation was required from Teheran to "clear" its past, he said.

For instance, the IAEA needed access to military sites, the right to interview key people and to see certain vital documents. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA