VIENNA, 15 November 2007 — Iran has handed over to the UN nuclear watchdog a document containing design information that could help to make nuclear weapon parts, diplomats said yesterday.
But diplomats said it was unclear whether the gesture — coming just days ahead of the publication of crucial IAEA report — really was a sign of goodwill on the part of Tehran or a last-minute attempt to stave off further possible UN sanctions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been demanding that Iran hand over the document, which diplomats said is a long way from being an actual blueprint for a nuclear weapon, for the past two years.
The document contains information about the machining and casting of uranium metal into spheres for nuclear warheads.
IAEA chief Mohamed El-Baradei is currently putting the finishing touches to his report, which sources said could be released today.
Baradei’s report, along with a second by the EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana set to be released later this month, could persuade the UN Security Council in New York to impose a third round of sanctions against Iran if the reports’ findings are negative.
Meanwhile, China believes Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy but supports nuclear nonproliferation efforts, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in Kabul yesterday.
Beijing also hoped for a “positive outcome” from dialogue between Iran, Europe and the IAEA on talks, Yang said.
The foreign minister arrived in Kabul from Tehran where he held talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Iran’s nuclear drive.
“China believes Iran has the right for the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” Yang told reporters in Kabul, responding to a question at a media briefing after talks with his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta.
