The United States and its allies warn that Iran's program is
geared toward making nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the charge saying its
nuclear activities are only for peaceful purposes like power generation.
The IAEA report in question stated that in January Iran
announced it had conducted certain experiments to purify uranium, which could
theoretically be used to produce a nuclear warhead. Iran then denied the
experiments had taken place a few months later.
When the inspectors in May visited the Jaber Ibn Hayan
Multipurpose Research Laboratory in Tehran, where the alleged high temperature
pyroprocessing experiments were conducted, they said the equipment involved had
been removed.
The Associated Press reported the IAEA's concerns in May,
citing unnamed diplomats.
Iran, however, maintained in June there were no experiments
related to pyroprocessing and no equipment was removed and has called the IAEA
report "false with the purpose of influencing public opinion." The
head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi said on state TV
that the IAEA had been informed of the decision to ban the inspectors, whom he
did not identify.
