U.S. Urges End to Nuke Project With Iran

Nick Wadhams, The Guardian UK:

In an apparent reference to Russia, the United States on Monday urged governments to end nuclear projects with Iran in light of a recent finding that Tehran is not complying with the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

Stephen G. Rademaker, assistant U.S. secretary of state for arms control, told a U.N. committee that nations must change their policies as a result of a Sept. 24 International Atomic Energy Agency resolution that found Iran in noncompliance because of its past covert activities.

``We think it's self-evident, for example, that in the face of such a finding, no government should permit new nuclear transfers to Iran and all ongoing nuclear projects should be frozen,'' Rademaker told a U.N. General Assembly First Committee session to discuss disarmament issues. READ MORE

Rademaker did not mention Russia by name, but Russia has an $800 million contract to build a nuclear reactor in the city of Bushehr. Russia has trained about 700 Iranian nuclear engineers, and several dozen Iranian experts are in training at a nuclear power plant in the country's southwest.

Asked later if he would urge Russia directly to end its cooperation with Iran, Rademaker said ``I think the statement I gave today speaks for itself.''

Russia's U.N. spokesman, Sergei Trepelkov, said Rademaker's remarks were nothing new and insisted that Russia would not end its cooperation with Iran.

``Certainly we're not interested in Iran getting nuclear weapons but, as for Bushehr, it's a purely peaceful project, and it fully meets the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency,'' Sergei Trepelkov said. ``I don't think there is any ground for ceasing this cooperation.''

The Bush administration has long urged Russia to call off the Bushehr program over concerns that the reactor could help Tehran develop nuclear weapons. Yet U.S. officials had recently accepted Russian assurances that no enrichment or reprocessing would take place, especially after a deal that required any spent fuel rods to be returned to Russia.

This was the first time the United States had made such a call since the IAEA resolution passed. A spokesman for Iran's U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for energy purposes, while the United States suspects Iran is trying to build atomic bombs.

``IAEA investigations have exposed almost two decades of clandestine nuclear work, as well as a pattern of evasion and deception that can only be explained as part of an illegal nuclear weapons program,'' Rademaker said.

Last week's IAEA board resolution put off a decision on whether to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. The board hopes that will give Tehran time to meet its demands, which included a call on Iran to end uranium conversion - a precursor of enrichment - and commit to freezing all enrichment plans.

Russia abstained at the IAEA board's vote and has said it opposes sanctions for Iran. Earlier Monday, it urged Iran not to suspend cooperation on inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.