Iran test-fired a new Qader missile today, in the latest bout of martial posturing over the country's nuclear program and the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane for oil.
Showing posts with label nuclear talk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear talk. Show all posts
Monday, January 2, 2012
Iran fires long-range missile during Gulf drill, IRNA reports
An Iranian warship launches a missile in an unknown location in this still image taken from footage released by Islamic Republic of Iran News Network on January 1, 2012
Iran said today it had successfully test-fired a long-range missile during its naval exercise in the Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“We have test fired a long-range shore-to-sea missile called Qader (capable), which managed to successfully destroy predetermined targets in the Gulf,” the agency quoted deputy navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi as saying.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Netanyahu calls for tougher sanctions on Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday for stronger sanctions on Iran than those imposed this week by the United States, Britain and Canada to try to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Israel’s Barak dismisses talk of attacking Iran
Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on April 3, 2011
Defence Minister Ehud Barak today played down speculation that Israel intended to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, saying it had not decided to embark on any military operation.
“War is not a picnic. We want a picnic. We don’t want a war,” Barak told Israel Radio ahead of the release this week of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran’s nuclear activity.
“(Israel) had not yet decided to embark on any operation,” he said, dismissing Israeli media speculation that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had chosen that option. ― Reuters
Calls for tougher sanctions against Iran following IAEA report
A UN nuclear watchdog report is expected to show concern that Iran benefited from foreign expertise to help develop technology that could be used to build atomic bombs, Western officials said yesterday.
Tehran is “clearly trying to reach out to nuclear scientists around the world,” a Western diplomat accredited to the UN agency in Vienna said, suggesting it was a case of Iran contacting individuals rather than their governments.
Other Western officials painted a similar picture of suspected foreign involvement in providing know-how for activities seen as geared to developing a nuclear weapons capability, but it was unclear how extensive it had been.
Tehran is “clearly trying to reach out to nuclear scientists around the world,” a Western diplomat accredited to the UN agency in Vienna said, suggesting it was a case of Iran contacting individuals rather than their governments.
Other Western officials painted a similar picture of suspected foreign involvement in providing know-how for activities seen as geared to developing a nuclear weapons capability, but it was unclear how extensive it had been.
China warns of turmoil over Iran, mute on sanctions
A general view shows the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, about 1,215km south of Tehran, in this file photo of November 30, 2009. China warned on November 9, 2011 against turmoil in the Middle East from action over Iran’s nuclear programme.
China warned today against turmoil in the Middle East from action over Iran’s nuclear programme, but declined to comment on the possibility of new sanctions following a UN report that Iran appears to have worked on designing an atomic weapon.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was “studying” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, and repeated a call to resolve the issue peacefully through talks.
“I wish to point out that China opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and disapproves of any Middle Eastern country developing nuclear weapons. As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran bears the responsibilities of nuclear non-proliferation,” he told a daily news briefing.
“The Iranian side should also demonstrate flexibility and sincerity, and engage in serious cooperation with the agency,” Hong said, referring to the IAEA.
“I want to stress that avoiding fresh turmoil in the Middle Eastern security environment is important for both the region and for the international community.”
Hong made no mention of sanctions, and indicated China was in no rush to take the matter back to the United Nations Security Council, saying only that all sides should do more to promote dialogue and cooperation.
“I’ve already pointed out that China has consistently advocating using dialogue and cooperation to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue,” he said, when asked about the possibility of new unilateral US sanctions on Iran.
Chinese policy-makers are caught between their demand for Iranian oil and worry that the United States and its allies will demand harsher sanctions against Iran, even risk military action, after the IAEA concluded Iran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic weapon.
China has kept close ties with Iran but has also backed past UN Security Council resolutions criticising Iran’s position on nuclear issues and authorising limited sanctions.
But China has repeatedly resisted Western proposals for sanctions that could seriously curtail its energy and economic ties with Iran. As one of the Security Council’s five permanent members, China holds the power to veto any resolutions.
China has also denounced the United States and European Union for imposing their own separate sanctions on Iran, and said they should not take steps reaching beyond the UN resolutions.
“WHITE HOT”
A Chinese state newspaper said a standoff between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear plans could erupt in military conflict.
“It is clear that contention between the various sides over the Iranian nuclear issue has reached white hot levels and could even be on the precipice of a showdown,” the overseas edition of the People’s Daily said in a front-page commentary.
If Iran refused to back down in the face of growing US conviction that it was developing nuclear weapons, “the risks of war will grow”, said the paper, noting reports that Israel could consider a military strike on Iranian nuclear sites.
The People’s Daily is the top newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party and broadly reflects official thinking, as well as the anxieties weighing on Beijing after the latest UN nuclear agency report.
China’s official Xinhua news agency also suggested that Beijing would respond warily to the report. The UN watchdog still “lacks a smoking gun”, Xinhua said in a commentary.
“There are no witnesses or physical evidence to prove that Iran is making nuclear weapons,” it said.
“In dealing with the Iran nuclear issue, it is extremely dangerous to rely on suspicions, and the destructive consequences of any armed action would endure for a long time.”
China is likely to face difficult choices as it tries to keep steady ties with the United States, which is likely to introduce new unilateral sanctions on Iran.
“If these sanctions harm China’s substantive interests, then China will have to respond in some way,” said Li Hong, the secretary general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, a government-controlled body.
“It would certainly have an impact on bilateral relations,” Li said in an interview.
ONUS ON CHINA?
Iran is China’s third-largest crude oil supplier, shipping 20.3 million tonnes in the first nine months of the year, up by almost a third on the same time last year, according to Chinese data. Overall trade between the two countries grew to US$32.9 billion in value in the first nine months, up by 58 per cent.
“The onus will really be on China, as the only country whose economic relations with Iran have grown,” Suzanne Maloney an expert on Iran at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, said in a telephone interview.
Over the past year or more, China has quietly stalled on oil and gas investments in Iran, seeking to ward off stricter unilateral sanctions from Washington while preserving a foothold in Iran. But that implicit deal will come under growing pressure, especially from Congress, said Maloney.
“They’ve had a compromise for the past 18 months of a go-slow in investment. But it’s difficult to see how that bargain can hold in the wake of the latest revelations,” said Maloney.
Citing what it called “credible” information from member states and elsewhere, the IAEA said Iran appeared to have carried out activities applicable to developing nuclear weapons, such as high explosives testing and developing a trigger that could be used for an atomic bomb.
This week and last, China urged Iran to show flexibility over its nuclear programme and warned that the use of force to resolve the issue was the last thing the Middle East needed.
Li from the Chinese arms control association said Beijing was worried about the tension, but war remained a slim risk.
“Overall, I think the international conditions show governments couldn’t stomach armed conflict over Iran,” he said.
“The US economy is in poor shape, and Europe has its debt crisis,” he said. “Iran is not like Libya; it has the strength to counter attack.”
Meanwhile, France said today it wanted to bring together members of the UN Security Council after an International Atomic Energy Agency report said Iran had worked to develop an atomic bomb design.
“Convening of the UN Security Council is called for,” Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told RFI radio.
“We cannot accept this situation which is a threat,” said Juppe, adding that France was ready to toughen sanctions.
“We need hard sanctions that prevent Iran from continuing to obtain resources that allow it to pursue its activities in violation of all international rules,” said Juppe.
UN report reinforces worries over Iranian threat
Germany says it will push for resolution urging Iran to return to negotiating table; Hague: Britain considering how to raise pressure on Iran.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tokyo launches large-scale radiation monitoring after Fukushima
A radiation monitor indicates 0.82 microsieverts per hour at a checkpoint to the restricted zone of a 20km radius around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, in Kawauchi village, about 20 km (12 miles) from the plant in Fukushima ...
China's nuclear regulators have given the country's reactors a clean bill of health following inspections ordered after the disaster at Japan's tsunami-struck Fukushima Dai-ichi facility. Inspections have been completed on all 13 of ...
China's nuclear regulators have given the country's reactors a clean bill of health following inspections ordered after the disaster at Japan's tsunami-struck Fukushima Dai-ichi facility. Inspections have been completed on all 13 of ...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Japan earthquake - IAEA: Japan underestimated nuclear plant tsunami risk
Shares of Tokyo Electric Power Co fell to 289 yen on Thursday, the lowest level since it was listed on the stock exchange, coming under increasing pressure from selling by retail investors.
Radioactive water accumulating in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant is set to start overflowing from storage trenches in five days, data provided by the company show. ...
The radiation from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi reactors poisoned farmlands, contaminated the sea, and sent invisible mists of radiation wafting around the world. The latest – and it's just the latest – atomic accident has raised new ...
Radioactive water accumulating in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant is set to start overflowing from storage trenches in five days, data provided by the company show. ...
The radiation from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi reactors poisoned farmlands, contaminated the sea, and sent invisible mists of radiation wafting around the world. The latest – and it's just the latest – atomic accident has raised new ...
UN report puts focus on Japan nuclear plant flaws
Less than a week after touring the radioactive rubble of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, a team of international safety inspectors today plans to hand Japan’s government a preliminary review of what triggered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The report, from an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team led by Britain’s top nuclear safety official Mike Weightman, is expected to highlight some of the well-documented weaknesses that contributed to the crisis at Fukushima when the plant, 240km north of Tokyo, was hit by a massive earthquake and then a tsunami in quick succession on March 11.
Those start with the failure to plan for a tsunami that would overrun the 5.7-metre break wall at Fukushima and knock out back-up electric generators to four reactors, despite multiple forecasts from a government agency and operator Tokyo Electric Power Co’s own scientists that such a risk was looming.
“We had a playbook, but it didn’t work,” said Tatsujiro Suzuki, a nuclear expert and vice chairman of Japan’s Atomic Energy Commission.
The acceptance of the IAEA report by Goshi Hosono, an aide to Prime Minister Naoto Kan, marks the first step in effort by Japanese officials to show that the lessons learned from Fukushima can be applied to make its remaining reactors safe.
The economic stakes are high. Japan is operating only 19 of its pre-Fukushima tally of 54 reactors. Unless local officials can be convinced that Tokyo has a plan to make the others resistant to the kind of blackout that plunged Fukushima into meltdown, more plants will drop off-line for maintenance.
In the worst case, all of Japan’s reactors could be shut down by the middle of 2012. That would take out 30 per cent of the nation’s electricity generation and raise the risk of deeper, near permanent power rationing, officials say.
The Fukushima accident has forced more than 80,000 residents from their homes and raised deepening concerns about the safety of nearby children, workers battling to stabilise the reactors and the food supply as radiated water leaks from the site.
The crisis has also diverted attention and resources from rebuilding after the quake and tsunami that killed about 24,000 people in northern, coastal Japan.
Start of the debate
Experts who have reviewed the Fukushima accident say the draft IAEA report represents a starting point in the debate over what needs to be done to make nuclear plants safe in a country where the risks of earthquakes are still imperfectly understood.
“There are aspects of the planning for the safety of the Fukushima plant which are, in retrospect, very stupid, and show a lack of imagination,” said Kim Kearfott, a University of Michigan nuclear safety expert who toured Japan on her own this week. “The nuclear industry can do better than this.”
As the uranium fuel in the No. 1 reactor began heating towards meltdown on March 11, Tokyo Electric (Tepco) officials grappled with outages of key safety equipment because of the loss of power to the plant.
With gauges black from Fukushima, officials in Tokyo monitoring the expected radiation risk faced a related problem. Complicated software to model the expected plume of debris from a Fukushima explosion had been set up to run with precise data rather than rough assumptions.
By early on March 12, officials at the Ministry of Education and Technology had fixed the glitch and sent a projected radiation map to Prime Minister Kan’s office, but the data was never released to the public.
Meanwhile, it was dangerously unclear who was in charge on the ground at Fukushima. Tepco’s chairman was in China, the utility’s president was grounded in western Japan on a personal trip. Sakae Muto, the ranking Tepco official, spent the night of the quake huddled with mayors of small towns near Fukushima, giving them formal notice of the accident rather than joining the command centre.
The plant’s chief operating officer, Masao Yoshida, ignored an order to stop injecting seawater into the No. 1 reactor based on a request from Kan’s office. Experts say Yoshida made the right call, but say the confusion underscored the bigger problems in the early response to the accident.
“It was impossible for the system to work as it had been set up,” said Suzuki, who believes Japan’s nuclear industry will now have to show it can manage and contain the most improbable accidents at all of its remaining reactors to win public trust. “Unless they can show that, it’s going to be very hard.”
Others say Japan needs to show it will act on the toughest advice from critics, including long-delayed steps to make its nuclear regulatory agency independent of the politically powerful power industry.
“Japanese nuclear operations need to be upgraded based on international advice,” said Kearfott. “Much of this advice was ignored in the past.”
Saudi plans to build 16 nuclear reactors by 2030
Saudi Arabia plans to build 16 nuclear power reactors by 2030 which could costs more than US$100 billion (RM303 billion), a Saudi-based newspaper reported today, citing a top official.
The world’s top crude exporter, Saudi is struggling to keep up with rapidly rising power demand. It has considered boosting its domestic energy capacity using nuclear reactors.
“After 10 years we will have the first two reactors,” Abdul Ghani bin Melaibari, coordinator of scientific collaboration at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, told Arab News.
Many have backed away from atomic plans after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant but oil-rich Gulf States are among the few countries looking to make major investments in nuclear power plants.
“After that, every year we will establish two, until we have 16 of them by 2030,” he said.
He estimated the cost of each reactor to be around US$7 billion, adding that the Kingdom is in the process of planning for the nuclear project and coordination with specialised companies.
The kingdom plans to cover 20 per cent of its electricity needs using nuclear energy, said Melaibari.
Power demand in the top oil exporter is estimated to grow 7-8 per cent during the next 10 years.
Neighbouring United Arab Emirates in December 2009 awarded a South Korean consortium the contract to build four nuclear power plants worth US$20.4 billion.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Japan PM, facing no-confidence vote, says won’t quit
Unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan today refused to step down in the face of a no-confidence motion in parliament this week, saying he wanted first to resolve the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.
Analysts expect Kan to survive the vote, which could be submitted as early as tomorrow, but say he will still face major hurdles pushing policies through a fractious parliament, including an extra budget to help pay for the recovery from the damage caused by the huge earthquake and tsunami in March which devastated the Fukushima nuclear plant.
“I cannot give up the responsibility to do what needs to be done now. I would like to resolve the nuclear crisis first,” Kan told a panel in parliament.
“I am determined to perform my duty.”
The prospect of even more political confusion mounted after media said ruling party power broker Ichiro Ozawa had hinted he would back the no-confidence motion if the premier refused to quit.
Kan, who took office last June as the fifth premier in as many years, is battling to control the nuclear crisis, figure out how to pay for rebuilding the northeast region hit by the quake and tsunami, and draft tax reforms to pay for rising social security costs.
The government needs to enact a bill enabling the issuance of fresh bonds to fund 44 per cent of the US$1 trillion (RM3 trillion) budget for the year from April and find ways to pay for rebuilding from the natural disasters, Japan’s biggest reconstruction project since after World War Two.
The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its allies need 70 or more of the 305 ruling Democratic Party lower house members to defect to secure passage of the motion, which would force Kan to resign or call a snap lower house election.
Kan’s departure could ease the path for a coalition with the LDP that would make it easier to pass legislation in a divided parliament. But who would replace him is unclear and whether a new premier would be able to manage such an unwieldy group is in doubt. Many think Kan is too stubborn to quit.
COALITION OR CONFUSION?
Ozawa, a veteran politician known as the “Destroyer” for his record of shaking up politics, told his followers he would push for Kan to step down on his own but hinted he would back the no-confidence motion if that failed, media quoted sources close to him as saying.
“If such efforts are unsuccessful, I will make a decision when I need to,” Ozawa was quoted as saying.
Some analysts said financial markets would welcome Kan’s resignation since a broad coalition with the LDP would make it easier to agree on tough policy decisions such as raising the five per cent sales tax to pay for ballooning social security costs.
“A formation of a grand coalition will be a big win for Japanese politics after the poor performance following the earthquake,” said Takuji Okubo, chief Japan economist at Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking.
Others questioned the wisdom of political infighting at a time when Japan faces so many challenges.
Data today showed the economy was rebounding from the natural disasters, but doubts remain about the outlook for long-term reforms.
“Do they just want to bully Kan? Do they have anyone who can replace him? Do they have an extra budget plan? I don’t know why they are trying to create a tense political situation now,” said Kyohei Morita, chief economist at Barclays Capital Japan.
“From foreign investors’ point of view, it is hard to predict what will happen to policies and they will probably avoid getting involved with a risk of the unknown.”
Saturday, February 5, 2011
US, Russia cap ‘reset’ in ties with START treaty
The United States and Russia formally inaugurated their new START nuclear arms treaty today, capping two years of work to “reset” the sometimes strained ties between the former Cold War enemies.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov exchanged the final START documents at the Munich security conference, where two years ago US Vice-President Joe Biden launched the Obama administration’s push for better relations with Moscow.
“Two years ago we all laughed about the translation of the ceremonial ‘reset’ button I gave to the foreign minister,” Clinton said, referring to a diplomatic gaffe in which she presented Lavrov with an oversized button on which “reset” was mistranslated into the Russian for “overcharge”.
“But when it came to the translation that mattered most, we turned words into action to reach a milestone in our strategic partnership.”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Barack Obama signed the deal in April after a year of tough negotiations, committing the world’s top two nuclear powers gradually to reduce their atomic arsenals.
The START treaty has been at the centre of Washington’s effort to improve ties with Moscow, which hit a low with Russia’s 2008 war against pro-western Georgia and were further strained by disagreements on trade and US concerns over Russia’s record on human rights and free speech.
US officials say the “reset” has delivered results on a number of fronts including efforts to rein in the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, co-operation on the halting Middle East peace process and growing ties between Russia and Nato.
The START treaty itself is also seen as an important step towards Obama’s goal of nuclear disarmament — though analysts say there are much higher hurdles ahead if further progress is to be made.
Obama faced down sharp objections from some Republican senators, who said the new treaty gave too much away, to win Senate ratification late last year in a major political victory.
The START treaty commits the two nations, with 95 per cent of the world’s nuclear weapons, to ceilings of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads in seven years, up to 30 per cent lower than in the 2002 Moscow treaty.
It will limit each side to 700 deployed strategic missiles and bombers and establish verification rules, absent since the US-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) expired in 2009, enabling them to keep tabs on each other’s arsenals.
Now the treaty has taken effect, the two nations will begin exchanging information about the status of their nuclear forces and, within weeks, hold the first on-site inspections of each other’s nuclear arsenals in nearly two years.
The United States and Russia have already signalled differences over further cuts, including on tactical nuclear weapons that many analysts regard as a more immediate danger.
The US Senate has asked Obama to seek negotiations on tactical nuclear weapons within a year after START enters into force. But Russia, which has a stockpile several times larger than that of the United States, has resisted, saying talks should not be held until each country confines its tactical nuclear weapons to its own territory.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
North Korea nuclear test ‘possible’ in new year
A North Korean Scud-B missile (centre) and South Korean Hawk surface-to-air missiles are seen at the Korean War Memorial Museum in Seoul, on December 24, 2010
North Korea could carry out a third nuclear test next year to strengthen the credentials of its young leader-in-waiting, Kim Jong-un, a research report from a South Korean Foreign Ministry institute said yesterday.
The report came a day after Pyongyang vowed a nuclear “sacred war,” using its nuclear deterrent, after the South vowed to be “merciless” if attacked again and held a major military drill near the border.
The North, which carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, has yet to show it has a deliverable weapon as part of its plutonium arms programme, but a third test would raise tensions further on the divided peninsula and rattle global markets.
South Korean media reported earlier this month that the North was digging a tunnel in preparation for a nuclear test.
“There is a possibility of North Korea carrying out its third nuclear test to seek improvement in its nuclear weapons production capability, keep the military tension high and promote Kim Jong-un’s status as the next leader,” the report said, referring to ailing Kim Jong-il’s youngest son.
“Tension between the two Koreas will remain high with chances of additional North Korean attacks on the South staying high,” the Foreign Ministry-run Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security said.
“US ENTIRELY TO BLAME”
Tension on the peninsula is at its highest since the 1950-53 Korean War, after a deadly naval clash in March and the North’s artillery attack on a South Korean island last month which killed four people. The two Koreas are technically still at war as their civil conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
The North’s KCNA news agency, which regularly threatens total destruction of the rich capitalist South, yesterday lay the blame on Washington and called South Korea one of its “shock brigades.”
“The US is entirely to blame for the alarming developments on the peninsula this year as it used the peninsula for realising its strategy to dominate East Asia,” KCNA said in a commentary.
Analysts said recent tensions have managed to turn back the clock on ties between the rivals by more than a decade.
“In the South, impatience with Pyongyang is growing, and there are demands from the right in Seoul for more robust terms of military engagement in the event of future clashes,” said Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group.
Still, the risk of all-out war is low, and the North’s threats of destruction are seen as largely rhetorical.
A North Korean Scud-B missile (centre) and South Korean Hawk surface-to-air missiles are seen at the Korean War Memorial Museum in Seoul, on December 24, 2010
Pyongyang’s tactic of boasting about nuclear advances is a ploy aimed at restarting talks between itself, the South, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, from which it hopes to wring concessions, analysts say.
The Foreign Ministry report said six-party talks, which North Korea walked out of two years ago, will likely resume in 2011 but progress on reining in the North on its nuclear programme will remain elusive.
China, the North’s only major ally and vital financial backer, sees the forum as the best place to begin dialogue, but Seoul, Washington and Tokyo say they first need proof that Pyongyang is committed to dismantling its nuclear facilities.
North Korea could carry out a third nuclear test next year to strengthen the credentials of its young leader-in-waiting, Kim Jong-un, a research report from a South Korean Foreign Ministry institute said yesterday.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
China urges North Korea to accept nuclear inspectors
China yesterday urged North Korea to follow through on its offer to allow United Nations nuclear monitors into the country as a way to alleviate international tensions during a standoff with South Korea.
China, North Korea’s only major ally, has continually urged dialogue to resolve the crisis and has been reluctant to blame its neighbour for the shelling of a South Korean island last month, in which two Marines and two civilians were killed.
South Korea held further live-fire drills on the island on Monday, raising fears of all-out war, but the North did not retaliate. Instead, it offered to accept nuclear inspectors it has kicked out of the country previously.
“North Korea has the right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes, but also at the same time must allow IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspectors in,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing.
“All parties should realise that artillery fire and military force cannot solve the issues on the peninsula, and dialogue and cooperation are the only correct approaches.”
The United States continued to voice scepticism over North Korea’s intentions, and said it was too early to consider resuming long-stalled six-party talks over its nuclear programme as Beijing and Pyongyang hope.
“Right now the action must come not from their words, but from their deeds,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said on his return from a visit to Pyongyang, where he acted as an unofficial envoy, that North Korea had promised to allow in inspectors to make sure it was not processing highly enriched uranium.
He told reporters North Korea had shown a “pragmatic attitude” in his unofficial talks.
“The specifics are that they will allow IAEA personnel to go to Yongbyon to ensure that they are not processing highly enriched uranium, that they are proceeding with peaceful purposes,” Richardson said in Beijing, referring to North Korea’s main nuclear site.
But analysts said it was unclear how much access IAEA inspectors would get because North Korea had limited their oversight in the past. They also said the worry was whether there were other nuclear sites hidden outside of Yongbyon.
“The question that remains is whether this is the only facility,” said Andrei Lankov at Kookmin University in Seoul. “A uranium enrichment programme is much easier to hide than a plutonium one.”
South Korea and the United States suspect Pyongyang, which carried out nuclear tests in 2006 and last year, has more sites geared to enriching uranium outside Yongbyon, the complex that is at the heart of the North’s plutonium weapons programme.
It consists of a five-megawatt reactor, construction of which began in 1980, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium reprocessing plant, where weapons-grade material is extracted from spent fuel rods.
Lankov said the North’s suggestion of compromise after provocation was a “usual tactic” of the impoverished state that had worked in the past to win aid.
“They create a crisis, they show that they are dangerous and drive tensions high,” he said. “Then they show they could make some concessions.”
If IAEA inspectors were allowed to carry out monitoring, it could help to address a key concern about North Korea’s uranium enrichment work because highly enriched material can be used in atomic weapons.
Seoul shares rose 0.8 per cent, broadly in line with other regional markets, to end at a three-year high yesterday, as anxiety over tension on the Korean peninsula eased, but the won currency remained under pressure.
The mood on Yeonpyeong Island had eased after the previous day’s drill, with military personnel visibly relaxed and preparing to sail back to the mainland.
North Korea, which has refused full IAEA oversight since 2002 and expelled inspectors last April, has said it only wants to enrich uranium to the low level used to make fuel for a civilian atomic power programme.
But in order to check this, the IAEA would need continued, unfettered access to all of North Korea’s uranium enrichment activities. It would usually require frequent inspections, video cameras and special seals to ensure that none of the material is being diverted for military use.
Richardson said of the North’s offer: “I believe that’s an important gesture on their part, but there still has to be a commitment eventually by the North Koreans to denuclearise, to abide by the 2005 agreement that says they will terminate their nuclear weapons activities.”
Richardson suggested the offer might pave the way for the resumption of six-party talks that also involve the United States, Russia, Japan, China and South Korea — although Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have been cool to this idea, reluctant to reward perceived bad behaviour.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said US officials had not been briefed on Richardson’s trip and said the onus was on Pyongyang to demonstrate its sincerity.
“We and others have had conversations with North Korea before,” he said. “The real issue is what will North Korea do. So we’re not going to judge a moment on a conversation between the governor and officials in North Korea.”
A key South Korean government official said the recent aggression by the North was closely linked to the succession from ailing leader Kim Jong-il to his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, and was intended for its domestic audience as much as for anybody.
“We don’t want to give them the misperception that their provocations will help their national interest,” he said.
The UN Security Council remained deadlocked in its efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula, but North Korea’s refraining from retaliation and the nuclear offer made to Richardson offered some breathing space.
But the South Korean government official, who declined to be identified, said Seoul could not take the North Korean offer seriously as it was not official. He said the five parties had to agree first on what to offer the North.
“Then we can pursue six-party talks. But the next six-party talks will be the grand bargain. That means a target year (for dismantlement) and the whole picture in the next round, not partial elements.”
Saturday, October 9, 2010
North Korea confirms for the first time that Kim Jong Un will succeed his father as leader
A North Korean official has confirmed today for the first time that Kim Jong Il's youngest son will succeed him as the communist nation's next leader.
Yang Hyong Sop, a top official in North Korea's ruling party, referred to Kim Jong Un as 'the young general' during an interview with APTN.
He said the nation's people would be honoured to serve him as their leader.
Kim Jong Un would be the third successive generation of his family to lead North Korea, which has a population of 24 million.
His grandfather Kim Il Sung founded the nation in 1948 on a policy of self-reliance called 'juche'.
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Yang said: 'Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation.
'Our people are honoured to serve the great President Kim Il Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il.
'Now we also have the honour of serving young General Kim Jong Un.'
Yang is a member of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, - the equivalent of the country's parliament.
Kim Jong Un had been virtually unknown outside the secretive nation before he made his public debut last week, when he was promoted to four-star general and vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central military commission.
That backed up analyst speculation that he had been chosen to succeed his ailing father as eventual ruler of the impoverished authoritarian regime, which pursues active nuclear and missile programs.
The world got its first real glimpse of Kim Jong Un last week when his photo was published in state media and he was shown on television at a Workers' Party convention, the country's most significant political gathering in 30 years.
Yang's comments are the first public confirmation that Kim Jong Un will eventually take over as leader.
Kim Jong Il took over as leader after his father died in 1994 in what was the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
Yang Hyong Sop, a top official in North Korea's ruling party, referred to Kim Jong Un as 'the young general' during an interview with APTN.
He said the nation's people would be honoured to serve him as their leader.
Kim Jong Un would be the third successive generation of his family to lead North Korea, which has a population of 24 million.
His grandfather Kim Il Sung founded the nation in 1948 on a policy of self-reliance called 'juche'.
.
Yang said: 'Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation.
'Our people are honoured to serve the great President Kim Il Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il.
'Now we also have the honour of serving young General Kim Jong Un.'
Yang is a member of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, - the equivalent of the country's parliament.
Kim Jong Un had been virtually unknown outside the secretive nation before he made his public debut last week, when he was promoted to four-star general and vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central military commission.
That backed up analyst speculation that he had been chosen to succeed his ailing father as eventual ruler of the impoverished authoritarian regime, which pursues active nuclear and missile programs.
The world got its first real glimpse of Kim Jong Un last week when his photo was published in state media and he was shown on television at a Workers' Party convention, the country's most significant political gathering in 30 years.
Yang's comments are the first public confirmation that Kim Jong Un will eventually take over as leader.
Kim Jong Il took over as leader after his father died in 1994 in what was the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
North Korea nuclear threat ‘alarming’, says South
Mercurial North Korea’s nuclear threat has reached an “alarming level” and it is now trying to miniaturise weapons to improve their mobility and impact, a South Korean government official said.
A US think-tank has also said satellite images taken last week showed that construction or excavation activity was taking place at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex.
News that the North was pushing ahead with its nuclear plans in defiance of international pressure comes as Pyongyang, which has just recently set in motion a father-to-son power transition, has said it wants to return to stalled nuclear talks.
North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il is starting to hand the reins over to his son.
“We have judged that North Korea is currently operating all its nuclear programmes, including highly enriched uranium processing and the nuclear facility in Yongbyon,” said Kim Tae-hyo, the president’s secretary for national strategy, according to the JoongAng Daily today.
Even though it has exploded nuclear devices, North Korea has not shown it has a working nuclear bomb. Experts say they do not believe it has the ability to miniaturise an atomic weapon to place on a missile.
Under an earlier aid-for-disarmament agreement, the reclusive North began to close down Yongbyon, which when fully operational can produce enough fissile material for one nuclear bomb a year.
Last year, Pyongyang announced that in the face of US hostility it would restore parts of the plant, a year after blowing up the complex’s cooling tower in what it said was a display of its commitment to nuclear disarmament.
“Their nuclear programme is evolving even now at a very fast pace,” Kim told a forum on the future of Northeast Asia, adding the North’s nuclear threat had reached an “alarming level”.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon told the UN General Assembly last week that Pyongyang would bolster its “nuclear deterrent” in response to the threat posed by the United States, but promised never to use its atomic arsenal to attack or threaten any nation.
The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington said in a report that satellite images showed there was activity in the area surrounding the destroyed cooling tower.
“However, there is no indication in the imagery that North Korea is rebuilding its cooling tower,” it said.
“In addition, the new excavation activity appears to be more extensive than would be expected for rebuilding the cooling tower. But the actual purpose of this excavation activity cannot be determined from the image and bears watching.”
Until recently, there was no indication of new construction or excavation activity in the area of the destroyed cooling tower, the report said.
The Yongbyon complex consists of a five-megawatt reactor, whose construction began in 1980, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium reprocessing plant, where weapons-grade material is extracted from spent fuel rods.
The site, about 100km north of Pyongyang, also houses a 50MW reactor whose construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with the United States. That reactor is nowhere near completion.
US officials said prior to the North’s second nuclear test last year, it had produced about 50k of plutonium, which proliferation experts say would be enough for six to eight nuclear weapons.
“It is our belief that North Korea is constantly working on making their weapons smaller, as all nations with nuclear programs wish to do, in order to produce nuclear weapons with more firepower and less plutonium,” Kim said.
“When the weapons are made mobile, they will be placed in the field, and when that time comes, they could wreak immense havoc on South Korean soil wherever they are aimed.”
A US think-tank has also said satellite images taken last week showed that construction or excavation activity was taking place at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex.
News that the North was pushing ahead with its nuclear plans in defiance of international pressure comes as Pyongyang, which has just recently set in motion a father-to-son power transition, has said it wants to return to stalled nuclear talks.
“We have judged that North Korea is currently operating all its nuclear programmes, including highly enriched uranium processing and the nuclear facility in Yongbyon,” said Kim Tae-hyo, the president’s secretary for national strategy, according to the JoongAng Daily today.
Even though it has exploded nuclear devices, North Korea has not shown it has a working nuclear bomb. Experts say they do not believe it has the ability to miniaturise an atomic weapon to place on a missile.
Under an earlier aid-for-disarmament agreement, the reclusive North began to close down Yongbyon, which when fully operational can produce enough fissile material for one nuclear bomb a year.
Last year, Pyongyang announced that in the face of US hostility it would restore parts of the plant, a year after blowing up the complex’s cooling tower in what it said was a display of its commitment to nuclear disarmament.
“Their nuclear programme is evolving even now at a very fast pace,” Kim told a forum on the future of Northeast Asia, adding the North’s nuclear threat had reached an “alarming level”.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon told the UN General Assembly last week that Pyongyang would bolster its “nuclear deterrent” in response to the threat posed by the United States, but promised never to use its atomic arsenal to attack or threaten any nation.
The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington said in a report that satellite images showed there was activity in the area surrounding the destroyed cooling tower.
“However, there is no indication in the imagery that North Korea is rebuilding its cooling tower,” it said.
“In addition, the new excavation activity appears to be more extensive than would be expected for rebuilding the cooling tower. But the actual purpose of this excavation activity cannot be determined from the image and bears watching.”
Until recently, there was no indication of new construction or excavation activity in the area of the destroyed cooling tower, the report said.
The Yongbyon complex consists of a five-megawatt reactor, whose construction began in 1980, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium reprocessing plant, where weapons-grade material is extracted from spent fuel rods.
The site, about 100km north of Pyongyang, also houses a 50MW reactor whose construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with the United States. That reactor is nowhere near completion.
US officials said prior to the North’s second nuclear test last year, it had produced about 50k of plutonium, which proliferation experts say would be enough for six to eight nuclear weapons.
“It is our belief that North Korea is constantly working on making their weapons smaller, as all nations with nuclear programs wish to do, in order to produce nuclear weapons with more firepower and less plutonium,” Kim said.
“When the weapons are made mobile, they will be placed in the field, and when that time comes, they could wreak immense havoc on South Korean soil wherever they are aimed.”
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Chavez: Venezuela studying nuclear energy program
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Monday that his government is carrying out initial studies into starting a nuclear energy program.
Chavez brought up the issue during a news conference, saying the South American country needs an atomic energy program.
"We're taking on the project of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and they aren't going to stop us," Chavez said. "We need it and we're carrying out the first studies."
Chavez is a close ally of Iran and has defended the Iranian nuclear program, saying he is sure Iran is not making atomic weapons in spite of U.S. and European suspicions.
He has mentioned plans for an atomic energy program previously. It remains unclear how quickly he intends to pursue the program.
Chavez brought up the issue while referring to the case of a physicist and his wife in New Mexico who are accused by U.S. authorities of offering to help develop a nuclear weapon in contacts with an undercover U.S. agent posing as a representative of the Venezuelan government.
"They detained some scientist professors, I think Argentines, and then I was ready to respond when I saw that a government spokesman came out there saying that no, no, there is no evidence," Chavez said.
The U.S. government is not alleging Venezuela or anyone working for it sought U.S. secrets in the case.
Chavez brought up the case as an example of some of the claims his leftist government has to contend with.
"They invent so many things," he said. "The fact they say there is no evidence doesn't mean they aren't going to find it tomorrow, or fabricate it ... that Venezuela is making an atomic bomb."
He called that idea preposterous, saying: "Who in Venezuela could take on a project of that type? Who? We aren't going to take it on."
Chavez brought up the issue during a news conference, saying the South American country needs an atomic energy program.
"We're taking on the project of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and they aren't going to stop us," Chavez said. "We need it and we're carrying out the first studies."
Chavez is a close ally of Iran and has defended the Iranian nuclear program, saying he is sure Iran is not making atomic weapons in spite of U.S. and European suspicions.
He has mentioned plans for an atomic energy program previously. It remains unclear how quickly he intends to pursue the program.
Chavez brought up the issue while referring to the case of a physicist and his wife in New Mexico who are accused by U.S. authorities of offering to help develop a nuclear weapon in contacts with an undercover U.S. agent posing as a representative of the Venezuelan government.
"They detained some scientist professors, I think Argentines, and then I was ready to respond when I saw that a government spokesman came out there saying that no, no, there is no evidence," Chavez said.
The U.S. government is not alleging Venezuela or anyone working for it sought U.S. secrets in the case.
Chavez brought up the case as an example of some of the claims his leftist government has to contend with.
"They invent so many things," he said. "The fact they say there is no evidence doesn't mean they aren't going to find it tomorrow, or fabricate it ... that Venezuela is making an atomic bomb."
He called that idea preposterous, saying: "Who in Venezuela could take on a project of that type? Who? We aren't going to take it on."
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ahmadinejad tells UN most blame US government for 9/11
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the United Nations yesterday most people believe the US government was behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, prompting the US and European delegations to leave the hall in protest.
Addressing the General Assembly, he said it was mostly US government officials and statesmen who believed al Qaeda Islamist militants carried out the suicide hijacking attacks that brought down New York’s World Trade Center — less than 6km from where the Iranian president was speaking.
Ahmadinejad walks alone as he does on most things, heading to an official meeting in Tehran Dec 14, 2009
Another theory, he said, was “that some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime.” Ahmadinejad usually refers to Israel as the “Zionist regime.”
“The majority of the American people as well as most nations and politicians around the world agree with this view,” Ahmadinejad told the 192-nation assembly, calling on the United Nations to establish “an independent fact-finding group” to look into the events of Sept. 11.
As in past years, the US delegation walked out during Ahmadinejad’s speech. It was joined by all 27 European Union delegations and several other countries.
Mark Kornblau, spokesman for the US mission to the United Nations, said Ahmadinejad chose “to spout vile conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic slurs that are as abhorrent and delusional as they are predictable.”
White House spokesman Bill Burton said President Barack Obama thought the comments “utterly outrageous and offensive — especially in the city where the 9/11 attacks occurred.”
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the remarks were “outrageous and unacceptable.”
‘COVERED UP’
Ahmadinejad said some evidence that could support alternative theories had been “covered up” — passports located in the rubble and a video of an unknown individual who had been “involved in oil deals with some American officials.”
As he had in past years, the Iranian president used the General Assembly podium to attack Iran’s other archfoe, Israel, and to defend the right of his country to a nuclear program that Western powers fear is aimed at developing arms.
“This regime (Israel), which enjoys the absolute support of some Western countries, regularly threatens the countries in the region and continues publicly announced assassination of Palestinian figures and others, while Palestinian defenders ... are labelled as terrorists and anti-Semites,” he said.
“All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism,” Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian president previously raised doubts about the Holocaust of the Jews in World War Two and said Israel had no right to exist.
Tehran has been hit with four rounds of UN sanctions for refusing to halt its nuclear enrichment program. Obama earlier told the assembly the door to diplomacy was still open for Iran, but it needed to prove its atomic program is peaceful, as it says it is.
Two days ago, foreign ministers from the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany said they hoped for a negotiated solution to the standoff with Tehran.
Ahmadinejad criticised the Security Council for imposing sanctions on his country, saying the penalties were “destroying the remaining credibility” of the 15-nation body
Addressing the General Assembly, he said it was mostly US government officials and statesmen who believed al Qaeda Islamist militants carried out the suicide hijacking attacks that brought down New York’s World Trade Center — less than 6km from where the Iranian president was speaking.
Another theory, he said, was “that some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order to save the Zionist regime.” Ahmadinejad usually refers to Israel as the “Zionist regime.”
“The majority of the American people as well as most nations and politicians around the world agree with this view,” Ahmadinejad told the 192-nation assembly, calling on the United Nations to establish “an independent fact-finding group” to look into the events of Sept. 11.
As in past years, the US delegation walked out during Ahmadinejad’s speech. It was joined by all 27 European Union delegations and several other countries.
Mark Kornblau, spokesman for the US mission to the United Nations, said Ahmadinejad chose “to spout vile conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic slurs that are as abhorrent and delusional as they are predictable.”
White House spokesman Bill Burton said President Barack Obama thought the comments “utterly outrageous and offensive — especially in the city where the 9/11 attacks occurred.”
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the remarks were “outrageous and unacceptable.”
‘COVERED UP’
Ahmadinejad said some evidence that could support alternative theories had been “covered up” — passports located in the rubble and a video of an unknown individual who had been “involved in oil deals with some American officials.”
As he had in past years, the Iranian president used the General Assembly podium to attack Iran’s other archfoe, Israel, and to defend the right of his country to a nuclear program that Western powers fear is aimed at developing arms.
“This regime (Israel), which enjoys the absolute support of some Western countries, regularly threatens the countries in the region and continues publicly announced assassination of Palestinian figures and others, while Palestinian defenders ... are labelled as terrorists and anti-Semites,” he said.
“All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism,” Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian president previously raised doubts about the Holocaust of the Jews in World War Two and said Israel had no right to exist.
Tehran has been hit with four rounds of UN sanctions for refusing to halt its nuclear enrichment program. Obama earlier told the assembly the door to diplomacy was still open for Iran, but it needed to prove its atomic program is peaceful, as it says it is.
Two days ago, foreign ministers from the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany said they hoped for a negotiated solution to the standoff with Tehran.
Ahmadinejad criticised the Security Council for imposing sanctions on his country, saying the penalties were “destroying the remaining credibility” of the 15-nation body
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Iran hits at UN nuclear watchdog, defies West
Iran said today the UN nuclear watchdog was suffering a crisis of “moral authority and credibility”, underlining worsening relations between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In a speech to IAEA member states including the United States, Iran’s nuclear energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi also voiced continued defiance over international demands that the Islamic state stop work the West suspects is aimed at making atom bombs.
“The uncivilized double-track approach of threat and dialogue cannot be conducive and fruitful,” he said, referring to the West’s policy of imposing sanctions on Iran while offering incentives for it to back down in the eight-year row.
Speaking shortly afterwards at the same annual assembly of the 151-member Vienna-based United Nations body, the US representative urged Iran to meet its international obligations.
“Otherwise it is clear that there is a broad and growing international consensus that will hold Iran accountable if it continues its defiance,” US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.
The United States remained committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution but Iran must assure the rest of the world of the peaceful nature of its nuclear intentions, Chu said.
Salehi criticised the IAEA’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear work as unfair and suggested Western powers had influenced it.
“It appears that the agency is suffering from (a) moral authority and credibility crisis,” Salehi said.
The report showed Iran escalating nuclear fuel enrichment work, which it says is for peaceful uses only, in defiance of tougher UN, US and European sanctions introduced since June.
It also voiced frustration over Iran’s lack of full cooperation with IAEA inspectors and investigators.
Relations between Iran and the IAEA have deteriorated since Yukiya Amano took over as head of the agency in December.
He has taken a blunter approach on Iran than his predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei, saying in his reports to the IAEA’s board of governors that Tehran could be trying to develop a nuclear-armed missile now, not only at some point in the past.
Iran said in June it had barred two IAEA inspectors, accusing them of giving “false” information on its activities.
Amano, a Japanese diplomat, has said Iran’s repeated rejections of his staff was hampering the IAEA’s work and Western powers have accused Tehran of intimidating the agency.
Salehi also called on major powers to resume talks “without further delay” on a plan to provide nuclear fuel to a Tehran medical reactor in exchange for some of its low-enriched uranium stockpile – potential bomb material if refined to a high level.
Regarded at the time by world powers as a prospective confidence-building step, the deal stalled last year after Iran backed away from the initial terms for an atomic fuel swap.
Western diplomats do not rule out a resumption of the nuclear fuel discussions. But they stress the need for broader negotiations which they hope will lead to Iran suspending uranium enrichment, something it has repeatedly ruled out.
In its statement at the IAEA assembly, the European Union urged Iran to meet with major powers “with the ultimate goal of establishing a comprehensive relationship, involving cooperation in all fields ... and benefiting both sides.”
In Washington today, a US Treasury official said Iran was struggling with international sanctions and pressure on its economy and banking sector was mounting.
Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, has dismissed the impact of sanctions on its economy. Salehi denounced the punitive measures as “unjustified and illegal”.
In a speech to IAEA member states including the United States, Iran’s nuclear energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi also voiced continued defiance over international demands that the Islamic state stop work the West suspects is aimed at making atom bombs.
Iran’s nuclear energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi shows continued defiance over international demands that the Islamic state stop work the West suspects is aimed at making atom bombs.
“The uncivilized double-track approach of threat and dialogue cannot be conducive and fruitful,” he said, referring to the West’s policy of imposing sanctions on Iran while offering incentives for it to back down in the eight-year row.
Speaking shortly afterwards at the same annual assembly of the 151-member Vienna-based United Nations body, the US representative urged Iran to meet its international obligations.
“Otherwise it is clear that there is a broad and growing international consensus that will hold Iran accountable if it continues its defiance,” US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said.
The United States remained committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution but Iran must assure the rest of the world of the peaceful nature of its nuclear intentions, Chu said.
Salehi criticised the IAEA’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear work as unfair and suggested Western powers had influenced it.
“It appears that the agency is suffering from (a) moral authority and credibility crisis,” Salehi said.
The report showed Iran escalating nuclear fuel enrichment work, which it says is for peaceful uses only, in defiance of tougher UN, US and European sanctions introduced since June.
It also voiced frustration over Iran’s lack of full cooperation with IAEA inspectors and investigators.
Relations between Iran and the IAEA have deteriorated since Yukiya Amano took over as head of the agency in December.
He has taken a blunter approach on Iran than his predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei, saying in his reports to the IAEA’s board of governors that Tehran could be trying to develop a nuclear-armed missile now, not only at some point in the past.
Iran said in June it had barred two IAEA inspectors, accusing them of giving “false” information on its activities.
Amano, a Japanese diplomat, has said Iran’s repeated rejections of his staff was hampering the IAEA’s work and Western powers have accused Tehran of intimidating the agency.
Salehi also called on major powers to resume talks “without further delay” on a plan to provide nuclear fuel to a Tehran medical reactor in exchange for some of its low-enriched uranium stockpile – potential bomb material if refined to a high level.
Regarded at the time by world powers as a prospective confidence-building step, the deal stalled last year after Iran backed away from the initial terms for an atomic fuel swap.
Western diplomats do not rule out a resumption of the nuclear fuel discussions. But they stress the need for broader negotiations which they hope will lead to Iran suspending uranium enrichment, something it has repeatedly ruled out.
In its statement at the IAEA assembly, the European Union urged Iran to meet with major powers “with the ultimate goal of establishing a comprehensive relationship, involving cooperation in all fields ... and benefiting both sides.”
In Washington today, a US Treasury official said Iran was struggling with international sanctions and pressure on its economy and banking sector was mounting.
Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, has dismissed the impact of sanctions on its economy. Salehi denounced the punitive measures as “unjustified and illegal”.
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