Iran Continues To Enrich Uranium

Iran Continues To Enrich Uranium

The latest United Nations report on Iran's nuclear program says that Iran continues to engage in proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities that the Security Council has demanded it stop.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the I-A-E-A, says that Iran has continued to enrich uranium and has a stockpile of over 1,010 kilograms of low enriched uranium – one third more than the Iranian government had previously disclosed.

The I-A-E-A also reported that Iran has refused to respond constructively to questions regarding Iran's past work to develop a nuclear weapons' capability. In addition, Iran has not permitted the I-A-E-A to conduct an inspection of its heavy-water reactor currently under construction near the town of Arak south west of Tehran.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the I-A-E-A report is evidence of another lost opportunity for Iran to show that its nuclear program is, as Iran claims, for civilian energy purposes:

"Absent compliance, the international community cannot have confidence that this program is exclusively of a peaceful nature. It does underscore the urgency with which the international community must work together to address these enrichment activities."

In a written statement, Gordon Duguid, U.S. State Department's Acting Deputy Spokesman, urged Iran "to suspend its uranium enrichment-related reprocessing and heavy water-related activities, to make a full disclosure to the I-A-E-A of all nuclear weapons activities, and to facilitate full I-A-E-A verification of its nuclear program."