Little Red Blog

The reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s chief Mohammed El-Baradei chiding Iran for the "confidence deficit" created by Iran’s previous failures to disclose clandestine aspects of its nuclear program aren’t entirely accurate.

The words of the Chief:

Last November, the Secretariat provided to the Board a comprehensive report on the Agency’s verification of Iran’s compliance with its NPT safeguards obligations and its voluntary suspension of enrichment and reprocessing related activities. Since that report, Iran has facilitated Agency access under its safeguards agreement and additional protocol to nuclear material and facilities, and has also provided access to other locations in the country, including a transparency visit to a military site. We have continued to implement the measures of the additional protocol by reviewing declarations made by Iran and conducting complementary access and other verification activities. The Agency has also continued its verification of Iran’s voluntary suspension of enrichment and reprocessing related activities. The Agency has been making progress in two important issues, regarding the origin of the contamination on equipment at various locations in Iran in cooperation with the country concerned, and regarding follow-up on information provided by Iran on its centrifuge programmes. The Deputy Director General for Safeguards will provide more details on our verification activities in Iran. As the Agency continues to work towards completing its assessment of all outstanding issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme, I would encourage Iran to provide full transparency with respect to all of its nuclear activities, by providing in full detail and in a prompt manner all information that could shed light on some of the outstanding issues. In some cases, the receipt of information is still pending, which in turn delays our work. As I mentioned at the last Board meeting, in view of the past undeclared nature of significant aspects of Iran’s nuclear programme, a confidence deficit has been created, and it is therefore essential that Iran works closely with the Agency in a proactive manner in order for us to build the necessary confidence and achieve the required degree of assurance.

Without altering a word of it, does it strike anyone, even using the soft-edged wording associated with the world of diplomacy that this is chiding?

The IAEA serves a significant purpose in monitoring and reporting on the development and use of various nuclear technologies. What it does not do is hold nations accountable for violating the terms of their agreements or abuse. As I see it, this report simply states in the most diplomatic or tactful terms possible that Iran isn't cooperating. The IAEA will give them more time and it is likely will give them enough time to create nuclear weapons.

Here's what the IAEA has to say about the DPRK or North Korea.

The nuclear activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which continue to be outside international verification, remain a serious challenge to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Since 31 December 2002, when at the request of the DPRK the Agency’s verification activities were terminated, the Agency has been unable to draw any conclusions regarding the DPRK’s nuclear activities. The recent declaration by the DPRK that it possesses nuclear weapons is a matter of the utmost concern and has serious security implications, and highlights yet again the importance and the urgency of finding a diplomatic solution through dialogue. The Agency stands ready to work with the DPRK — and with all others — towards a solution that addresses both the security needs of the DPRK and the needs of the international community to ensure that all nuclear activities in the DPRK are exclusively for peaceful purposes.

The IAEA wants to work with the DPRK to address security needs of the DPRK. Really. Huh...

Anyone feel secure having Mr. El-Baradei on the job?

Back to Iran. In September 2003, yep, 2003 the following statement was made:

Indeed, we urge Iran to take this final opportunity and cooperate fully with the IAEA and to demonstrate a genuine commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. Continued failure to do so must result in the IAEA taking this matter promptly to the UN Security Council. [emphasis mine.]

Was it the war mongering neo-con dominated United States representative to the IAEA? No. That was Canada. And yet, no report push by the IAEA to take the matter to the UN Security Council and no compliance from Iran. In the 400+ days since that statement Iran has continued to work toward nuclear weapons. What has the IAEA done but ever so gently chide them?