U.N. Watchdog Gives Iran Oct 31 Nuclear Deadline
September 12, 2003
Reuters
Reuters.com
VIENNA -- The governing board of the United Nations nuclear watchdog passed a resolution on Friday setting Iran an October 31 deadline to prove it has no secret nuclear weapons program, a diplomat told reporters.
Iran's delegation to the U.N. walked out of the closed-door meeting in protest, warning that Tehran would have a "deep review" of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We will have no choice but to have a deep review of our existing level and extent of engagement with the agency vis a vis this resolution," Iranian ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna Ali Akbar Salehi said in the text of a statement to the board.
If Iran does not comply with the resolution it could open the door to Tehran being reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
The resolution gives Iran a last chance to prove it has been complying with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Asked if the toughly worded draft text submitted to the board had been passed at the closed-door meeting, the diplomat said: "Yes."
In an August 26 report, the IAEA said it had found traces of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium at an enrichment facility at Natanz, Iran, sparking fears the country had been purifying uranium for use in an atomic bomb. Iran denied the charge.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3434914"Iran's delegation to the U.N. walked out of the closed-door meeting in protest, warning that Tehran would have a "deep review" of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."
Typical reaction from them. They're always outraged when people find out the truth and call them on it.