VIENNA — Iran has done next to nothing to respond to international demands that it halt its uranium enrichment program and provide information about its nuclear activities, according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The report, which is expected to be sent to the U.N. Security Council in two weeks for debate over possible sanctions, stops short of outright condemnation of Tehran's activities. But it raises grave doubts about Iran's assurances that its program is solely for civilian energy purposes.
Iran's failure to provide requested information meant that the U.N. atomic watchdog agency also could not rule out that Tehran was hiding nuclear materials or activities in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, said the report by the agency's director-general, Mohamed ElBaradei. It stopped short of saying that Iran's aims might not be peaceful, which would have been an extremely serious finding.
In Iran's favor, ElBaradei found no evidence that nuclear material had been diverted toward building a weapon.
Countries that sign the nonproliferation treaty must disclose all nuclear material to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA.
"To clarify these uncertainties, Iran's full transparency is still essential," said ElBaradei's report, a copy of which was obtained by The Times.
The report, submitted Monday to the IAEA's governing board, also noted that Iran had failed to take any of the steps demanded by the board at its meeting this month.
To the contrary, Iran is testing a series of 20 centrifuges, a process essential to developing a full-scale capacity to enrich uranium.
"They were asked to suspend all enrichment activities, they started small-scale research and development; they were asked to ratify and implement the additional protocol, they suspended it; they were asked to take transparency measures," but failed to do so, said a senior official familiar with the IAEA's Iran probe.
The additional protocol was meant to give weapons inspectors broader latitude to examine workshops where nuclear processing machinery is made and to inspect a wider range of sites.
The report, drafted for next week's meeting of the 35-nation IAEA board, will play a key role in determining the international community's next steps to try to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear program.
