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Iran makes N-offer to fend off sanctions
Iran has said that it will allow United Nations nuclear officials better monitoring and access to a site where it started enriching uranium to higher levels over two months ago, diplomats said.
Iran has said that it will allow United Nations nuclear officials better monitoring and access to a site where it started enriching uranium to higher levels over two months ago, diplomats said.
The move should have happened earlier, diplomats said, as Iran started higher enrichment in February, before inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could improve surveillance.
Suspecting that Iran aims to develop atomic weapon, Western powers have said the switch to higher enrichment was “provocative” and warranted sanctions.
In meetings with IAEA officials earlier this month, Tehran agreed “in principle” to allow them to strengthen monitoring and containment measures to improve chances of detecting any diversion of nuclear material for military use, diplomats said.
“Now an agreement has been reached for enhanced surveillance measures. But we have to see if and when they are put in place,” a senior Western diplomat said.
The Islamic Republic said its promise showed it was cooperating well with the IAEA.
‘China will agree’
US Vice President Joe Biden said that China will sign on to new UN sanctions on Iran, and predicted new measures to punish Tehran’s nuclear program could be agreed by the end of this month.
