U.S. says concerned over Iran after IAEA report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Thursday a new report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog had increased concern over Iran’s nuclear activities and urged Tehran to answer questions over its program.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the United States did not understand why Iran had refused to “come to the table and engage constructively” over its nuclear program.
“You have to draw some conclusions from that,” he added, when asked about the latest report on Iran.
The confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency voiced concern that Iran may now be working to develop a nuclear payload for a missile.
The report also confirmed Iran had produced its first, small batch of uranium enriched to a higher level — 20 percent — but said the Islamic Republic had failed to give inspectors the required advance notice.
Crowley said Iran had failed to satisfactorily explain to the IAEA what its nuclear ambitions and activities were, adding that the conclusions of the report were consistent with the views of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“We have ongoing concerns about Iran’s activities,” he said.
The United States is leading a push for the U.N. Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, which says its nuclear program is solely to generate electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.
(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
