Iranian Leader Vows He’ll Never Stop Enrichment
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

UNITED NATIONS – As the United Nations agency charged with preventing nuclear proliferation welcomed yesterday Iran’s agreement to suspend all uranium enrichment activities, Tehran’s supreme leader called the nation’s nuclear program a “national industry” and vowed never to abandon it.
The New York Sun learned, meanwhile, that Israeli intelligence officials believe that Iran was able to conceal the existence of more than 13 pounds of enriched uranium from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A Jerusalem source familiar with intelligence on Iran said that 18 months ago Tehran succeeded in enriching the 13 pounds independently. The source said that, when added to nearly 20 pounds of enriched uranium that Iran already is believed to possess from processing 3.5 tons of yellowcake it said it imported, the Mullah regime is closer to 55 pounds of enriched uranium, the amount needed for a nuclear bomb.
No IAEA official was available for comment on those allegations last night. In his report to the agency’s board of directors, IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei noted yesterday that Iran “is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran.”
Nevertheless, Mr. ElBaradei’s report to the board of governors at the Vienna-based IAEA was seen as a victory for European diplomacy, which advocates agreements with Iran, as opposed to the confrontational diplomacy favored by Washington.
Yesterday’s resolution got Iran off the hook as far as an American threat to refer its violations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to the U.N. Security Council, where sanctions could be imposed. But Washington continued nevertheless to threaten such a referral, indicating it might go alone in the face of European resistance.
The resolution, based on an agreement reached between Iran and Germany, France, and Britain, was made possible when Mr. ElBaradei reported that Iran withdrew its request to use up to 20 sets of centrifuge components for research and development.
Iran’s latest promise held enough weight for the Europeans and Mr. El-Baradei to endorse Iran’s vow to freeze its enrichment activities. Mr. ElBaradei said that he received a letter from Tehran permitting the IAEA to place the 20 sets under surveillance and pledging not to test them. The IAEA then put surveillance cameras on the centrifuges to monitor Iran’s adherence to that pledge.
In Tehran, however, Supreme Leader Khamenei signaled that the latest promise might not be a final word. “The Americans and the western powers know for certain that Iran never goes after acquiring nuclear arms,” he said with the visiting Venezuelan President Chavez next to him, according to the news agency IRNA.
“The propaganda against Iranian nuclear program aims to force Iran to abandon nuclear technology which has become a national industry in Iran,” IRNA quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying. “Abandoning nuclear technology for civilian purpose is Iran’s red line and that Iran-E.U. accord on the nuclear program has been made in line with Iranian red line.”
Iran insisted that the research on the 20 centrifuges, like all of its nuclear experimentation, is part of a program intended for civilian purposes. In the past, Iran has reneged on agreements it has reached with the three European nations, using differences in interpretation regarding civilian use. Yesterday’s IAEA resolution acknowledged that Iran’s policy of concealment has led to many breaches of its NPT obligations.
The American envoy at the Vienna meeting, Jackie Sanders, reminded the IAEA board that “any member of the U.N. may bring to the attention of the Security Council any situation that might endanger the maintenance of international peace and security,” indicating that Washington might raise the issue at the council on its own.
And in Washington, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that action might come to a head even before the next IAEA quarterly board meeting. “We would look forward to an immediate report from Dr. ElBaradei if Iran fails to sustain full suspension or impedes IAEA verification,” he said. “In that case, we certainly believe the board should have no choice but to refer Iran to the Security Council.”
Ms. Sanders also issued a stern warning to national and multinational companies not to export weapons-related equipment to Iran. America will impose unilateral “economic burdens on them and brand them as proliferators,” she said.