Iran could be in serious trouble unless it embarks upon adequate confidence-building measures. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report of May 23 mentions that “the Agency will not be able to fully reconstruct the history of Iran’s nuclear programme and provide assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran or about the exclusively peaceful nature of that programme”. It can’t do this because Iran’s record is shrouded in controversy.

In fact the international non-proliferation regime is passing through one of its most challenging times. As is evident from the Iranian case, differing perceptions over tackling non-proliferation issues can lead to volatile situations. Tehran today faces fierce opposition, particularly from the US , which accuse s it of developing nuclear weapons in the garb of a peaceful nuclear programme. Iran vehemently denies this is determined to carry on with its enrichment and nuclear fuel cycle related activities.

As early as November 2003, the IAEA’s director general had stated in his report to the organisation’s board of governors that in a number of instances over an extended period Iran had failed to meet its safeguards obligations. Even Iran had conceded at that point that it has been developing a uranium centrifuge enrichment programme for 18 years, a laser enrichment programme for 12 years, and has produced small amounts of low enriched uranium, and that it had failed to report to the IAEA a number of activities involving nuclear material, including the separation of a small amount of plutonium. The IAEA, after a four-year engagement with Iran, still awaits a reply on three counts: the uranium contamination at the Physics Research Centre; Iran’s acquisition of P-1 and P-2 centrifuge technology; and the documentation concerning uranium metal and its casting into hemispheres.

... contd.