Nations agree to deny Iran help building reactor
Thirty-five nations today agreed to deny Iran’s request for technical help in building a plutonium-producing reactor – at least for now – but left room for Tehran to renew its request, diplomats said.
Two diplomats said a committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency would forward a summary of its three days of deliberations on hundreds of requests for technical aid from member countries to tomorrow’s board meeting noting that “no decision was taken” on Tehran’s call for aid for its Arak reactor.
The two diplomats – from countries on opposing sides of the issue – had different interpretations of the decision, reflecting the depth of the dispute. They both demanded anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the issue with the media.
A European diplomat said the tentative agreement effectively meant that Iran’s request was turned down.
Another diplomat, from a developing nation, said it meant that the issue remained on the table and could be revisited at a future meeting of the IAEA technical aid committee.
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