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Iran leader denies violation of nuclear agreement

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Saturday denied that Iran had broken nuclear development regulations in respect to a newly-disclosed nuclear facility, insisting that the applicable disclosure rules only require notice six months before nuclear material is introduced into the facility for the first time. At a press conference Friday, US, British, French and German leaders gathered in Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit said in a joint statement that Iran had violated the terms of agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by failing to disclose in a timely manner the existence of a nuclear facility. Under the terms of a 2003 protocol to Iran's original IAEA Safeguards Agreement, Iran was obligated to disclose the existence of the plant prior to construction. Iran unilaterally opted out of the protocol in May 2007, however, claiming that it did not apply as Iran had not yet ratified it. This position is not accepted by experts. The joint statement came a few days after Iran wrote to the IAEA indicating the location of a new facility in the mountains near the city of Qum. French President Nicholas Sarkozy said Iran must now disclose any additional information it has about the facility by December or face sanctions. In December 2006 the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium and broadened them three months later. The UN had previously ordered Iran to stop expanding its nuclear program by August 31, 2006. Iran has said it will completely withdraw from the IAEA if its "nuclear rights" are taken away. The IAEA and the western powers are particularly concerned about Iranian activities that might lead to the production of nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly insisted that its enrichment activities are not weapons-related.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on September 26, 2009 (boomark / email).