IRAN - NUCLEAR
ElBaradei: 'No evidence Iran is making nuclear weapons'
IAEA chief ElBaradei declared that he hasn't received any information proving that Iran had a "concrete active nuclear weapons program" right now. He accused American leaders of adding "fuel to the fire."
Sunday, October 28, 2007
By AFP
Chief UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday he had no evidence that Iran is actively building nuclear weapons, despite recent bellicose rhetoric from US leaders.
"I have not received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear weapons program going on right now," the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency told CNN, warning that US threats added "fuel to the fire."
"Even if Iran were to be working on a nuclear weapon ... they are at least a few years from having such a weapon," he said, citing assessments by US officials themselves.
"At this stage we need to continue to work through creative diplomacy ... as I don't see any other solution than diplomacy and inspections," ElBaradei said.
The White House Friday rejected any parallels between its Iran rhetoric and the run-up to the Iraq invasion, after fresh sanctions on Tehran and escalating US warnings fueled comparisons to the months before the 2003 invasion.
"We are absolutely committed to a diplomatic process," spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.
"We would never take options off the table, but the diplomatic process is what we want to move forward with," he said, calling it "unwise" to rule out the use of force.
His comments came as US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been sharply ramping up their rhetoric about Iran, leading some critics to draw parallels with the late 2002 verbal escalation against Iraq.
In recent months, Bush has predicted "nuclear holocaust" and "World War III" if Tehran gets atomic weapons, while Cheney has warned of "serious consequences" for Iran if it defies global demands to freeze sensitive nuclear work -- echoing the UN resolution that Washington says authorized war in Iraq.
ElBaradei said if the United States had more information on Iran's nuclear ambitions than the IAEA, "I would be very happy to receive it and go forward."
He said "we cannot give Iran a pass right now, because there is still a lot of question marks."
"But have we seen Iran having the nuclear material that can readily be used into a weapon? No. Have we seen an active weaponization program? No," he said.
Merely "exchanging rhetoric" would not resolve the Iranian nuclear case, ElBaradei said, pointing to ongoing negotiations with North Korea as an example of dealing with the Islamic republic.
He said it is time "to stop spinning and hyping the Iranian issue," warning that military force could spark a global "conflagration."
"I have not received any information that there is a concrete active nuclear weapons program going on right now," the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency told CNN, warning that US threats added "fuel to the fire."
"Even if Iran were to be working on a nuclear weapon ... they are at least a few years from having such a weapon," he said, citing assessments by US officials themselves.
"At this stage we need to continue to work through creative diplomacy ... as I don't see any other solution than diplomacy and inspections," ElBaradei said.
The White House Friday rejected any parallels between its Iran rhetoric and the run-up to the Iraq invasion, after fresh sanctions on Tehran and escalating US warnings fueled comparisons to the months before the 2003 invasion.
"We are absolutely committed to a diplomatic process," spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.
"We would never take options off the table, but the diplomatic process is what we want to move forward with," he said, calling it "unwise" to rule out the use of force.
His comments came as US President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been sharply ramping up their rhetoric about Iran, leading some critics to draw parallels with the late 2002 verbal escalation against Iraq.
In recent months, Bush has predicted "nuclear holocaust" and "World War III" if Tehran gets atomic weapons, while Cheney has warned of "serious consequences" for Iran if it defies global demands to freeze sensitive nuclear work -- echoing the UN resolution that Washington says authorized war in Iraq.
ElBaradei said if the United States had more information on Iran's nuclear ambitions than the IAEA, "I would be very happy to receive it and go forward."
He said "we cannot give Iran a pass right now, because there is still a lot of question marks."
"But have we seen Iran having the nuclear material that can readily be used into a weapon? No. Have we seen an active weaponization program? No," he said.
Merely "exchanging rhetoric" would not resolve the Iranian nuclear case, ElBaradei said, pointing to ongoing negotiations with North Korea as an example of dealing with the Islamic republic.
He said it is time "to stop spinning and hyping the Iranian issue," warning that military force could spark a global "conflagration."
There are no reactions so far.
Be the first user to react to this article.
You will only have to select the button <<REACT>> and fill the indicated fields.
Your reaction
Your reaction has been sent to FRANCE 24. Thank you for your feedback.
France 24 - Send by e-mail
The article has successfully been sent by email
