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Iran: it's A.Q. Khan network, says IAEA

Atul Aneja

DUBAI: As the countdown begins for the crucial meeting in Vienna next week, which will discuss Iran's nuclear programme, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has issued a report that raises questions about Teheran's atomic programme.

The report released in Vienna on Friday says Iran received nuclear designs from the nuclear smuggling network run by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan. It suggests that the information was about building the explosive core of a nuclear bomb. Iran has passed on this data to IAEA inspectors, after stressing that it neither requested nor used this information. Iran has maintained that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, and its atomic programme was meant for augmenting its energy resources.

Analysts point out that the IAEA report could play its part in influencing board members against Iran, increasing pressure on Teheran to adopt a more conciliatory approach in order to avoid a referral to the U.N. Security Council.

Soon after the IAEA disclosure, chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA Gregory Schulte said the information "concerns us very much". "Iran owes the Board of Governors its explanation of what was it doing with these documents," he said. "Why did it fail to disclose them to the Board and to the IAEA in the past?"

The report comes in the backdrop of a compromise solution proposed by Russia, which now has the backing of the United States, Germany, Britan and France. On the sidelines of the meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) In Busan, US President George Bush told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow's proposal was helpful. Washington then went ahead with exhorting Iran to accept the proposal.

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