Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, Yuval Steinitz, is demanding that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) release all of the information it gathered about Iran’s potential nuclear weapons program, according to the Jerusalem Post. The demand follows a report by Reuters that suggested the IAEA had withheld a report on Iran 2013 for fear that releasing the details would complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a nuclear deal.
On Thursday, Reuters reported: “The UN nuclear watchdog planned a major report on Iran that might have revealed more of its suspected atomic bomb research, but held off as Tehran’s relations with the outside world thawed, sources familiar with the matter said.” It was not clear what details were suppressed, though Reuters’ sources speculated that they involved “suspicions of nuclear yield calculations,” i.e. energy from explosions.
Steinitz is quoted by the Jerusalem Post: “The role of the IAEA is to expose to the international community all information regarding military aspects of the Iranian nuclear project, and not to withhold it for reasons of diplomatic sensitivity… Because the matter of the PMD (possible military dimensions) is so important to a final deal with Iran, I call on the IAEA to complete and publish the report at the earliest opportunity.”
In related news, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported Friday that the spokesman for Iran’s nuclear agency had declared that the country’s commitments to curb its nuclear program were merely “temporary and non-obligatory.” He added: “Undoubtedly, time has been, and will continue to be, in Iran’s favor,” and boasted about the country’s continued advances in its enrichment of uranium.
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