UN chief joins global chorus on Iran’s nuke alarm

Iran Focus: London, Jan. 12 – The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan voiced concern on Wednesday over Iran’s decision to break the seals of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Iran Focus

London, Jan. 12 – The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan voiced concern on Wednesday over Iran’s decision to break the seals of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.

Annan’s spokesman in New York said that the UN chief was “very concerned” by the Iranian action.

Annan joins the governments of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, China, Russia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Japan, and the United States in expressing alarm at Iran’s resumption of uranium enrichment.

Iran has begun previously-suspended uranium enrichment at Natanz, in effect breaching its November 2004 agreement with Britain, France, and the United Kingdom which had been leading negotiations with Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.

Annan had spoken with IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei frequently in recent days over the issue, his spokesman said.

ElBaradei also expressed his “serious concern about Iran’s decision to unravel the suspension of enrichment-related activities requested by the IAEA Board of Governors before the Agency has clarified the nature of Iran’s nuclear program”.

He recalled that a number of important issues remain unresolved due to the “less than full and prompt transparency on the part of Iran”.