EU trio criticises Iran over nuclear freeze

Reuters: France, Britain and Germany, who are spearheading atomic talks with Iran, criticised Tehran on Wednesday for not keeping its pledge to suspend all sensitive parts of its nuclear programme that could be used in bomb-making. In a statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors, the trio cited Iran’s pledge to suspend activities linked to uranium enrichment, and said Tehran’s recent cleaning and quality control work on nuclear equipment parts was “of serious concern”. Reuters

VIENNA – France, Britain and Germany, who are spearheading atomic talks with Iran, criticised Tehran on Wednesday for not keeping its pledge to suspend all sensitive parts of its nuclear programme that could be used in bomb-making.

In a statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors, the trio cited Iran’s pledge to suspend activities linked to uranium enrichment, and said Tehran’s recent cleaning and quality control work on nuclear equipment parts was “of serious concern”.

“We understand this decision as a voluntary commitment to suspend all, meaning each and every, enrichment-related activities, without exceptions. We urge Iran to keep to this voluntary commitment,” Robert Wright, head of Britain’s delegation to the IAEA meeting, said for the European trio.

He added that Iran appeared to have been determined to limit the scope of U.N. “transparency visits”, the non-compulsory IAEA inspections which diplomats say are crucial if Iran is to prove its nuclear intentions are peaceful as it says they are.