A newly released report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency on Iran’s nuclear related military research has left Iranian and Israeli officials unofficially sparring on the world stage.
The report, released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), concluded that Iran conducted “coordinated” efforts in its nuclear weapons research up to 2003 and, to a lesser extent, until 2009.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said that the IAEA report “proved beyond any doubt that Iran operated a secret program to develop nuclear weapons, including after 2003.”
The report “exposed the techniques of deception and obfuscation that Iran employed regarding its nuclear program.” According to Israel, Iranian deception surrounding its nuclear program is greatly exemplified “around the Parchin facility, where the Iranian tried to cover up evidence of their illegal activity.”
Israel called on the IAEA and the international community “to use all means at its disposal to ensure that Iran cannot secretly build a nuclear weapon. Without completing this investigation, the world will not know how far Iran went in its secret program, and what its current status is.”
While the IAEA report confirms what many western powers have suspected for years, Iran claimed on Wednesday that the IAEA report showed Iran’s nuclear program was “peaceful” and denied any accusations of developing nuclear weapons.
“The final IAEA report about past dimensions (to the program) shows there was no sign of a military nuclear program…and confirms that Iran’s program was peaceful,” Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by IRNA.