The UN nuclear watchdog asked to look at military sites in Iran as part of its investigation to determine if Iran has a secret atomic weapons programme as the United States alleges, diplomats said today.
Diplomats also said it was very likely that the UN agency's governing board would choose to report Iran to the UN Security Council in November, though it would almost certainly not press for any kind of sanctions yet.
Diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had given Iran a list of a few sites it wanted to inspect ahead of an October 31st deadline for Iran to prove it is complying with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The diplomats said Iran, which denies having a nuclear weapons programme, accepted the list of sites and agreed to grant the IAEA access. It was unclear how many military sites were on the list, though one diplomat said the list was "short".
"One country in particular said (to the IAEA) that the inspections could not verify anything unless inspectors visited military sites," said a Western diplomat, adding that the IAEA agreed. This "one country" clearly refers to the United States. Until now, the IAEA has been focusing on civilian sites.
On September 12, the IAEA passed a tough resolution that demanded Iran hand over all information and documentation related to its nuclear programme by October 31st, in particular its uranium enrichment activities.