UN Iran Visit: Inspectors Probe Nuclear Weapons Development on Terror Concerns
U.N. officials have visited Iran for the second time in a month. Their February 20th return shows how seriously the monitoring organization views the pace of Iranian nuclear developments. Though Iranian officials have denied it, the West fears that the country is harboring a nuclear weapons facility underground. The facility is believed to be housed underneath Parchin, a military base in which weapons are believed to be created.
This comes after a major accusation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Feb. 15, that Iran is the world's largest exporter of terrorism and that it is undermining world stability. Netanyahu charged the country with setting up the recent terrorist attacks in India and Georgia. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's actions last week did little to dispel such indictments. This included a televised ceremony in which Ahmadinejad unveiled new developments that included fuel rods being loaded into a reactor.
According to BBC News, Chief IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspector Herman Nackaerts is seeking some concrete results from the visit but warns that progress in the region may take a while. Since the U.N's initial visit to Tehran in January was productive, hope still remains that Iran will cooperate with the West.
On Sunday, February 19th, Nackaerts demonstrated an optimistic approach to diffusing tensions in the region:
Importantly we hope for some concrete results from the trip. The highest priority remains of course the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, but we want to tackle all outstanding issues.
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