The International

Iran has been working on developing nuclear weapons since 2003, says the new official quarterly report on Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The report, published on Tuesday, November 8, states that Iran has been building computer models of fast-acting detonators, which can be used in a nuclear bomb and have “limited civilian or conventional military applications.” Iran has also been obtaining documentation on nuclear weapon development from a “clandestine nuclear supply network,” continue IAEA analysts. However, the report does not explicitly state that the country is either in possession of or developing nuclear weapons, but calls on the Iranian government to contact the Agency’s specialists in the very near future for clarification of the report’s findings.

Iranian officials met the report with staunch criticism. Ali Ashghar Soltanieh, Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, called it “a repetition of old claims, which were proven baseless by Iran in a precise 117-page response,” as quoted by BBC. Mr. Soltanieh reiterated Iran’s long-standing claim that its nuclear program has always been of a civilian nature and targeted toward energy production. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad even went as far as to state that his country has no need of nuclear weapons to defend itself. He condemned the IAEA of serving US political interests. “If America wants to confront the Iranian nation, it will certainly regret the Iranian nation’s response,” said Mr. Ahmadinejad as quoted by IRIB Radio.

The consequences of this report are, as of yet, unclear. Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Sunday, November 6, two days prior to the report’s release, that the airstrike against Iranian nuclear facilities is becoming more likely. An anonymous US official commented that the report will most likely lead to more stringent sanctions against Iran, particularly its financial institutions. However, these sanctions will probably be met with opposition from Russia and China at the next UN Security Council meeting. Russian officials particularly were opposed to the publication of the IAEA report at this time, citing rising tensions in the region and possible diplomatic breakdown as reasons for delaying the report’s release. As of right now, Russia’s position is that more time is necessary to investigate the report produces any new evidence of nuclear weapon development in Iran.