Dr Mohamed El-Baradei, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) has been challenged for not speaking the whole truth about
Iran’s nuclear programme. The challenge comes in the wake of Dr El-Baradei’s
statement that Iran’s concealment of its nuclear programme for some 18 years
sets it apart from all other nations.

Concerned that Dr El-Baradei’s statement gives succour to those who are calling
for sanctions or military intervention against Iran, Professor Abbas Edalat of
Imperial College London,said today:

“I believe that getting the facts of this situation right is vital to prevent
the warmongers in the US and Israel from launching an illegal pre-emptive
strike against Iran. To tell only half of the truth on this matter gives a
distorted picture in the international community and plays into the hands of
those who are pushing for an attack on Iran.

“Dr El-Baradai highlights the fact that Iran concealed its nuclear program for
some 18 years, but fails to mention what prompted Iran to conceal its
programme. In reality, in systematic violation of Article IV of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the US in the post-revolution years after 1979,
pressured all western and non-western governments and companies to withdraw
from or cancel their nuclear collaboration contracts with Iran. In June 1981,
Israel bombed and destroyed the French-built Osiraq nuclear plant in Iraq with
impunity. In addition Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons, provided by the
west, against Iranian military and civilians, whilst Iran’s protests to the UN
fell on deaf ears.

“In response to such gross injustices in which the West was complicit, the
Iranian leaders decided that the only way to develop its civilian nuclear
technology was to conceal it and use the black market. During this period some
breaches of the IAEA Safeguards were committed by Iran but despite these
breaches, Iran has fundamentally met its obligations under the NPT. Indeed, as
required by the IAEA safeguards at the time, Iran was only obliged to declare
its activities in the two nuclear plants in Arak and Natanz six months before
nuclear fuel was going to be introduced there. In 2002, when these nuclear
plants were disclosed to the world, Iran was still four years away from any
enrichment.

“The IAEA has admitted that they have found no shred of evidence suggesting a
diversion of the Iranian nuclear programme into a weapons programme. By
expressing only part of the truth, Dr El-Baradei provides ammunitions to those
in Israel and Washington who are only interested to use the Iranian nuclear
issue as a pretext for military intervention. Dr El-Baradei again finds himself
with the weight of history on his shoulders. I believe that in order to come to
a correct and impartial judgment on this matter it is necessary for him to
furnish himself with all the facts and speak the whole truth.”