US again charges Iran has secret nuclear programme
Agence France-Presse
Washington, February 23


The United States again charged that Iran also has a secret nuclear programme on the heels of a visit there by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

"Whatever the Iranians showed him about their hitherto clandestine uranium enrichment programme, it his akin to a midnight conversation, disclosed only after the facility's existence was revealed by an Iranian opposition group," Amanda Batt, a State department spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Batt charged Tehran has a "nuclear programme based on deception and bad faith, and an ambitious rush to develop a nuclear fuel cycle, whose true purpose can only be produce fissile material for its nuclear weapons programme."

Iran refused on Saturday to snap inspections by the UN atomic energy agency of nuclear facilities, but agreed to promptly inform the Vienna-based watchdog if it decides to build any new ones.

"We expect now to see the IAEA undertake an ongoing process of rigorous examination into Iran's nuclear program, including further questioning and further inspections," Batt added.