Energy Secretary Denounces Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program

Ariela Fleisig — September 20, 2011 – 4:36 pm | Foreign Policy | Iran Comments (0) Add a comment

In one of the Obama Administration’s most direct statements yet regarding the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Energy Secretary Steven Chu berated Iran yesterday for continuing to engage in its “longstanding pattern of denial, deceit, and evasion.”

In an address to the 151-nation International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) conference, Chu asserted:

Iran’s government has a choice: it can comply with its obligations and restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear activities or it can face deepening isolation and international censure.  

Now, the international community must send a strong message that violations of nuclear nonproliferation obligations will not be tolerated. Failure to address these issues would undermine global and regional stability and the global nonproliferation regime itself.

Chu criticized Iran for violating its “nonproliferation obligations”:

Time and time again, Iran has refused to satisfy legitimate concerns about the nature of its nuclear program - selectively rejecting IAEA requests for access to, and information about, its nuclear facilities.   

He rebuked Iranian secrecy surrounding and construction of underground centrifuges near Qom:

Iran initiated construction of this facility in secret, notifying the Agency only because it was caught two years ago. Iran says it intends to use the facility to increase uranium enrichment to near 20 percent, claiming this is needed to fuel its existing research reactor or other reactors for which ground has yet to be broken.  Expanding, and moving underground, its enrichment to this level marks a significant provocation and brings Iran still closer to having the capability to produce weapons grade uranium. Pursuing this course raises serious questions over Iran’s peaceful intent and its readiness to build confidence.  

Click here to read Chu’s full speech.

 

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