IAEA Raises New Concerns about Iran, North Korea Nuclear Programs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised new concerns about <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>'s and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s nuclear programs in his annual report to the United Nations General Assembly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Yukio Amano, IAEA's director general, reaffirmed Tuesday his agency's recent reports that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> “is not providing the necessary cooperation to his agency” to prove that all nuclear material in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is for peaceful activities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> and many other nations accuse <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> of pursuing a nuclear bomb, which Teheran government denies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Amano also said that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s nuclear program “remains a matter of serious concern.” He noted that his agency has not been able to implement any safeguard measures in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> since April 2009. In May of that year <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pyongyang</st1:place></st1:city> conducted his second nuclear test, calling it successful.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Amano said that last year's reports about the construction of a new uranium enrichment facility and alight water reactor in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> also are deeply troubling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">IAEA's chief called on both countries to implement all the relevant international obligations to ease global concerns about their nuclear activities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The UN Security Council has ordered several rounds of sanctions against <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> over its uranium enrichment. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> also is under sanctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In 2009, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Pyongyang</st1:city></st1:place> abandoned six-nation talks on its nuclear disarmament in exchange for aid, but has recently insisted that it wants to return to the negotiating table.</span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> ---VOA News</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /> </div></div>

IAEA Raises New Concerns about Iran, North Korea Nuclear Programs

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised new concerns about Iran 's and North Korea 's nuclear programs in hi...

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