The United Nations atomic watchdog warned Iran against inflammatory rhetoric after some politicians in the country said engineers could quickly militarize its nuclear program if instructed to do so. <\/p>\n
Recent statements by current and former Iranian officials that its official nuclear doctrine, which prohibits the development of a bomb, could be revised are in focus at the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting this week in Vienna.<\/p>\n
Any decision to withdraw from the international agreement regarding Iran\u2019s nuclear capabilities and build a weapon could spark a regional arms race and dramatically increase tensions between the Islamic Republic and the West. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany countries have said if Iran gets nuclear weapons, they will do the same,\u201d IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. \u201cAdding nuclear weapons to the cauldron of the Middle East is a very bad idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last month a senior lawmaker and a former foreign minister in Iran told state media the country could change its stance on nuclear weapons if Israel attacks its nuclear infrastructure. The comments were made after Iran and Israel almost went to war in April, when Tehran directly attacked the Jewish state with missiles for the first time. <\/p>\n
Diplomats are weighing whether to pass a resolution of censure condemning Iran for the statements, and for stonewalling an IAEA probe into uranium particles detected at an undeclared location. Efforts to renew cooperation with the agency were disrupted by the death of Iran\u2019s president and foreign minister in a helicopter accident last month. <\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke with the acting foreign minister a few days ago and I don\u2019t have any doubt Iran will continue working with the IAEA,\u201d said Grossi, referring to a May 31 conversation with Ali Bagheri Kani, appointed to lead Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry until a new government is formed. <\/p>\n
The war in Gaza and recent missile strikes between Israel and Iran, which backs Hamas, have added urgency to the IAEA\u2019s years-long search to uncover the scope of Tehran\u2019s nuclear ambitions. <\/p>\n
While the IAEA carries out daily inspections of declared atomic facilities, suspicions linger over whether Iranian engineers could be concealing work used for military purposes. Tehran has blocked the agency\u2019s investigation into uranium detected at undeclared locations.<\/p>\n
The U.S. issued an ultimatum to Iran at the IAEA\u2019s last meeting: cooperate or face censure, which could lead to a referral to the U.N. Security Council. Some European countries already wanted to dial up the pressure at the last IAEA meeting in March. <\/p>\n
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