Deal OK’d to police Iran’s nuke program

VIENNA, Austria – The U.N. nuclear agency agreed Monday on a plan for policing Iran’s nuclear programs designed to avoid a showdown at the United Nations. But Iran’s representative immediately raised questions about the wording of the pact, and the United States said it retained the right to take the case to the U.N. Security Council on its own.

U.S. chief delegate Jackie Sanders listed more than a dozen open questions about Iran’s past nuclear activities still before the International Atomic Energy Agency, despite a nearly two-year investigation.

“This makes it clear that the IAEA cannot … offer the necessary assurances that Iran is not attempting to produce nuclear material for weapons,” she told the agency’s board of directors.

Sanders spoke shortly after the board passed a toned-down resolution authorizing IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei to monitor Iran’s commitment to freeze uranium enrichment activities that can produce either low grade nuclear fuel or the raw material for atomic weapons.

The issue of what’s included in the suspension of activities had dominated the meeting since it opened Thursday, with the Iranian insistence on exempting some equipment forcing the meeting to continue Monday, after a weekend adjournment.

The United States – which has labeled Iran part of an “axis of evil” with North Korea and prewar Iraq – wants the Islamic Republic referred to the Security Council, where it could face sanctions for allegedly violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

“We believe Iran’s nuclear weapons program poses a growing threat to international peace and security,” Sanders said, alluding to the possibility of a unilateral U.S. push. “Any member of the United Nations may bring to the attention of the Security Council any situation that might endanger the maintenance of international peace and security.”

White House press secretary Scott McClellan urged vigilance, telling reporters in Washington “the implementation and verification of the agreement is critical.”

“We will see, as time goes by, if they are now finally going to comply in full,” McClellan said.