VIENNA (AFP) — Iran has handed over to the UN nuclear watchdog a document containing design information that could help to make nuclear weapon parts, diplomats said on Wednesday.
But diplomats said it was unclear whether the gesture -- coming just days ahead of the publication of crucial IAEA report -- really was a sign of goodwill on the part of Tehran or a last-minute attempt to stave off further possible UN sanctions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been demanding that Iran hand over the document, which diplomats said is a long way from being an actual blueprint for a nuclear weapon, for the past two years.
The document contains information about the machining and casting of uranium metal into spheres for nuclear warheads.
IAEA officials had previously been permitted to see the document, but until now, Tehran has refused to let them have a copy.
So the fact that Iran had finally decided to hand it over was not, in itself, significant, one diplomat said, on condition of anonymity.
"It's like getting a ticket for speeding and then refusing to pay for the next two years. What's much more important is how and why they got hold of this document in the first place," the diplomat said.
Iran has always insisted that its atomic drive is purely to generate electricity for a growing population, while the United States accuses it of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb.
Tehran should now focus on answering all of the IAEA's outstanding questions without delay, the diplomat said.
Some diplomats see Tehran's move, just days before the IAEA is scheduled to release its eagerly-awaited report on Iran's disputed nuclear activities, as a last-minute attempt to stave off more UN sanctions.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is currently putting the finishing touches to his report, which sources said could be released late Wednesday or on Thursday.
ElBaradei's report, along with a second by the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana set to be released later this month, could persuade the UN Security Council in New York to impose a third round of sanctions against Iran if the reports' findings are negative.
Other diplomats see the latest move by Iran as a sign of progress that the Islamic republic is finally co-operating with the IAEA and coming clean about the details of its past nuclear activities.
But the United States was sceptical.
Quizzed about the latest development at the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna, US ambassador Gregory Schulte pointed out to reporters the inordinate amount of time it had taken for Tehran to come up with the document.
"It's almost two years ago that the board of governors asked for a copy of the document and it's four years ago that the board demanded complete cooperation from Iran. Selective cooperation is not good enough," Schulte said.
"The board of governors is looking for full disclosure and full suspension of all proliferation-sensitive activities," the ambassador added.
IAEA chief ElBaradei has himself said that his report should be seen as a litmus test to show how serious Iran was about resolving the stand-off with the international community.
"The standards to pass that litmus test are very high," Schulte said. "It involves resolving all issues, it involves understanding of the present as well as the past. And it involves implementation of the additional protocol and early information on new nuclear facilites.
"We haven't seen the director general's report yet, but when we read that report and we evaluate the cooperation by Iran, it's that standard that we'll be looking for," Schulte said.
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