The U.S. is pressing for an IAEA decision that allows the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran. Israel warns that it will not stand hand tied if diplomatic efforts fail.
Ahead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting, U.S. Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton will arrive in Israel Saturday for consultations on the state of Iran ‘s nuclear program.
Washington is pressing for the backing of the G-8 for an IAEA decision to declare Iran in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty because of its program of enriching uranium.
Such a vote by the IAEA board at its three-day meeting in Vienna , Austria , starting Monday, could lead to UN Security Council sanctions.
In an interview with Israeli TV channel one, Israeli army chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon said Friday that Israel would allow for diplomacy to take place and for the United States to deal with the Iranian “nuclear threatâ€Â, but warned that Israel can’t stand hand tied if others fail to remove the “threat’
While the united states is pressing for a Monday vote, most European countries leans towards holding off such a vote until November to allow more diplomacy work.
Iran insists it only is interested in nuclear power, which can be created with lower levels of enrichment than the levels necessary for nuclear weapons.
Bolton said that Iran ‘has concealed a large-scale, covert nuclear weapons program for over 18 years’ but could avert any action by stopping suspect programs and opening up to inspection.
The United States criticized Russia for continuing to work with Iran on building its nuclear power program. Russia declared that it will ensure that its cooperation with Iran will not contribute to a nuclear weapons program.
Parallel to efforts on the Iranian front, Bolton expressed concerns over the recent disclosure on South Korea ‘s production of “small†amounts of plutonium and enriched uranium.
While such information would hinder the attempts to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, Bolton warned that it would be a mistake to think that the United States and other countries would try to excuse South Korea .
‘We need to learn more about it [ South Korea ‘s program] and when we do we will consider appropriate action,’ he said.
Bolton claimed that the United States will not allow double standard about treating violations of safeguards agreements, adding that South Korea cannot expect favoritism just because it is a U.S. ally.
Few commentators questioned the sincerity of Bolton ‘s statement, making a reference to the Israeli nuclear weapons’ program.
South Korea revealed last week that it conducted a secret enrichment experiment in 2000, and said Thursday that it extracted a tiny amount of plutonium in a nuclear experiment in 1982.
