IAEA has 'serious concerns' as Iran boosts nuclear work

Iran has tripled its monthly production of higher-grade enriched uranium and the UN nuclear watchdog has "serious concerns" about possible military dimensions to Tehran's atomic activities, the agency's chief said on Monday. As International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano voiced his concerns at an IAEA meeting, US President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Washington "has Israel's back" and would not let Iran get nuclear arms.
Amano told a news conference at the IAEA in Vienna there were indications of unspecified "activities" at an Iranian military site which his inspectors want to visit as part of a probe into fears Iran may be seeking nuclear weapons capability. His remarks confirmed comments made by IAEA diplomats to Reuters last week when one said: "we have heard about possible sanitation" of the Parchin site that he called "very concerning," suggesting Iran may be delaying access while it removed evidence of suspect activities.
The United States and its Western allies are seeking Russian and Chinese backing to rebuke Iran at the week-long IAEA board meeting, that began on Monday, over its failure to address the agency's growing concerns. Israel has threatened Iran with pre-emptive strikes to stop it getting the bomb, a hawkish approach Obama has tried to rein in to give time for sanctions and diplomatic efforts.
Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons capability. Sceptics say it is co-ordinating efforts to process uranium with high explosives tests and the revamping of a ballistic missile cone to accommodate a nuclear warhead. Its refusal to curb sensitive atomic work that can have both civilian and military applications has drawn increasingly tough UN and Western sanctions against the major oil producer.
During visits by IAEA inspectors to Tehran in January and February, Iranian officials stonewalled requests for access to Parchin, seen as central to its investigation. "We have some indication that activities are ongoing at the Parchin site. It makes us believe that going there sooner is better than later," Amano told reporters, giving no details.