Iran Freezes Nuke Inspections

Iran imposed an indefinite freeze on international inspections of its nuclear facilities Saturday in what it said was a protest of a critical resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, described the IAEA resolution as "unfair and deceitful."

Hours earlier, a meeting of the U.N. agency in Vienna had censured Iran for hiding suspect activities, but praised it for increased nuclear openness.

The resolution welcomed Iran's agreement to open its facilities to pervasive inspection, but said it "deplores" recent discoveries of uranium enrichment equipment and other suspicious activities that Iran had failed to reveal.

"Today IAEA inspectors were expected to arrive in Iran," Rowhani told a press conference in Tehran. "We will not allow them to come until Iran sets a new date for their visit. This is a protest by Iran in reaction to the passage of the resolution."

Asked whether the freeze was indefinite, Rowhani said "yes."

Under an agreement that Iran signed last year, and which the IAEA resolution welcomed, IAEA inspectors are empowered to inspect all of Iran's all nuclear facilities at any time and without notice.

Rowhani, who chairs the Supreme National Security Council, made clear this dispensation had been suspended. Asked when IAEA inspectors might visit again, he replied: "It could be less than six weeks. It could be more than six weeks. We have not set a date."

He accused the IAEA board of governors of passing a resolution that failed to take account of Iran's behavior toward the U.N. agency.

"Iran's comprehensive cooperation with the IAEA has not been properly reflected in the resolution, and there is a big gap between realities on the ground and what is said in the resolution. Unfortunately, the views of nonaligned countries, as well as China and Russia, have not been taken into consideration," Rowhani said.

Nonaligned members of the IAEA are known to have tried to tone down the language of the resolution. Western powers, foremost the United States, wanted to send a strong warning to Iran.

The United States suspects Iran is undertaking a secret program to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies this, arguing that its nuclear program is only for the generation of electricity.