Reuters, Vienna, Nov 19, 2008 (excerpts) – An International Atomic Energy Agency inquiry into alleged nuclear bomb research by Iran has degenerated into a silent standoff a few months after Tehran asserted “the matter is over,” U.N. officials said on Wednesday.

“We had gridlock before but then at least we were talking to each other. Now it’s worse. There is no communication whatsoever, no progress regarding possible military dimensions in their program,” a senior U.N. official said.

The IAEA meanwhile presented its latest report on Iran, saying it planned to start installing another 3,000 centrifuges early next year, adding to 3,800 already enriching uranium and another 2,200 being gradually introduced.

But the U.N. watchdog’s figures showed Iran had not boosted the number of centrifuges regularly refining uranium since reaching the 3,800 level in September. The reason for Iran’s relatively slow progress was unclear, U.N. officials said.

ALLEGED NUCLEAR WEAPONS STUDIES
The IAEA is looking at U.S. intelligence suggesting Iran in the past linked projects to process uranium for atomic fuel, test high explosives at unusually high altitudes and revamp the cone of a long-range Shahab-3 missile in a way that would fit a nuclear warhead.
The last IAEA report on September 15 detailed Iranian non-cooperation with agency requests for documents and access to sites to verify its denials. U.N. officials said at the time the IAEA had “reached gridlock” with Iran.

The investigation has not progressed an inch since then with both the agency and Iran standing their ground with arms crossed, said the U.N. officials, who asked for anonymity due to political sensitivities.
“Our questions are there and they need to be addressed. There is no point in writing them again every week. We are just awaiting their response,” said one senior official. “But we have a long vacuum of communication now.”

Iran says the U.S. data is forged and sites the IAEA wants to visit are conventional military facilities that any nation would keep off-limits on security grounds and are beyond the legal remit of U.N. inspectors.

Though the IAEA’s non-proliferation investigation is in the deep freeze, the agency continues dealing with Iranian officials with respect to routine inspections of Tehran’s nuclear sites.

In June, Iran said it had turned over more than 200 pages of documents to the IAEA which had answered all relevant questions and added: “The matter is over.” The IAEA disagreed.
So far the United Nations has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Tehran over the nuclear issue.