Inspectors visit suspected Iran nuclear site
(CNN) -- Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency visited a suspected nuclear site in Iran Monday and took samples, a spokesman confirmed.
Results of the environmental sampling at the Lavizan site won't be known for several weeks, Mark Gwozdecky with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, said.
The inspectors are scheduled to visit other sites in Iran on Tuesday to analyze equipment being used for what Tehran says is its nuclear energy program, Gwozdecky said.
He said access to the site was readily given by the Iranian government.
"IAEA received a prompt response from Iranians to visit the site, prompt access," Gwozdecky said.
Last week, Iran announced it planned to produce, assemble and test centrifuge parts this week for uranium enrichment. (Full story)
A spokesman for the British foreign office said Friday that Britain received a letter from Iran informing them of the decision.
"We are disappointed at the Iranian decision," the spokesman told CNN. "We see no reason for it, and are in close consultations with our EU-3 colleagues, France and Germany, to work out what to do next."
On Thursday, a U.S. State Department official told a House committee that Iran had reneged "on the commitment it made to the United Kingdom, Germany and France" not to go forward with its uranium enrichment program, which the United States regards as a precursor to nuclear weapons development.
British diplomatic sources said that under the terms of an agreement with Iran last October, Britain, France and Germany would consider transferring nuclear technology to Iran for use in the country's civilian electricity generating program.
But that would only happen, the sources said, if they -- and the IAEA -- were 100 percent convinced that Iran's nuclear program had no military applications. They say they are not convinced of that.
In testimony before the House International Relations Committee on Thursday, John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, said Iran had announced a "substantial resumption" of its uranium enrichment program and may have already stockpiled chemical weapons.
"This is yet another example of Iran thumbing its nose at the international community," Bolton said. (Full story)
The undersecretary said Iran's nuclear weapons program is a "threat to international peace and security" and called for Tehran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
Last week in Vienna, the board of governors of the IAEA unanimously passed a resolution rebuking Iran for not cooperating with the international community on its nuclear program.
The resolution called on Iran to come clean on its nuclear program but did not threaten action for non-compliance.
The text acknowledges some cooperation by Iran, but calls on Tehran to work with the IAEA board to answer important questions, including identifying the source of its highly enriched uranium program and the extent of its development of P2 centrifuges.
Iran had promised to suspend its enrichment activities, but the resolution says that Iran's commitments "have not been comprehensively implemented."
