Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

A nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable and would pose a major threat to regional and global security. The latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, dated 30 August, confirms Iran's continuing non-compliance with its obligations. The report highlights the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program. It makes it clear that Iran has failed to take necessary actions, including suspending its enrichment activities at Natanz and Fordow, suspending work on all heavy water related projects and allowing the IAEA to access the Parchin military facility, where Iran is suspected of having conducted experiments in an explosives containment vessel.

Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 per cent at Fordow brings Iran closer to producing weapons grade nuclear material. Iran was the subject of yet another IAEA resolution at last week's meeting of the board of governors. Australia co-sponsored the resolution. It noted the IAEA Director General's conclusion:

Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable us to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities.

The last round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 was held in Moscow in June, followed by lower level technical talks in Istanbul in July. They did not make any progress because of Iran's failure to engage constructively. No further round has been scheduled. The P5+1 is the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany. We held a lot of faith in those talks and for a time there were encouraging signals. The best way, we continue to argue, to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue— (Time expired)