VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Thursday indefinitely blocked Iran’s bid for technical aid for a reactor project due to fears it could yield bomb-grade plutonium, a diplomat in the meeting said.
But the decision, which the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board adopted by consensus after days of wrangling between industrialized and developing nations, left open the possibility of revisiting Iran’s request in future.
In a compromise hammered out in negotiations ahead of the board meeting, Iranian requests for IAEA technical assistance on seven other nuclear energy projects judged not to pose a risk of being diverted to bomb-making were approved by the governors.