Tehran, June 14, IRNA -- Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said in Vienna on Monday that the Agency is making steady progress in understanding the nature and extent of Iran`s nuclear program.

In an introductory statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, ElBaradei said the Agency has also gained progress in resolving most aspects of Iran`s uranium conversion and laser enrichment activities. ElBaradei said Iran has continued to act as if its additional protocol were in force and in May provided its initial declarations. With Iran`s cooperation, he said, the Agency has had access to all requested locations.

We have also made progress on verifying Iran`s suspension of enrichment related and reprocessing activities, although the suspension is not yet comprehensive due to the continued production of centrifuge components of some workshops.

While a number of issues remain open regarding various aspects of Iran`s nuclear program, the central question is whether Iran`s uranium enrichment activities have been fully declared, said ElBaradei. He said, "Two aspects relevant to this question are still being investigated: The first relates to the origin of the particles of high enriched and low enriched uranium contamination found at various locations related to uranium enrichment in Iran; Second we need to gain a fuller understanding of the extent of Iran`s efforts to import, manufacture and use centrifuges of the P-2 centrifuge program was not mentioned."

The UN nuclear watchdog chief said the information provided by Iran in April 2004 -- information requested since August 2003 -- has not been sufficient to resolve this complex matter. Iran should make every effort to provide additional relevant information, particularly about the origin of the components in question, and explanations about the presence of a cluster of 36 percent uranium-235 particles at one location, he said.

Elsewhere in his address, ElBaradei said resolving the issue of contamination, however, requires the cooperation of other States from which the contamination equipment is believed to have originated. "I would call on those States to make every effort to help us resolve these issues. I should clarify, in this regard, that our mention in some of our reports of 'supplier States,' or the involvement of other States in different forms, does not imply that the transactions involved took place with the knowledge of the respective governments."

ElBaradei however said in his address, "As mentioned in my report, the information provided by Iran with regard to the P-2 centrifuge program, after repeated requests, has been changing and at times contradictory."

Providing illustrations on his claims, ElBaradei said in Iran`s October 2003 declaration, the P-2 centrifuge Program was not mentioned. He said then, in January 2004, Iran acknowledged that it had received P-2 drawings from a foreign intermediary. At that time, he said, Iranian authorities stated that Iran had not obtained any P-2 centrifuges, or components thereof, from abroad, and also stated that the P-2 program had been only for small scale R&D In April, said ElBaradei, however, Iran informed the Agency that it had, in fact, imported some components relevant to its P-2 enrichment activities -- and in late May acknowledged specifically that these components were magnets relevant to P-2 centrifuges, and that, in 2002, it had attempted to obtain thousands of these magnets. At the time of issuance of the report, additional information on the P-2 centrifuge issue was being provided by Iran, which are currently under assessment at the IAEA, he said. He added that the IAEA has also taken environmental samples relevant to the issue which are currently undergoing analysis. He hoped the information will help the IAEA in understanding and clarifying all issues relevant to the P-2 program. ElBaradei alleged, clearly, this pattern of engagement on the part of Iran is less than satisfactory if it wishes to build confidence in the international community that Iran has indeed revealed the full extent of its nuclear program.

After a year of difficulties encountered by the inspectors, Iran needs to be proactive and fully transparent, ElBaradei asserted. He said it has been almost two years since Iran`s undeclared nuclear program came to the Agency`s attention. It is essential for the integrity and credibility of the inspection process that the IAEA be able to bring the issues to a close within the next few months, and provide the international community with the assurances it urgently seeks regarding Iran`s nuclear activities. He said in that regard, the prompt cooperation of Iran is essential.

Moreover, he said, the cooperation of all other countries involved is also key to IAEA ability to resolve some of the outstanding issues.