Pittsburgh, September 25: US President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain and France on Friday publicly demanded that Iran open up a secret nuclear fuel facility to international inspectors.
Led by Obama at the site of the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined the United States Friday in chastising Tehran for operating the facility covertly.
Obama said the site “deepens a growing concern” that Iran has failed to live up to its international obligations. He said that Iran “is breaking rules that all nations must follow, endangering the world non-nuclear proliferation regime … and the security of the world.”
He said that “we are committed to dialogue with Iran” but “Iranian government must demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions.”
Iran has kept the facility, 100 miles southwest of Tehran, hidden from international weapons inspectors for years, but the US has long known of its existence, a White House official said.
Obama decided to go public with the revelation after Iran learned that Western intelligence agencies were aware of the project.
Officials said that the plant could be in operation by next year.
–Agencies