Conflicting NYT/WaPo Articles on IAEA Report on Iran

The New York Times and The Washington Post are both running stories for tomorrow about a report on Iran issued Monday by the International Atomic Energy Agency.  

The two articles read as if they were written on different planets.

The NYT article is written with a tone of alarm; suggesting or implying that the IAEA report — which has not been made public — claims that the Iranians are working dilligently towards making a nuclear weapon.

The tone of the WaPo article is exactly the opposite.

The New York Times article begins:

Nuclear Agency Accuses Iran of Willful Lack of Cooperation

By ELAINE SCIOLINO

Published: May 27, 2008

PARIS – The International Atomic Energy Agency, in an unusually blunt and detailed report, said Monday that Iran’s suspected research into the development of nuclear weapons remained “a matter of serious concern” and that Iran continued to owe the agency “substantial explanations.”

The nine-page report accused the Iranians of a willful lack of cooperation, particularly in answering allegations that its nuclear program may be intended more for military use than for energy generation.

And here is how the Washington Post article begins:

Iran Withholds Key Nuclear Documents

Program Still Peaceful, U.N. Agency Says

By Molly Moore

Washington Post Foreign Service

Tuesday, May 27, 2008; Page A07

PARIS, May 26 — A new report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that Iran continues to thwart efforts to obtain crucial documents that could shed light on the past activities of its nuclear program, but said inspectors have found no evidence that Tehran is currently attempting to divert its nuclear program to military uses.

The New York Times imples that the IAEA is alarmed about unexpected Iranian advances in nuclear technology:

The report also makes the allegation that Iran is learning to make more powerful centrifuges that are operating faster and more efficiently, the product of robust research and development that have not been fully disclosed to the agency.

But the Washington Post imples the opposite, that the Iranians are claiming more advances than they likely have actually made:

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency also said Iran’s civilian nuclear program has made only incremental progress in recent months, despite claims by Iranian leaders that the program is making significantly larger strides.

The New York Times offers, as the only quote providing “balance”  . . . the words of the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA:

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s ambassador to the atomic energy agency, however, said that the report vindicated Iran’s nuclear activities. It “is another document that shows Iran’s entire nuclear activities are peaceful,” the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.

Clearly, the Times wants us to think the Iranian abmbassador is full of it.

But the WaPo quotes the director of the IAEA saying exactly what the ambassador says:

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei wrote, “Clarification of these is critical to an assessment of the nature of Iran’s past and present nuclear program.” He said the IAEA’s “overall assessment of the nature of Iran’s nuclear program also requires clarifications by Iran concerning some procurement activities of military related institutions.”

The report continued, “It should be emphasized, however, that the agency has not detected the actual use of nuclear material in connection with the alleged studies.”

I obviously don’t know what the truth is here.  The IAEA website says, “The report´s circulation is restricted and cannot be released to the public unless the IAEA Board decides otherwise.”

But I do have to wonder how many times the NYT will hastily beat the drums of war before all the facts are in.  Or if they care about the facts.

You can be sure the President and Cheney will jump on the NYT article and dismiss the WaPo article, if they mention it at all.