Science, Technology and Global Security Working Group

Searching for Solutions to the Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Multilateral Nuclear Agreements

Principal Researchers: Geoff Forden and John Thomson

Iran as a Pioneer Case for Multilateral Nuclear Arrangements

By Sir John Thomson and Geoff Forden, September 5, 2006 (last revised: May 2009)

(See also Publications and Presentations)

ABSTRACT
A little known report issued in early 2005 by a group of experts might contain the seeds for solving the current Iranian crisis. The group, convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), examined the technical aspects of a number of options for multinationalizing the nuclear fuel cycle as a way of assuring all countries in good standing with the Nonproliferation Treaty access to peaceful nuclear technology. This has proved to be a key factor in Iran’s complaints with the West. Some of their suggestions, such as establishing “fuel banks” of low enriched uranium (LEU) under IAEA control to remove politics influencing who gets nuclear technology and who does not, are already starting to bear fruit. Both the United States and Russia have pledged to set aside surplus weapon’s grade uranium for down-blending into power plant fuel. Russia’s offer to enrich Iranian uranium into LEU is also a step down this path. Unfortunately, none of the proposals made so far seem to have given Iran enough assurance that it will be guaranteed access to peaceful nuclear technology to avert the showdown in the UN Security Council.

However, another option examined by the IAEA experts group could guarantee Iran’s future nuclear fuel supply and prevent its abuse for military purposes. It would do this by constructing an enrichment facility on Iranian soil jointly owned and operated by Iran and Western governments. As a condition for this plant being built, Iran would pledge—and undertake additional safeguard requirements to verify—that it is not engaging in enrichment activities anywhere else; a pledge other countries have made under similar circumstances when they joined URENCO, a European enrichment consortium. Furthermore, the very nature of the joint venture would guarantee that Iran could not covertly divert any of the LEU or the plant’s enrichment capabilities for military purposes. Western technicians would be present at, and in fact jointly operate, the facility 24-hours per day, seven days per week; Western accountants would be monitoring all the business activities of the venture; and Western managers would be involved in all operating decisions.

In June of 2007, SIPRI published this paper on their website. Click here to link to their website.

Iran Facilities
Click here for a larger image
Click here for Google Earth tour of Iran's Nuclear Facilities (it is helpful to have Google Earth open at the time.)

Note also that:
On 20 April 2006, Geoff Forden appeared on CN8’s Nitebeat hosted by Barry Nolan with Prof. Abbas Maleki of Harvard University to discuss the nuclear crisis in Iran.

Publications

Stanley Foundation Publishes Multilateralism as a Dual-Use Technique: Encouraging Nuclear Energy and Avoiding Proliferation by John Thomson and Geoffrey Forden

The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: A Risk Assessment, BASIC Discussion Paper #2, March 2007 By John Thomson

A Multilateral Enrichment Facility in Iran as a Solution to the Nuclear Crisis, Proceedings of the Xth International Conference on Separation Phenomena in Liquids and Gases, Beijing China, September 18-21, 2006. Geoffrey Forden and John Thomson.

An ultra-intrusive approach to Iran, The Boston Globe, 10 December 2006, John Thomson and Geoffrey Forden.

Multilateral Enrichment in Iran is an Investment in Nonproliferation, The Forward, September 15, 2006, Page 1, John Thomson and Geoffrey Forden.

Iran as a Pioneer Case for Multilateral Nuclear Arrangements, Sir John Thomson and Geoff Forden, May 24, 2007

Multinational Nuclear Facilities May Solve Iranian Nuclear Stalemate, Sir John Thomson and Geoff Forden, Jane’s Intelligence Review, April 2006, pp. 32-34

A Shared Solution to the Iran Nuclear Stand-off, Geoffrey Forden and Sir John Thomson, Financial Times, p. 13, 20 February 2006

Presentations

Invited talk, Workshop on technical approaches to verifying Iran's fuel cycle activities; AAAS-New America Foundation-Stanley Foundation, September 5, 2007. Geoffrey Forden

Invited talks, Roundtable Discussion on Multilateral Enrichment in Iran, United Nations Association of the United States of America, New York, NY 12 June 2007, Geoffrey Forden and Sir John Thomson

Invited talk at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the German Physical Society, Regensburg, Germany, 29 March 2007, Geoffrey Forden

Workshop: Building A Common Approach To The Iranian Nuclear Problem, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY, 27-28 November 2006, Geoffrey Forden and Sir John Thomson

Center for American Progress, Washington D.C., 7 July 2006, Geoffrey Forden

PIR Center for Policy Studies in Russia, Moscow, Russia, 26 June 2006, Geoffrey Forden and John Thomson

Managing the Atom, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2 March 2006, with John Thomson

Princeton University, Program on Science and Global Security, 17 July 2005, With John Thomson

Iran as a Pioneer Case for Multinational Nuclear Agreements, SPLG Beijing September 2006

Technical Aspects of Multilateral Nuclear Agreements with Iran
Geoff Forden and Sir John Thomson
Managing the Atom, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2 March 2006. Click here for an audio recording of the seminar.

Technical Aspects of Multilateral Nuclear Agreements with Iran
Geoff Forden and Sir John Thomson
Princeton University, Program on Science and Global Security, 17 July 2005

Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Program in Science, Technology and Society

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Searching for Solutions to the Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Multilateral Nuclear Agreements

Iran as a Pioneer Case for Multilateral Nuclear Arrangements