Iran hiding another atomic site: US

Co-sponsored by France, Britain and Germany, the final text emerged after days of haggling. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami rejected the draft resolution on Wednesday as ‘‘very bad’’ and threatened to resume uranium enrichment if it was approved.

Amir Zamaninia, a senior Foreign ministry official, told the IAEA board that Iran had been cooperating fully with the agency and rejected the resolution as ‘‘alien to the real situation on the ground as observed and verified by the inspectors’’.

But the US said Iran had violated its international obligations on non-proliferation and should be reported to the UN Security Council, which can impose economic sanctions. ‘‘The US continues to believe that Iran’s documented non-compliance should be reported to the UN Security Council and that its nuclear programme presents a threat to international peace and security,’’ US Ambassador to the UN in Vienna Kenneth Brill said.

The resolution penned by Europe’s ‘‘big three’’ states made no mention of the Security Council or any future punitive action if Tehran failed to improve its cooperation with the IAEA, reflecting the Europeans’ reluctance to push Iran too hard.

New doubts about Iran’s honesty arose because satellite photos taken in summer 2003 and March 2004 show buildings razed and topsoil removed at Lavizan Shiyan in Tehran — which Washington said was proof Iran was hiding an undeclared site from UN inspectors.

‘‘I think the IAEA is going to investigate this discovery very seriously,’’ a Western diplomat from an influential board member state said of the satellite images.

A senior Iranian official denied Iran had anything to hide. ‘‘The IAEA is welcome to come there. There is nothing. Anyone who makes such allegations will be ashamed when he sees this site,’’ Hossein Mousavian said. —(Reuters)