Did foiled nuke inspections in Iran take us 'a big step closer to war'?

International experts are denied access to a military site suspected of harboring nuclear weapons research — and the consequences could be dire United Nations nuclear experts left Iran "empty-handed" this week, after Tehran refused to let them visit a military site, Parchin, where scientists are believed to be researching nuclear-weapon technology. The extraordinary two-day visit by representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the second in three weeks — had initially raised hopes of a breakthrough agreement to ease tensions over Iran's nuclear intentions. Instead, did it just make matters worse? Here, a brief guide:

What was the main sticking point?
Access to Parchin. Previous visits to the military site turned up nothing, but inspectors have since uncovered evidence that a steel vessel useful for developing a warhead had been delivered to Parchin. The nuclear experts asked to return to Parchin as a "litmus test" of Iran's willingness — and ability — to prove it's not working on nuclear weapons, says Julian Borger at Britain's Guardian. They were "thoroughly rebuffed."

SEE MORE: Could Iran really launch an attack on U.S. soil?

Why did Iran block access to Parchin?
"We've got to assume the worst," a Defense Department officer tells TIME. Not so fast, says Teymoor Nabili at Aljazeera. Iran's agreement with the IAEA requires Tehran to let inspectors visit only nuclear sites. Officially, Parchin doesn't fit the bill. "Iran may have simply been sticking to the letter of the law and asserting some measure of sovereignty."

Will the IAEA visit raise tensions?
Absolutely, says Mark Thompson at TIME. "Like it or not, the world just moved a big step closer to war with Iran over its nuclear program." Now "the race is on" to see whether new sanctions on Iran's meal ticket — its oil exports — will make the ruling mullahs buckle before fighting breaks out. The West must resist the impulse to use this kind of Iranian intransigence as a rationale for war, says Seumas Milne at Britain's Guardian. "A U.S.-Israeli stealth war is already raging on the ground, including covert assassinations of scientists, cyber warfare, and attacks on military and missile installations." Launching a full-on shooting war would be an act of criminal, "destructive stupidity" — "guaranteed to trigger a regional conflagration with uncontrollable global consequences."

SEE MORE: Iran's nuclear threat: Can inspections defuse the tensions?

Sources: Aljazeera, Guardian (2), NPR, TIME

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China urges closer cooperation from Iran in nuclear standoff

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged Iran to cooperate more closely with the global nuclear watchdog and rejoin talks on its nuclear program that has caused a rift with the West.

Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said the purpose of his two-day visit to Tehran, which began Sunday, was to "candidly discuss" the Iran nuclear issue with Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Baqeri.

"China is willing to ... push forward the early resumption of six-nation talks with Iran, and encourage Iran to strengthen cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the Iran nuclear issue moves forward on the proper course of dialogue," Ma said in a statement on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn).

Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and intended to meet its energy and medical needs. Western nations suspect it is planning to build nuclear weapons capability.

Major powers signaled in late January that they were willing to reopen talks on curbing Iran's nuclear program but said Tehran must show it is serious about any negotiations.

The group, known as the P5+1, includes Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

That push for diplomacy follows weeks of rising tensions between the West, which has upped sanctions on Iran, and Tehran, which had threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost one-fifth of oil traded worldwide flows.

Ma's call is a familiar refrain for China, which has repeatedly voiced its concerns over new sanctions on Iran, and is one of the largest users of Iranian oil, buying around 20 percent of total exports.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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