The United Nations group leading the investigation into Iran’s nuclear program said the Iranian government has thwarted its attempts to evaluate whether the country is producing atomic weapons. “During both the first and second round of discussions, the agency team requested access to the military site at Parchin,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement early Wednesday after wrapping up two days of talks in Tehran. “Iran did not grant permission for this visit to take place.” The statement comes on the heels of a warning issued by Iran's deputy head of the armed forces. Mohammad Hejazi said Tuesday that his country might not wait for its enemies to attack before it strikes one of them, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. In a Wednesday news analysis, The New York Times paralleled present tensions between Tehran and the West to "the period leading up to the Iraq war in 2003."
