Iran sees no further obligation to IAEA
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
21:20GMT—4:20PM/EST
SOLTANIEH – IAEA – REPORT – REACTION
Washington, 19 November (IranVNC)—Iran said today that it believes it has no further obligation to the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA]. Earlier, a report by the United Nations watchdog today noted that there was a lack of cooperation by Tehran.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA told the Fars News Agency that the IAEA report “shows that Iran, as a responsible country, has fulfilled its legal obligations completely, therefore having further expectations [from Iran] is illogical and cannot be carried out.”
Ali Asghar Soltanieh added: “The message of [IAEA Director-General Mohamed] ElBaradei is that inspections in Iran have completely returned to normal and are continuing without any impediments.”
In his report presented today, ElBaradei said that the agency “has not been able to make substantive progress” on resolving questions raised by Western intelligence about Iran’s past activities, including allegations that Iran had studied how to make a nuclear warhead.
The IAEA chief also noted that Iran had continued its uranium enrichment activities, despite four sets of UN Security Council resolutions calling for a halt to the activities.
In Washington, White House National Security Advisor Gordon Johndroe told reporters that Iran’s “failure to comply with the IAEA and UN is unfortunate and disappointing,” AFP reports.
Johndroe noted that major powers were offering Iran an incentives package if it suspends its sensitive nuclear work.
“The door is open if Iran will suspend its enrichment activity, but they don’t seem to want to walk through it,” he stated.
Tehran insists that as a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT], it has a right to enrich uranium as fuel for nuclear power plants.
“Our obligations are clear, [they are] the IAEA charter, the NPT treaty, the NPT safeguards and our agreement with the IAEA, which we carried out according to the modalities,” Soltanieh said today.
US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack told reporters today that Washington does not oppose Tehran’s possession of a peaceful nuclear energy program, but rather its access to technology and materials that could be used for military purposes.
McCormack also said that the U.S. “would suggest that any of Iran’s neighbors would have an interest in Iran not having a nuclear weapon, to use whatever influence they have with Iran to encourage them to take up the offer” of the six powers.
Last week, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his country is ready to mediate between the next US administration and Iran on that country’s nuclear program.
Iran has said that it would not stand in the way of a Turkish effort, but remains cautious about any initiatives to hold talks between Tehran and Washington.
Sources: Fars News Agency, Agence France-Presse, US State Department website
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