Iran has announced that it is ready to respond to the International Atomic Energy Agency, one day after the agency published a new report indicating that Iran may be pursuing military goals with its nuclear activities.
ISNA quoted Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s representative at the IAEA, as saying on Saturday: “Although Iran has explicitly announced that the claims and accusations about Iran’s nuclear activities are fabricated and unfounded, in order to prove the case to the international community, we are willing to answer any possible questions from the IAEA in order to clear all doubts.”
Last Friday, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano issued a new report indicating the agency’s growing concern over the possibility that Iran’s nuclear activities have a military purpose.
Amano also touched on the possibility that Iran may be building atomic warheads.
Soltanieh criticized this section of the report “as repetitive and baseless,” adding: “We believe the agency should stick to its professional and expert activity and refrain from being influenced by political pressures.”
The head of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, also urged the IAEA chief to avoid repeating “unreal” statements.
The IAEA statement came after Russia proposed a “step by step” plan to question Iran about its nuclear program. Under the plan, Iran would be rewarded with the loosening of international sanctions every time it responds to a question.
Iran and Russia held a series of talks in August regarding the details of this plan, and Iran has expressed willingness to participate in its success.
The Russian proposal was set forth in order to break the impasse reached in the nuclear talks between the G5+1 and Iran in their last meeting in Istanbul.
Iran consistently maintains that its nuclear program is completely peaceful, while the West insists on the possibility that it may have a military end.
