Iran pledges to work with IAEA watchdog, blasts UN
UNITED STATES: Iran blasted the U.N. Security Council for trying to
pressure it into halting its uranium enrichment work but pledged to keep
cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watchdog.
Speaking on CNN's "Late Edition," Aliasghar Soltaniyeh, Iran's
ambassador to the IAEA, said his country would not withdraw from the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The U.N. Security Council last week unanimously adopted a statement
calling on Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment work, which can provide
fuel for power plants or atom bombs.
It also asked the IAEA to report in 30 days on Iran's cooperation
with agency demands. "The best action of United Nations Security Council
is no action, merely just to take note of the documents which have been
sent to United Nations Security Council, and let the IAEA to do its own
job," Soltaniyeh said, calling the U.N. decision "hasty."
"The more the United Nations Security Council is engaged and
involved, the situation will be further deteriorated. And we have to
prevent confrontation," he said.
Soltaniyeh urged the international community to let the IAEA do its
work, saying a team from the nuclear body would visit Iran next week.
He said Iran did not intend to use its enrichment program for atomic
bombs and that Iran was open to negotiation to resolve the international
dispute.
"Therefore, I advise that United Nations Security Council will not do
any action and leave this issue to the IAEA and let this nuclear dossier
of Iran, which has been taken as a hostage by American unilateral
policy, to come back to the multilateral atmosphere and environment and
to be settled on," Soltaniyeh said.
Iran's decision to resume uranium enrichment in January prompted
Britain, France and Germany to break off 2-1/2 years of EU talks with
Tehran and back a U.S. demand to refer Iran to the Security Council.
Washington, Monday, Reuters |