Thaindian News

Tehran, Sep 1 (DPA) Iran’s nuclear chief Ali-Akbar Salehi termed the latest report by the UN nuclear watchdog as positive and rejected continued Western charges over a possible nuclear weapons programme as politically motivated, state media reported Tuesday.
Salehi told the Al-Alam news network that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report was a “big achievement” for Iran containing many positive points, including the non-diversion of nuclear material in Iran’s peaceful nuclear projects.

The newly appointed head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation also said that the IAEA report implicitly said that the US had no evidence to prove its allegations of Iran’s nuclear activity having military aims.

In a report published Friday, the IAEA confirmed a slight decrease in the country’s nuclear enrichment activities but increased its pressure on Iran to prove it had not done work related to nuclear weapons, saying there were a number of outstanding issues which gave rise to concerns.

In his latest report, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei also said Iran had partly improved its cooperation with the Vienna-based agency by allowing better monitoring at its controversial enrichment facility in Natanz, and by granting a visit to a research reactor that is under construction, following repeated requests by the IAEA.

Salehi, who is also vice-president, added that Iran has even cooperated with the IAEA in improving safeguards measures at the Natanz enrichment plant.

Tehran has said that any further nuclear negotiations by world powers should be based on the IAEA reports which Iran sees as acknowledgement of the peaceful nature of its nuclear programmes.

High-ranking officials of the so-called 5+1 group involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran - the five permanent UN Security Council member states plus Germany - are reportedly to meet later this week near Frankfurt in Germany to discuss further actions against Iran.

US President Barack Obama said September was the deadline for Iran to return to nuclear negotiations, but Tehran has rejected that ultimatum.

Britain, France, Germany and the US have threatened more financial sanctions if Tehran failed to meet the deadline. Russia and China have not yet made any comments but both countries have in the past considered sanctions as not effective.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has several times said Iran would no longer talk with the 5+1 over its nuclear projects but just to the IAEA.

Ahmadinejad is expected to attend the UN General Assembly session to be held later this month in New York and is to deliver a speech before the UN delegates.

Some countries fear that Iran, which kept its nuclear activities secret for almost two decades, has been engaged in a secret nuclear weapons programme that could eventually be used against Tehran’s arch foe, Israel.

Iran has categorically denied the charges and said its nuclear projects are for civilian and peaceful purposes.