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Iran pledges to cooperate with UN agency
Vienna, Sept 15: Iran today pledged to continue cooperating with the UN atomic watchdog agency, but criticized an October deadline set by the agency last week for Iran to disclose its nuclear secrets.
Vienna, Sept 15: Iran today pledged to continue cooperating with the UN atomic watchdog agency, but criticized an October deadline set by the agency last week for Iran to disclose its nuclear secrets.
The statement by Reza Aghazadeh, the vice president of Iran, eased concerns that his country would cut all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and
its efforts to examine evidence suggesting that Tehran was running a nuclear weapons program.
Aghazadeh also said Iran would start "negotiations with the agency about the additional protocol," that would allow the IAEA thorough and unfettered inspections of all of its nuclear activities. The UN atomic agency told Iran last week to prove by the end of October that its nuclear aims are peaceful. Iran rejected the deadline and suggested during negotiations that led to the passage of the resolution that it would scrap plans for accepting the protocol.
While accusing "partisan politics in the United States," of being behind the "heavy-handed" resolution, Aghazadeh said Iran is "fully committed" to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Aghazadeh held up the possibility of change, saying that Iran's further course of action was under review. If the UN nuclear agency meeting in November rules that Iran did not meet the demands contained in the resolution, it could rule Tehran in noncompliance of a part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which aims to ban the spread of nuclear weapons.
Bureau Report
Aghazadeh also said Iran would start "negotiations with the agency about the additional protocol," that would allow the IAEA thorough and unfettered inspections of all of its nuclear activities. The UN atomic agency told Iran last week to prove by the end of October that its nuclear aims are peaceful. Iran rejected the deadline and suggested during negotiations that led to the passage of the resolution that it would scrap plans for accepting the protocol.
While accusing "partisan politics in the United States," of being behind the "heavy-handed" resolution, Aghazadeh said Iran is "fully committed" to preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Aghazadeh held up the possibility of change, saying that Iran's further course of action was under review. If the UN nuclear agency meeting in November rules that Iran did not meet the demands contained in the resolution, it could rule Tehran in noncompliance of a part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which aims to ban the spread of nuclear weapons.
Bureau Report