Tehran, Oct 08: President Mohammad Khatami pledged today that Iran would give "all necessary cooperation" to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to prove it has no secret nuclear weapons programme, but would not give up its "absolute right" to enrich uranium. "We will give all necessary cooperation to assure the world that we are not seeking to have nuclear weapons," Khatami told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
But he reiterated objections here to an IAEA ultimatum that also demands Iran stop enriching uranium.
"According to international regulations, this is our absolute right," he said, adding that the international community also "has the right to obtain assurances over the peaceful nature of our nuclear activities". "We are ready to remove their worries," the reformist President added.
Pushed by the United States, the IAEA's board of governors on September 12 gave Iran until the end of this month to guarantee it is not developing and will not develop nuclear weapons. The IAEA has asked Iran to produce a detailed list of its nuclear-related equipment, notably parts used in centrifuges for uranium enrichment, in order to resolve what have been described as "outstanding issues."
Much of the agency's questions are thought to revolve around the discovery on two occasions during previous inspections of traces of highly enriched uranium. Bureau Report