Western sanctions have no effect on Iran nuclear work: Soltaniyeh

The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Western sanctions imposed on Tehran have had no effect on the country’s nuclear energy program, as they only target ordinary people.

In an interview with the state-run BBC’s HARDtalk program on Monday, Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh said the US and European politicians are not telling the truth about Iran’s nuclear energy program and international sanctions to their people.

“None of the sanctions have had any effect on the [Iranian] nuclear activities because all pieces of centrifuges are manufactured by Iranian companies and Iranian factories,” he added.

Therefore, Soltaniyeh added, sanctions have had no effect on Iran’s nuclear energy program except for strengthening the determination of the Iranian people and government and increasing the Iranian hatred of Western countries.

“The reports of IAEA director general [Yukiya Amano] show [that] any time they impose sanctions [on Iran], the number of centrifuge machines will increase and the [nuclear] work will be accelerated,” Iran’s IAEA ambassador said.

Soltaniyeh said Western sanctions are in fact targeting the ordinary Iranians and, therefore, Western politicians are lying about their true effect to their own people and to the world.

Elsewhere in the interview, Soltaniyeh added that Iran is quite serious about persuading the international community that it does not have and does not want a nuclear weapons program.

“Well, we are not only serious, but also determined; we have been so during the last decade that this issue has been [approached from a] politicized [viewpoint]. …We have worked [with IAEA which has conducted] over 4,000 mandate inspections that is unprecedented in the history of International Atomic Energy Agency…. Over a hundred unannounced inspections [have been also carried out] …. [Still, they have found] no evidence of diversion of even one gram of uranium to military purposes,” he noted.

Soltaniyeh stated that despite the fact that certain Western members of IAEA are sending negative signals about talks with Iran they should not be taken as representing the entire international community because more than 100 IAEA members belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement have supported Iran’s position in the past 10 years.

“First of all, we have said, I repeat it today, that we are committed and expect other parties to be committed to what was agreed in Istanbul [negotiations], which means step-by-step and reciprocal action based on the NPT. Therefore, if there is any expectation for us to take steps beyond the NPT, then we have to know what is the reciprocal action and what step they are going to take which will be equivalent to our step,” he added.

Soltaniyeh concluded by saying, “The best thing … is [for the West] to recognize … our right to enrichment for peaceful purposes, which would pave the way for mutual understanding and then I am optimistic that many of these issues will be resolved.”