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Foreign envoys hail Iran nuclear tour

Foreign diplomats visiting Iran’s nuclear sites have hailed the Islamic Republic’s attempts at further transparency in its nuclear program.

As a goodwill gesture in the spirit of international cooperation, Iran invited diplomats representing political and geographical groups in the IAEA to tour the country’s nuclear facility.

Representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), Group of 77 and the Arab League arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day tour of the country’s nuclear sites.

The delegates, who represent more than 120 countries, visited Arak’s heavy water reactor on Saturday and began their tour of Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility on Sunday.

At a Saturday press conference in Arak, Algeria’s IAEA envoy Taous Feroukhi expressed hope that this visit would be successful and said, “Iran is a member of the NAM troika and Iran’s objective is to continue its cooperation and transactions,” a Press TV correspondent reported.

Egypt’s envoy to the IAEA Ihab Fawzi expressed gratitude for the opportunity Tehran had provided to visit Arak’s nuclear facilities and said, “My colleagues in the IAEA have announced their readiness for creating transparency in Iran’s nuclear issue.”

“This visit could be helpful, because it is very important that we inform other countries of what we see and this could help Iran’s nuclear program’s further transparency,” Arab league envoy Mikhail Wehbe said.

Wehbe also appreciated the efforts of Iran’s envoy to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.

Cuban envoy to the IAEA Norma Miguelina Goicochea hailed Tehran’s invitation as a constructive approach and said Cuba could help inform the international community of Iran’s nuclear program.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of developing a military nuclear program, and used this pretext to pressure the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s financial and military sectors in June.

Iranian officials have repeatedly refuted the charges, arguing that as a signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, Tehran has a right to use peaceful nuclear technology.

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