Iran censures efforts to hinder its collaboration with IAEA

Iran’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali-Asghar Soltanieh has denounced efforts by some countries to manipulate the cooperation between Tehran and the UN agency.

Speaking at a press briefing following an IAEA technical meeting in Vienna, Wednesday evening, Soltanieh explained the technical details in the latest report by the agency’s Director General Yukiya Amano on Iran’s nuclear energy program, emphasizing that all member countries must allow Iran and the agency to continue with their ongoing technical and professional cooperation.

Following his return to Vienna from a May 22 visit to the Islamic Republic, Amano announced plans to sign an agreement with Iran, intended to resolve Western issues with the country’s nuclear energy program.

The Wednesday meeting was held prior to next Monday’s gathering of IAEA’s Board of Governors to discuss Amano’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear energy program and how the agency’s monitoring efforts were being conducted.

During the meeting, IAEA’s Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts offered explanations on Amano’s recent report, following which representatives of some member countries asked questions on certain technical aspects of the report.

Earlier on Saturday, Soltanieh criticized the Western media hype to politicize an ordinary technical issue mentioned in the latest IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear activities.

The report mentioned that traces of uranium enriched to purities of 27 percent were found at the Fordow site.

Soltanieh criticized the Western media’s publicity campaign on the matter, insisting that “as mentioned in the IAEA report, the issue is a normal technical subject that is being investigated by experts.”

He also charged that the Western press follow certain “political objectives” by addressing “minor technical issues” that are common in nuclear facilities of other nations as well.

“Highlighting and politicizing a technical issue indicates certain attempts to contaminate the atmosphere of constructive cooperation between Iran and the IAEA,” he added.

The envoy also pointed out that the IAEA report once again proved the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities and rejected Western allegations on the country’s nuclear activities.

The report further confirmed that Iran’s nuclear activities, particularly the uranium enrichment, were being successfully carried out, without any interruption and under the IAEA supervision, Soltanieh added.

Iran enriches uranium to 20 percent to provide fuel for Tehran’s Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Iran has frequently maintained that it does not need or intend to enrich uranium at levels above the required 20 percent.