Iran: NAM backs Tehran declaration

Iran says the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) has reiterated its support for the country’s trilateral nuclear fuel swap declaration signed with Brazil and Turkey.

Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh said “NAM’s 118 member states once again voiced support for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities.”

NAM members drafted a statement voicing support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities which was approved on Thursday night, Soltanieh said Friday.

“The statement emphasizes Iran’s inalienable right to peaceful nuclear energy and stresses that there should be no restrictions against the realization of this right,” he told IRNA news agency.

NAM states that that a country’s decisions and choice of nuclear policies, including its choice of fuel cycle, must be respected, he added.

According to the Iranian diplomat, the statement highlights the IAEA as the only eligible source to handle nuclear energy issues and warned that political pressure and intervention in the agency’s work jeopardizes its credibility.

The NAM statement further praised Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA and emphasized the importance of resolving the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program through dialogue.

Soltanieh added that the NAM statement criticizes the IAEA for its poor observance of confidentiality codes and its manner in issuing reports.