Iran will never halt uranium enrichment, Soltanieh says

The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran will never halt its uranium enrichment activities, which are being closely supervised by the IAEA, Press TV reports.

“We will never ever suspend our enrichment. This is an inalienable right. Everything is under 24-hour camera [surveillance of] the IAEA,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh said in an interview with Press TV on Friday night.

Pointing to the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear energy program, the Iranian ambassador noted that “the activities in Fordo and other facilities are aimed at peaceful uses. For example, 20 percent enrichment is for the Tehran Research Reactor and… they [the West] should not make speculation.”

Soltanieh warned against any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying, “Nobody could dare to attack Iran, but if there is any attack, I am sure that there would be a harsh response.”

He went on to say that an attack targeting the centrifuges used to enrich uranium would not affect Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities because the Islamic Republic is the “master of enrichment technology and… can produce all components locally” and in the case of an attack, it would “immediately be able to replace” damaged centrifuges.

Soltanieh added that any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would have consequences, which could include Iran withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“If such a thing happens, I am afraid that the Iranian parliament will put pressure on the government to reduce its cooperation [with the IAEA] or suspend [IAEA] inspections [of nuclear facilities], or even withdraw from the NPT; these are all options that might happen. Of course… we insist on continuing our cooperation with the IAEA,” he stated.

The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran in order to force the Islamic Republic to halt its uranium enrichment program, which Washington, Tel Aviv, and some of their allies claim includes a military component.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

On Thursday, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano called for a concerted international effort to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically.

On November 11, Amano acknowledged that Iran’s nuclear energy facilities are used for peaceful purposes. He also confirmed that a large number of the country’s nuclear energy facilities are under IAEA supervision and are used for civilian purposes.