AFP: Iran's ambassador to the UN atomic watchdog said on Monday that his country will continue enriching uranium in defiance of UN Security Council demands, the ISNA news agency reported.
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran's ambassador to the UN atomic watchdog said on Monday that his country will continue enriching uranium in defiance of UN Security Council demands, the ISNA news agency reported.
"Stating that Iran did not obey the United Nations Security Council resolution asking it to halt uranium enrichment shows this reality — that Iran found no logical and legal reasons for doing so," Ali Asghar Soltanieh said.
"Therefore it cannot give up its undeniable right under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) charter," ISNA quoted him as saying.
The IAEA on Monday accused Tehran of continuing to stall over a UN probe into its disputed nuclear programme, refusing to provide access to documentation, individuals or sites which could reveal the true nature of its activities.
Tehran's arch-foe the United States, which is spearheading moves against Iran's nuclear drive, warned that the Islamic republic could now face possible new sanctions in the wake of the IAEA's findings.
Responding to Washington's comments, Soltanieh said that Tehran has "created no obstacle for the IAEA's inspections."
"The report shows this reality that the IAEA is still able to keep on inspecting Iran's peaceful nuclear activities.
"And this reality is positive and important and proves the opposite of the US claims that Iran has made obstacles in inspections," he said.
Soltanieh said that Tehran had already given a 117-page report about its alleged investigations into developing a nuclear warhead, convert uranium and test high explosives and a missile re-entry vehicle.
"Iran considers the (alleged) documents to be fabricated and baseless, and in our 117-page response to the IAEA we have provided much evidence that the claims have been fabricated," Soltanieh added.
The West fears that Iran is developing atomic bomb under the guise of a civilian programme, a charge which Tehran vehemently denies.
Iran has so far been slapped with three sets of Security Council sanctions for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
