Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has urged the top nuclear body to switch its focus from Syria’s atomic work to Israel’s nuclear arsenal as the main cause for concern.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh read out a statement in the Thursday meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on the implementation of the Safeguards Agreements in Syria.

In the statement, Soltanieh said that Iran was “deeply concerned” about the IAEA’s verification measures which, he said have shifted focus from Israel’s nuclear work as the main source of problem to “secondary technical” issues.

“The core problem is, in fact, the Zionist regime of Israel’s offensive against Syria which is a blatant violation of the UN Charter and the international law including the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Fars News Agency quoted Soltanieh as saying on Thursday.

In September 2007, Israeli warplanes destroyed Syria’s al-Kibar military site blaming the country for harboring a nuclear reactor there, a claim rejected by Syria.

Soltanieh then accused Israel and its allies of having engaged the IAEA in a made-up scenario by raising “false claims” against Syria.

“Meanwhile, those member states who cry foul over Syria ['s nuclear work] have turned a blind eye to the Israeli regime’s nuclear arsenal, which poses a serious threat to both regional and global peace and security,” he said.

An IAEA report by Director General Yukiya Amano said in February that uranium particles found at the Syrian complex suggest the possibility of covert nuclear activity at the site.

In response to the report, Syria said that unlike Israel, it was “committed to the non-proliferation agreement,” reiterating that its nuclear work is totally peaceful.

Israel, the world’s sixth largest nuclear weapons power, maintains a policy known as “nuclear ambiguity” and continues to remain outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says the former chief of the UN nuclear agency Mohamed ElBaradei must follow the constitution if he intends to run for presidency in the authoritarian country.

The 81-year-old Egyptian president made the remark Thursday after ElBaradei called for a partial readjustment of the constitution in order to enable potential candidates to ‘freely’ challenge Mubarak in the country’s 2011 presidential election.

“If he wants to join a party, he could choose whichever one he wants,” Mubarak told journalists in Germany, where he is scheduled to undergo medical examinations for abdominal pains.

“The only thing is that he must respect the constitution,” he went on to say, adding that Egypt “does not need a new hero,” AFP quoted him as saying.

ElBaradei, who has gained prominence over his tenure as the chief of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reportedly said, however, that he would run for his country’s presidency provided that the constitution is amended.

The former IAEA chief has formed the National Association for Change in Egypt and described the ruling government as ‘undemocratic.’

He has also said that it would not take long before the country finds ‘real’ democratic changes.

Amid US concerted efforts for fresh tough sanctions against Iran, China and Russia reiterate that diplomacy is still the best possible means of resolving the Iranian nuclear issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that “diplomatic efforts” could still work over the case.

“We’ve been making diplomatic efforts and we believe they have not been exhausted, and we will continue to work with other parties to push for a settlement to this issue,” Qin said.

He added that China would continue to work toward the resumption of talks on the issue and “make constructive efforts for a proper resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations.”

Russian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Grigory Berdennikov, also said Wednesday that there was no alternative better than negotiations to the Iranian nuclear issue.

“We’d like to stress the absence of alternatives to the diplomatic resolution of the issue and the remaining outstanding questions that concern the Iranian nuclear program so that the IAEA would have an opportunity to make sure undeclared nuclear materials and prohibited activities are not found on the Iranian territory,” Berdennikov said.

China and Russia are both among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto-wielding power.

The US has been lobbying officials in Beijing and Moscow to consent to more punitive measures against Iran.

As part of the US plan to rally support against Iran, Clinton is now touring Latin American countries to convince them to turn their back on Tehran.

In Brazil, the former first lady failed to persuade the South American country into joining the US front against Iran.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that the international community should not “push Iran into a corner over its nuclear energy program.”

The Islamic Republic enjoys growing relations with Latin American countries including Brazil, which has repeatedly supported the Iranian right to pursue its nuclear energy program.

Despite the IAEA reports reaffirming that it continues to verify the non-diversion of Iran’s nuclear work toward any military purposes, the US and its allies accuse Tehran of having military objective in its nuclear work.

Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), rejects the allegations as politically motivated and says its nuclear work is totally peaceful and within the framework of the NPT.

Iran’s envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog says the director general’s silence over Tehran’s objections made to the report shows that he too recognizes its problems.

“The silence adopted by the Director-General and certain others about the objections we had made shows that [Yukiya] Amano has also reached the conclusion that the report is somewhat problematic,” Ali-Asghar Soltanieh said on Wednesday.

The Iranian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, who was talking to reporters after the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, added that Amano’s February report raised already closed issues without any cause.

Soltanieh said the report reintroduced past issues while the only new development in Iran’s nuclear program since the beginning of Amano’s term was that the IAEA supervised steps taken to enrich uranium up to 20 percent.

The envoy, who had criticized the report in his address to the Board, said that over 100 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has also raised similar concerns about the report in a statement issued in support of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

“Fortunately, the Egyptian ambassador who was speaking on behalf of more than 100 NAM states read out a very strongly-worded statement in support of Iran, directly criticizing the new Director-General’s report for the first time.

“The Egyptian ambassador once again stressed that every country has the right to conduct peaceful nuclear activities, urging the normalization of Iran’s safeguards agreement and an end to this issue,” he said.

Last month, the new IAEA director general issued his first report on Iran’s nuclear program, once again verifying the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran.

Amano’s report, however, did raise some concerns about “the possible existence… of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.”

While the US used that segment of the report to renew its threats against Iran, Tehran pointed out that the report raised no “new cause for concern”, but simply addressed a series of past issues already examined by former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

The newly-issued NAM statement however condemned threats of a military strike against Iran.

The NAM statement said, “NAM confirms the basic and inalienable right of all states to the development, research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, without any discrimination and in conformity with their respective legal obligations.”

“Therefore, nothing should be interpreted in a way as inhibiting or restricting the right of states to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” it added.

“States’ choices and decisions including those of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and its fuel cycle policies must be respected,” the 118-member movement said in its statement.

“NAM reaffirms the inviolability of peaceful nuclear activities and that any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear activities, operational or under construction, poses a serious threat to human beings and the purposes of the Charter of the United Nation and of the regulations of the IAEA.”

As the West pushes for new sanctions against Iran, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) moves to issue a new statement, voicing its support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Egypt’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) read the newly-issued NAM statement in a Wednesday meeting of nuclear watchdog’s board of governors.

“NAM confirms the basic and inalienable right of all states to the development, research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, without any discrimination and in conformity with their respective legal obligations,” the statement said.

“Therefore, nothing should be interpreted in a way as inhibiting or restricting the right of states to develop atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” it added.

“States’ choices and decisions including those of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear technology and its fuel cycle policies must be respected,” the 118-member movement said in its statement.

“NAM reaffirms the inviolability of peaceful nuclear activities and that any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear activities, operational or under construction, poses a serious threat to human beings and the purposes of the Charter of the United Nation and of the regulations of the IAEA,” it said.

The statement comes as the West is weighing new sanctions on Iran in an effort to force the country into meeting its demands over its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, China — a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council — has shrugged off Washington’s call for harsher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities, arguing that diplomatic efforts have not yet been exhausted.

Tehran has repeatedly declared that sanctions will not force it to give up the Iranian nation’s legitimate right to access nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh says the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano’s report has “reopened already closed issues.”

“The report is lengthy, as director general himself confirmed in his opening statement, including historical background,” Soltanieh said in Vienna before the Board of Governors on Wednesday.

“The report has reopened already closed issues, mixed the legally binding and the voluntary measures, mixing the obligations under the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) Comprehensive Safeguards with voluntary measure recommended by Additional Protocol and even beyond,” Soltanieh added in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by Press TV.

According to the Iranian envoy, the Safeguards Department claimed that it intended to refresh the memory of old friends and to facilitate the task of new Director General as well as new ambassadors.

“The report has highlighted the allegations of those few western countries I referred to in my general remark, opening a dangerous trend of involving [the] agency in activities beyond the framework of the [IAEA] Statute, namely conventional military activities, interfering the national security of the member states,” he explained.

Soltanieh also pointed out that the report was not balanced and factual, since it did not duly reflected the cooperation, letters and explanations of Iran to the questions of, or communication made with the IAEA.

According to the Iranian official, in several parts of the report there are information contrary to the article 26 of the General Conference Resolution GC(52)/RES13, which states, “Request the director general and the secretariat to continue to provide objective technically and factually based reports to the Board of Governors and the general conference on the implementation of safeguards with appropriate reference to relevant provisions of safeguards agreements.”

Iran has repeatedly objected to what it describes as the unfair privileges that a few states have at the UN Security Council that allows some powerful countries to act above the law.

The US and its allies accuse Tehran of following a military agenda under its civilian nuclear program, although the UN nuclear watchdog inspectors stationed in Iran have not been able to substantiate such claims.

Under pressure from Washington, the UN Security Council has already passed a number of resolutions against Iran with the aim of restricting its nuclear activities.

Iran, however, has disregarded the motions, arguing that the resolutions are in direct contradiction with the IAEA regulations, which clearly state that all countries are entitled to enrich uranium as part of a peaceful nuclear program.

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Wednesday that western countries have derailed the IAEA from its statutory mandate.

“Once again the application of safeguards in my country is on the agenda of the Board of Governors after over 6 years! Why?” Soltanieh said in Vienna before the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday.

“A thorough and careful diagnosis of the past developments shows that the root cause is the hidden agenda of few western countries, specifically the United Sates, to derail the agency from its statutory mandate as an international technical organization established for promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, to a merely a verification organization,” he added.

“They also have tried to jeopardize its independence through instrumental use of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In a nutshell, to change the agency’s prestigious identity to a UN watchdog! To monitor and control Vienna from New York!” he explained.

According to the Iranian envoy, Iran’s peaceful nuclear program is merely a pretext for the implementation of this ill-intentioned and dangerous course of action.

“Today [it] is Iran, tomorrow [it] is another developing country! They have already started confrontation against Syria, under the false pretexts, following the Israeli military aggression,” he noted.

“The secretariat has been and is under tremendous pressure and continuous interference by those few countries. My government hopes that the new director general will resist such pressures to keep the impartiality of the agency as he has already reiterated during the election campaign and taking oath ceremony,” he asserted.

“These are warning worrisome signals which require mobilization for an immediate common action by majority of member states, especially by developing countries, against the attitude and conducts of a few western countries, which damages the credibility, integrity and the independence of the agency,” Soltanieh concluded.

Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, insists that its program is directed at the civilian applications of the technology, including clean energy production.

World powers, most of which possess and continue to develop a variety of nuclear arsenals that have been tested and even used in military confrontations, accuse Iran of the “intention” to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels and have gone to great lengths to prevent the country from producing fuel for its medical and industrial needs.

The US and its European allies have been pushing hard for new sanctions against Iran in a bid to force the country meet their demands over its nuclear program.

Western countries have already imposed three rounds of UNSC-backed sanctions on Iran and are currently lobbying for a fourth, which is believed to contain a “symbolic” tightening of economic measures against the Tehran government, which has maintained that any such actions will again prove futile.

The European Union voices its support for action by the United Nations Security Council against Iran but says it favors diplomatic engagement with the country.

Speaking on behalf of the EU on Wednesday, Spain started off by expressing willingness for diplomatic engagement with Iran.

“The European Union remains ready to engage with Iran in order to reach a negotiated solution to the issue, should Iran take concrete decisions toward that end,” according to the joint EU statement read out by Spain to a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

Meanwhile, the statement described Iran’s actions regarding its nuclear issue as “persistent failure to meet its international obligations”, adding that it requires “a clear response, including through appropriate measures.”

“The European Union would support action by the UNSC (UN Security Council) if Iran continues not to cooperate with the international community over its nuclear program. The European Union stands ready to take the necessary steps to accompany this UNSC process,” it added.

The statement was read out to the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors, which is currently holding its four-day spring meeting.

The announcement was made as the US is stepping up efforts to slap tough sanctions against Iran in a bid to force the country into meeting its demands over its nuclear program.

The efforts, however, have met with a cold response from China, a veto-wielding member of the Security Council. The 118-member bloc of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has also voiced support for Iran’s nuclear program and criticized the West for exerting pressure on Tehran.

Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says its program is directed at the civilian applications of the technology, including energy production.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog Ali Asghar Soltanieh urges the agency to work on its weaknesses and focus on its main responsibilities.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has serious concerns about the approach taken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during recent years,” Soltanieh told the Islamic Republic News Agency following the IAEA’s Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on Tuesday.

“We expect the IAEA will overcome its weak points through collective cooperation of like-minded countries,” he added.

The Iranian diplomat reiterated that the IAEA is an international organization that should focus on developing the use of nuclear energy for peaceful applications.

“The IAEA should not turn into an inspectorate and control organization,” Soltanieh added.

Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, insists that its program is directed at the civilian applications of the technology, including clean energy production.

World powers, most of which possess and continue to develop a variety of nuclear arsenals that have been tested and even used in military confrontations, accuse Iran of the “intention” to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels and have gone to great lengths to prevent the country from producing fuel for its medical and industrial needs.

The US and its European allies have been pushing hard for tough new sanctions against Iran in a bid to force the country meet their demands over its nuclear program.

Western countries have already imposed three rounds of UNSC-backed sanctions on Iran and are currently lobbying for a fourth, which is believed to contain a “symbolic” tightening of economic measures against the Tehran government, which has maintained that any such actions will again prove futile.

As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tours Latin America to recruit support for new international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Tel Aviv urges Washington to adopt Cuba-like embargos against Tehran.

Israel and the US accuse Iran of seeking nuclear arms, as Tel Aviv threatens to attack Iranian nuclear installations and Washington warns of keeping ‘all options on the table,’ including economic sanctions and military measures.

Iran, however, says its program, which is extensively monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is directed at the civilian applications of the technology. The country has also called on all nuclear powers to abandon atomic weaponry and eliminate all such arsenal.

Clinton, meanwhile, is on a five-day tour of Latin America. She was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that Washington is working “expeditiously and thoroughly” to rally support for new Iran sanctions.

She has arrived in Brazil, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC), to win support for the sanctions. Brazil has repeatedly said that Iran is entitled to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

Although the IAEA says it continues to verify the non-diversion of Iran’s nuclear material, the UNSC has already imposed three rounds of sanctions on the country.

Amid the intensified efforts by the US to impose fresh sanctions, China has appeared to reject the calls to support such a measure. Beijing argues that more negotiations are required to resolve the nuclear issue.

Israel, meanwhile, said Tuesday that the US should impose unilateral sanctions on Iran to isolate the country the same way it acted alone on Cuba 50 years ago, Reuters reported.

“We are a little worried by the pace of developments in the international arena,” Lieberman told reporters. “I think that from now on Israel should perhaps change its Iran policy a little, and we should ask the United States to adopt the Cuban model … Here the United States alone can do everything in order to stop this (Iranian) program.”

Iranian officials have argued that favorite US pressure tactics such as sanctions are outdated and no longer relevant in the global economy as they have been proven futile in the last three attempts against the Islamic Republic. They insist that imposing new sanctions on Iran will further expose the irrelevancy of the UN as a viable international body.

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has dismissed as biased the UN nuclear watchdog chief’s latest comments on Iran’s nuclear program.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a Monday address to a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors that while the UN body continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran, it is unable to confirm that all nuclear material in the country are being used for peaceful activities as Iran has not provided the agency with “necessary cooperation.”

Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday that Amano had taken sides against Iran.

“We expected Mr. Amano to examine and adopt a position on the [Iranian] nuclear issue in an unbiased way, but unfortunately and in contradiction with what he had said before, we did not see an unbiased position,” Salehi said on the sidelines of a Tehran meeting of industry ministers of the Developing Eight Countries (D8).

“We hope that he will change his approach,” he added.

Salehi also noted that Iran was ready for a nuclear fuel exchange deal with the West as long as “necessary and enough guarantees” are provided.

A UN-brokered proposal would require Iran to send most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and subsequently France for further enrichment and conversion into metal fuel rods.

While the Tehran research reactor, which produces medical radioisotopes for cancer treatment, is already running out of fuel, the draft stipulates that Iran would receive a shipment of the nuclear fuel at a later time.

Tehran has called for concrete guarantees for the delivery of the fuel, citing the West’s previous failures to meet its commitments and provide Iran with nuclear fuel as a cause for concern over the Western-backed deal.

Salehi said the guarantee which Tehran insisted on was that the “exchange [of fuel] must happen simultaneously and inside Iran,” adding such a condition was “not illogical.”

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) insists that Tehran is “fully” cooperating with the nuclear watchdog.

Talking to Press TV on Monday, Ali Asghar Soltanieh rejected remarks by IAEA’s new chief, Yukiya Amano, that Iran is still not giving sufficient information on its nuclear activities.

“Yes, there is cooperation from Iran. That is why we have been able to confirm that declared nuclear material has not been diverted for non-peaceful purposes. But there are areas where we don’t have cooperation and (where) we need cooperation,” he told the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna.

Soltanieh added, “In many occasions we have said that we have fully cooperated in the context of comprehensive safeguards. Mr. Amano, not only in his opening statement today but also in the press conference, also confirmed that there have been full cooperation from Iran as the agency has been able to continue its verification activities in Iran for the declared nuclear materials, as he said.”

He reiterated that Iran will not do anything beyond its legal obligations.

Soltanieh also emphasized that Iran would do nothing beyond its legal obligations according to the IAEA Statute.

For the fist time in its almost fifty-year-old history, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has criticized the director general of the UN nuclear watchdog for making ‘a subjective assessment’ of Iran’s enrichment plans.

Yukiya Amano, the new director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has recently issued a two-edged report, which leveled an unprecedented barrage of criticism and accusations against Iran over its alleged “non-cooperation with the agency.”

In a detailed statement obtained by Press TV on Sunday, NAM member-states demanded that Amano explain why he resorted to discriminatory language against Iran when the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in the country had been clearly verified.

“NAM notes with concern, the plausible implications of the departure of standard verification language in the summary of the report of the Director General, when stating that ‘Iran had not provided the necessary cooperation to permit the Agency to confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities’, and would to seek clarification from the Agency for this,” said the statement, which is slated to be read in a meeting between NAM member states on Monday.

The 118-member organization explained that the UN report, which is Amano’s first since his July appointment as the head of the IAEA, has blatantly ignored Iran’s cooperative efforts to address concern and resolve ambiguities over its nuclear work.

“NAM takes note that the latest report of the Director General includes many references to events that transpired prior to the previous report contained in document GOV/2009/74 dated 16 November 2009, and contrary to the expectation of NAM, does not mention the responses provided by Iran to the Agency on several issues,” the statement added.

NAM member-states went on to suggest that Amano’s report was heavily influenced by “undue political pressure” by a number of countries defying the UN nuclear agency’s role as the sole competent authority to judge member-states on their safeguard obligations.

This is the first time the NAM movement focuses sharp criticism on the director of a UN agency over a published report.

In a veiled reference to Israel’s reported possession of an atomic arsenal, NAM urged the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free-zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East as a positive step towards attaining the objective of global nuclear disarmament.

NAM also warned against an attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, in a reference to Israeli threats over the past few months.

The movement said any act of aggression against Iran’s enrichment sites, be it operational or under construction, would pose a serious danger to human beings and would therefore constitute a grave violation of international law.

In light of this, NAM called for a comprehensive and multilaterally-negotiated measure prohibiting attacks, or threats of attacks on enrichment facilities devoted to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, a potential candidate for presidency in Egypt, says the country will only change through the young, report says.

“If Egypt were going to change, it is going to change through the young people,” he told Reuters.

“I believe the current system is not free and fair, and, whoever would run under the current system, I would make it very clear that this is not democracy as it should be,” he added in the report published Saturday.

ElBaradei said that he would run for 2011 presidency “only if people coalesce around me.”

The 67-year-old former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director, said that the advocacy of the so-called ’silent majority’ held the key to success for his coalition of opposition parties in the next presidential race.

“The key is the silent majority of the Egyptians, and if the silent majority subscribes to this National Front. I think that will make a very big difference,” he noted.

“I have tried to make the connection between economic and social development and political reform. If you move into a democratic system everything else will fall into place,” he went on to say.

“It is going to take a long time to switch Egypt into a democracy,” ElBaradei said in the interview, holding that many Egyptians were “intimidated” against speaking their minds.

Egypt’s current President Hosni Mubarak has been in power for around 30 years.

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, has so far proven inefficient in nuclear disarmament.

“NPT has no authority to act for nuclear disarmament,” Larijani told reporters on Friday, on the fourth day of his visit to Japan.

“The treaty has been unable to get rid of even a single nuclear warhead and it is generally viewed as a failure to the International Atomic Energy Agency,” added the Iranian official.

Larijani said that the IAEA has acted under the political influence of certain powers and this is one of its primary shortcomings.

Larijani expressed hope that the new Japanese government would actively pursue the concept of “Asian regional cooperation” that it has put forth as one of its key international policies.

“Regional cooperation is a wise idea and if implemented, it will prove effective in the international arena,” emphasized visiting Majlis speaker, ahead of an April meeting in Japan to revise the NPT.

Larijani urged the new Japanese administration to appear more active in the future sitting on NPT changes, for the country itself has been a victim of US atomic bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Questioned about the possibility of Iranian nuclear sites being attacked by Israel, the top Iranian official said: “I would rather not talk about fiction. The Israeli regime is not fully aware of Iran’s military power, and should not risk on such an act.”

Tehran’s Ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog Ali Asghar Soltanieh has provided more details about the nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

One week after the new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, Yukiya Amano, issued a report about Iran’s nuclear program, Soltanieh on Wednesday shed light on certain aspects of the Iranian nuclear work.

Amano, in his first report on Iran’s nuclear activities on February 18, once again verified the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran but called on Tehran to further discuss and cooperate on the issue of the alleged studies.

Iran reacted to the report, saying that, despite confirming the non-diversion of the country’s nuclear work, the report failed to mention Iran’s “explanations” and hence was “unbalanced.”

In an IAEA meeting on Wednesday, the Iranian envoy used rhetorical questions in a bid to enlighten the members about Iran’s 20 percent-enriched uranium and the issue of the alleged studies.

In his remarks, a copy of which was obtained by Press TV, Soltanieh asked if any new developments had taken place in the Iranian nuclear work indicating that it has been diverted to a military nuclear program.

“Since the previous report and since the new director general took the office, have the [International Atomic energy] Agency inspectors reported any new developments [in the Iranian nuclear program] except for the 20 percent uranium enrichment?” he asked.

“Did any critical developments pertaining to Iran’s nuclear work occur in the report of the former director general [Mohamed ElBaradei]? Did you find any nuclear material related to weapons, or indicative of any deviation toward military objectives,” he asked, adding that the answer was a definite no.

Soltanieh also asked the question as to whether any new information had been added to the issue of the alleged studies, which Iran considers as fabricated and devoid of any authentication.

The envoy said that Iran has only viewed the so-called evidence on the alleged studies in the form of “power point documents” and had found it lacking in credibility.

According to Soltanieh, Iran then provided a 117-page report and attended several meetings explaining why it called the document fabricated while the recent IAEA report suggested that Tehran had rejected the allegations without being cooperative enough with the IAEA.

He said that the new report should have mentioned that the issue of the alleged studies had not been authenticated, as confirmed by former IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei, and that the so-called evidence on them did not bear any classified stamps, as confidential documents usually do.

Soltanieh then shifted to Iran’s 20 percent enrichment at its Natanz site.

Through correspondence between Iran and the IAEA, Iran informed the body that it wanted to enrich the uranium for Tehran’s research reactor and called on the IAEA to send inspectors to the country, he said.

The IAEA consequently informed Iran that the inspectors would be present in the country to remove the seals of the 30B cylinder containing LEU (Low Enriched Uranium).

Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), rejects the allegations of having military objectives in its nuclear program as politically motivated and says its nuclear work is totally peaceful and within the framework of the NPT.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has announced the Islamic Republic will study a Japanese offer to enrich uranium for Tehran.

“It has the substance to be worth discussing. We want to deepen the discussion on it,” Nikkei Business Daily quoted Larijani as saying in Tokyo late Wednesday.

According to an earlier report by the Japanese newspaper, Tokyo made the offer in December while Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, was visiting the country.

On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the Iranian parliament speaker that Teheran should implement UN Security Council resolutions and fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “to remove all the doubts about Iran’s nuclear development.”

Hatoyama further pointed out that Japan regards Iran as “an important country” and wishes to further enhance bilateral relations.

Larijani, for his part, denied that the Islamic Republic was seeking weapons of mass destruction as claimed by the United States and its allies.

On Saturday, the Iranian official is scheduled to visit the western Japanese city of Nagasaki, which was hit by an American atomic bomb at the end of World War II, three days after a US nuclear attack devastated nearby Hiroshima.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on February 11 that Tehran has successfully managed to complete the production of its first stock of uranium enriched to 20 percent.

“We have produced the first batch of 20 percent enriched uranium at the Natanz enrichment facility,” Ahmadinejad said at a rally marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran.

Iran says that it is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and, unlike Israel, neither believes in atomic weapons nor, as a matter of religious principle, intends to access such weapons.

Furthermore, Tehran has repeatedly called for the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction throughout the globe.

Iran’s nuclear facilities and enriched uranium remain under the supervision of IAEA inspectors, as outlined in the NPT Safeguards Agreement.

The UN nuclear watchdog has carried out the highest number of inspections in Iran, compared to any other country throughout its history and has found nothing to indicate any diversion toward weaponization.

A senior Iranian lawmaker insists that Iran’s missile program is not within the jurisdiction of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Iran’s missile capability is none of the agency’s business,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman of the parliamentary (Majlis) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy on Wednesday.

“Where were the agency and other international organizations when, during the eight-year (Iraqi-imposed) war, Iranian cities were attacked by Iraqi missiles,” he added.

The lawmaker, from the western City of Borujerd, was referring to the IAEA’s latest report that accuses Iran of trying to develop “nuclear payload for a missile.”

“These alleged activities consist of a number of projects and sub-projects, covering nuclear- and missile-related aspects, run by the military-related organizations,” AIEA Director General Yukiya Amano’s report alleged on Thursday.

Amano, who has reportedly claimed that at his new position he wants to focus on “the facts” and pursue a more technical approach than his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei, also complained about the level of Iran’s cooperation with the agency.

This is while the UN nuclear watchdog has carried out the highest number of inspections in Iran compared to any other country throughout its history and has found nothing to indicate that the program has diverted toward weaponization.

The United States has again opposed Iran’s latest offer to the UN nuclear watchdog for the purchase of fuel it requires for a Tehran research reactor.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley rejected the Iranian proposal, calling it “unacceptable.”

Iranian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Tuesday that Tehran has sent a new letter concerning the fuel supply for the Islamic Republic’s research reactor.

“Iran is still ready to purchase the fuel it needs for Tehran’s research reactor,” the letter said. It asked the agency to fulfill its responsibility and “facilitate the delivery of the fuel.”

“Iran is ready to simultaneously exchange the fuel required for the Tehran research reactor with its low-enriched uranium within Iranian territory if the IAEA lacks the ability to fulfill its duties,” Soltanieh added in the letter addressed to the Director General of the IAEA Yukiya Amano.

The US has consistently opposed Iran’s proposals on the fuel exchange and following the foot-steps of its closest ally, Israel, in making extraordinary efforts to escalate pressure and imposing additional sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.

“We will continue to work within the IAEA and also consult from the international standpoint on appropriate next steps, including the prospect of sanctions,” Crowley threatened.

“We have not closed the door to further engagement, but you have actually to have a willing partner to engage,” he added.

“The fact is,” Crowley claimed, “Iran makes these series of statements day after day, week after week, but refuses to come to the table and actually negotiate in good faith.”

The new US rhetoric comes in the backdrop of a declaration by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on February 11 that Tehran has successfully completed the production of its first stock of 20-percent enriched uranium.

“We have produced the first batch of 20-percent enriched uranium at the Natanz Enrichment Facility,” the president said.

Iran had requested that the IAEA arrange for the supply of the fuel to the country per its duty to member states. The West, on the other hand, has been pressuring Iran to accept a UN-backed deal which requires Iran to send most of its domestically-produced low enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for conversion into the more refined fuel, required by the Tehran research reactor requires to produce medical isotopes.

Tehran insists that its concerns on receiving guarantees for the return of its LEU should be heeded. The US, which first floated the proposal, refuses to consider Iran’s demand.

Iran needs 120 kilos (264 pounds) of 20 percent-enriched uranium to fuel the Tehran research reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients and is due to run out of fuel soon.

If the research reactor’s fuel is completely exhausted, there will be consequences for thousands of Iranian patients that are prescribed post-surgical treatment.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has criticized the UN nuclear watchdog for failing to carry out its responsibilities to transfer know-how and technology to its member states.

“Although the Islamic Republic has remained committed to its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the agency does not fulfill its duties about supplying fuel needed for the Tehran research reactor,” Larijani said in Tokyo on Wednesday.

“Based on terms of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the IAEA has no right to urge Iran to suspend its nuclear activities,” he told Japan’s House of Councilors President Satsuki Eda.

Iran, a signatory to the NPT, says its nuclear program is directed at the civilian applications of the technology. However, the West accuses the country of conducting a covert military nuclear program.

The Iranian parliament speaker reiterated that the country’s nuclear activities have always pursued peaceful purposes.