Envoy Urges 3rd Parties Not to Interfere in Iran-IAEA Affairs
(FNA)- Iran's permanent envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh blasted certain countries' allegations against Iran over the country's peaceful nuclear program, and called on the third parties not to interfere in the technical cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA.
Soltaniyeh dismissed West's accusations on Iran's efforts to remove the remaining of its illegal activities in Parchin military site, and said, "Third parties should not interfere in Iran and IAEA technical cooperation to resolve the nuclear issue; this kind of noise and allegations are baseless."
He made the remarks in a meeting with some press reporters after a briefing at an IAEA technical meeting.
Soltaniyeh reiterated that the IAEA could only gain access to Parchin once a broader agreement had been reached on how to address the agency's questions about possible military aspects to Iran's nuclear program.
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Fereidoun Abbasi had also earlier said the UN nuclear watchdog should explain why it intends to send its inspectors to the Parchin military site because the AEOI has no station or activity in there and the site has already been inspected by the IAEA.
Abbasi pointed to the IAEA's concern about Iran's refusal to allow an inspection of Parchin, and noted, "If we enter another country, would they allow us to visit (inspect) wherever we want?"
"We (AEOI) have no site in Parchin; Parchin has been repeatedly accused (by the IAEA of running suspected military nuclear activities) despite the fact that it has gone under inspection in the past," Abbasi said.
He reminded that the IAEA should have a strong argument to convince Iranian officials, including the defense minister, that inspection of Parchin is necessary, and said, "Our military commanders are rational people (and would allow IAEA access to Parchin if they are presented with a good reasoning), but the point is that we in the Atomic Energy (Organization of Iran) have not been convinced by the IAEA inspectors of the goal of such a visit."
Soltaniyeh himself had announced in March that Tehran would be ready to provide the UN nuclear agency with one-time access to its Parchin military test facility once modalities of Iran-IAEA cooperation have been agreed on, reminding that the facility is a highly sensitive military site already visited by inspectors twice in January and November 2005.