Iran Nuclear NewsEnvoy: Iran ready to settle IAEA issues

Envoy: Iran ready to settle IAEA issues

-

AP: Iran is prepared to settle all outstanding issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency within three weeks, the country’s top nuclear negotiator said Sunday. Associated Press

MUNICH, Germany (AP) – Iran is prepared to settle all outstanding issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency within three weeks, the country’s top nuclear negotiator said Sunday.

The IAEA, led by Mohamed ElBaradei, has said it has found no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. But the watchdog has suspended some aid to Iran and criticized the country for concealing certain nuclear activities and failing to answer questions about its program.

“I have written to Mr. ElBaradei to say we are ready to within three weeks to have the modality to solve all the outstanding issues with you,” Ali Larijani said at a forum gathering together top security officials from around the globe.

On Friday, the IAEA suspended nearly half the technical aid it provides to Iran, a symbolically significant punishment for nuclear defiance that only North Korea and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had faced in the past.

That decision was in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. The suspension must still be approved by the 35 countries on the IAEA’s board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

ElBaradei’s Friday report to board members called for the full or partial suspension of 18 projects that it deemed could be misused to create nuclear weapons. The agency had already suspended aid to Iran in five instances last month.

Iran insists it will not give up uranium enrichment, saying it is pursuing the technology only to generate energy. The United States and some of its allies fear the Islamic republic is more interested in enrichment’s other application – creating the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

While the IAEA programs do not involve significant amounts of money, a senior U.N official familiar with Iran’s file said the suspensions carry “symbolic significance” because they are part of Security Council sanctions.

Iran gets IAEA technical aid for 15 projects and 40 more involving multiple other countries. In projects involving other nations, only Iran was affected by the suspensions.

The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany all want Iran to stop its enrichment program. But their approaches have differed over the past year, often straining the joint effort.

Russia and China, which both share economic and strategic interests with Iran, have been reluctant to impose harsh sanctions. After months of disputes, the Security Council imposed sanctions in December that fell short of the harsher measures sought by the United States.

In March, the IAEA board will also hear a report from ElBaradei expected to confirm that Iran has expanded its enrichment efforts – a development that would empower the Security Council to impose stricter sanctions.

Latest news

Corruption Allegations Surround Tehran’s Friday Prayer Leader Amid Factional Struggles

Recent reports from Iran suggest that Kazem Sadighi, Tehran's Friday Prayer Imam, has allegedly seized a property valued at...

Housing Accounts for Half of Spending by Tehran Households

Official statistics on income and expenditures of households in Tehran show that urban households in the capital of Iran...

US, UK Ask UN To Prevent Iran from Sending Missiles to Houthis

Representatives of the United States and Britain at the United Nations Security Council meeting called for UN maritime inspection...

Medicine Scarce in Iranian Pharmacies, Abundant in Free Market

The distribution of medicine in Iran faces numerous challenges. Various governments promised to solve these issues at the beginning...

10% of Iran’s Gas Lost in Production and Transmission

The International Energy Agency, states in its annual report that Iran ranks third globally in methane emmissions. According to the...

Iran’s Oil Production Declines, OPEC Reports

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has reported a decrease in Iran's oil production for the second...

Must read

Paris Convention Will Showcase Work of Iran’s Dissidents

By Hamid Yazdan Panah Iran remains a focal point...

Iran sets defiant tone at start of talks over nuclear programme

The Times: Iran struck a defiant note as...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you