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IAEA trying to mount pressure on Iran

25 February 2012 19:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. An Iranian lawmaker says the new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iranâ€™s nuclear program is in line with the Western policies to increase political pressure on Tehran, APA reports quoting Press TV.

â€œThe [IAEA] report is still ambiguous despite confirming the peaceful nature of the nuclear activities of Iran,â€ Gholam-Reza Karami, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Saturday.

The lawmaker added that the report shows the agency is trying to mount pressure on Iran in line with the Western approach because in parts in concedes to the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program and in others it echoes past allegations.

â€œTherefore, Iran should not be influenced by such pressures and while cooperating with the agency, it should insist on its policy to develop [peaceful] nuclear activities,â€ he added.

On February 24, the IAEA issued its new report on Iran’s nuclear program claiming that the Islamic Republic has stepped up uranium enrichment.

While admitting that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, the report added that the country has carried out a significant expansion of activities at its main enrichment plant near the central city of Natanz, and has also increased work at the Fordow underground facility which is located near the city of Qom, south of Tehran.

In an interview on Friday, Iranâ€™s Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said the new report entails the two latest agency visits to Tehran and Iranâ€™s â€œaccurate responsesâ€ to the â€œunfounded allegations and claimsâ€ mentioned in the November 2011 agency report.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program, using this pretext to impose sanctions against Iran and threaten the country with military attack.

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and member of IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.

The IAEA has never found any evidence indicating that Tehran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted towards nuclear weapons production.