Pressure on nuclear agency chief against Iran by 'bad-tempered' countries

A diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the US is trying to exert pressure on IAEA to change positive report of agency Chief Mohammad ElBaradei.

The diplomat, who asked not to be named, said today evening, since ElBaradei's new report on Iran's nuclear activity is "positive," Washington intends to place pressure to change the content of the report.

Referring to the positive cooperation of Iran by IAEA in the fields of centrifuges P1 and P2, the diplomat said, "If the dossier on P1 and P2 centrifuges are closed, it will be clear that accusations levelled by certain western countries are 'baseless'."

By closing the P1 and P2 centrifuges dossier the US claims would become void. The diplomat called the IAEA as the only source to examine countries' nuclear activities legally and technically. He underscored that transferring Iran's dossier to the United Nations Security Council is a political action.

Responding to a question concerning the US latest political stances towards IAEA, in spite of Iran's cooperation, the diplomat said, "US does not like the positive cooperation of Iran with the IAEA and it has been hurt from such cooperation."

Also, the Washington Post reported today about pressure from two allies of the US against Iran, the UK and France, on the nuclear agency to report negatively on Iran, saying that "The United States, Britain and France are asking tough questions about Iran's uranium enrichment program that are unlikely to be fully answered by a U.N. report due Thursday, setting the stage for a push for new sanctions on Tehran. The queries are contained in separate confidential documents from the three nations and were made available to The Associated Press on the eve of the report being drawn up by Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency."

A nuclear expert close to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, "papers" which Iran has submitted to the IAEA concerning metallic uranium are "ordinary papers" which have nothing to do with making nuclear war heads.

The expert, who asked not to be named, told the Iranian agency IRNA today evening that Iran has voluntarily submitted the papers to the agency inspectors since two years ago and the papers are accessible on the Internet.

Concerning western media propaganda on the papers, the expert said the issue can be seen in connection with the positive report of IAEA's Chief Mohammad ElBaradei about Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Ljubljana today threats and statements will not solve the Iran issue. "It is necessary to concentrate on talks and view, with positive impetuses. It is necessary to see the process, which began between Iran and the IAEA, to move effectively," he said.

Member of Iran's parliament (Majlis) Mohammad-Reza Tabesh said today that the civilian use of nuclear energy is the national goal of all Iranians.

Tabesh underlined that all factions and political parties are in consensus on the rights of Iranians to acquire peaceful nuclear energy. Criticizing the policy of the West on Iran's nuclear dossier, he said that the era of threatening other nations, particularly Iran, is over.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad said today that Iran's industrial enrichment program will develop under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "We began industrial work (on the nuclear project) from beginning of the year and it is now in the development stage," He told reporters following vote of confidence given by Majlis to two of his proposed ministers for portfolios of oil ministry and ministry of industries and mines.

Ahmadi-Nejad said industrial enrichment is like auto manufacturing: In the first day, it manufactures two autos and then produces the commodity as much as it can. "We are an IAEA member and have thus far acted within framework of regulations. From now on too we will act within framework of the regulations and talk with any interested body on expansion of cooperation in different fields."

"Anybody having question on our peaceful nuclear activities, we welcome him openly and we will hear it and use it as far as it is consistent with our interest." He then advised two remaining "bad-tempered" states to reconcile with Iran on the nuclear issue.

"Friendship of the two remaining bad-tempered countries on the nuclear issue would be to their benefit."

Iran has criticized recent comments by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on pushing for tougher sanctions against Iran stressing such remarks would be against London's national interests.

In a meeting on Tuesday with an official of British Foreign Office for the Middle East and North Africa Affairs, James Jenkins, Iran's Ambassador to London Rasoul Movahedian referred to Brown's remarks as "destructive."

Visiting Foreign Minister of China Yan Jiechi to Iran in a meeting with Iran top nuclear negotiator on Tuesday hailed Tehran's "positive" cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Yan Juechi arrived here on Tuesday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

This is the first visit to Iran of Yan Jiechi after he took office in spring.

In his meeting with Secretary of Iran Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili, the two sides stressed the need for continuation of a peaceful trend and holding diplomatic negotiations to settle Iran nuclear's row with the West.

The Chinese minister welcomed Tehran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Meanwhile, Jalili said for his part that Iran would continue its nuclear policy based on cooperating with the IAEA within the frameworks agreed by the two sides.

Jalili added that maintenance of nuclear talks with all parties including the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, was one of the key points of Iran nuclear policy. He stressed that the Iranian nation would persist on their nuclear rights.

Spokesperson of International Atomic Energy Agency Melissa Fleming on Tuesday rejected an AFP report over Iranian objection to a visit to Tehran of IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei.

Elbaradei has a standing invitation to visit Iran to meet with senior officials, She said.

"He was considering a trip last week but in view of conflicting schedules it was decided that this visit would take place at a later date," Flemming said.

The Iranian official news agency IRNA said that "Agence France Presse (AFP) made such a blunder on the eve of a report ElBaradei is expected to release about Iran," adding that political motives were behind the report.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Tuesday that Beijing is against imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran. Talking to reporters during his weekly press briefing, he said Beijing has repeatedly announced its transparent and clear position regarding Iran's nuclear program.

China believes that sanction and force are of no use, he said urging the settlement of Iran's nuclear case through diplomacy.

Beijing also believes that unilateral sanctions and pressures will only make the issue more complicated, the Chinese official reiterated. He further told reporters that Chinese Foreign Minister Yan Jiechi is currently in Iran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini on Tuesday rejected the recent remarks by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, stressing that the US officials have always adopted negative attitudes towards progress of the Iranian nation. As to the recent remarks by Rice saying that Washington is ready to negotiate with Iran on condition that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment, he said the US authorities, in practice, have always been hostile to the Iranian nation and ignored their legal and legitimate rights.

Their obstinacy in violating the scientific achievements of the Iranian nation as well as their efforts to tarnish their cultural and civilizational honor and dignity have continued, he reiterated.

Stressing that the change in the previous attitudes should not be accompanied by preconditions, Hosseini wondered, "Which government would compromise over the legitimate and indispensable rights of its nation and not be responsive to the history and its major national commitments?"

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, within the framework of commitments based on the Constitutions and the people's requests, is not able to give up even one iota of such rights which are based on international rules and regulations," the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had said on Monday that Iran's nuclear victory should not be neglected as it has "reached a sensitive point today." Addressing students, staff and officials of Iran University of Science and Technology in eastern Tehran, the president said Iran's peaceful nuclear program "is a key issue."

He compared the issue to the nationalization of Iran's oil industry in 1951 and said, "Iran's nuclear issue is 100 times as important as oil nationalization and we should not neglect it until we reach the final conclusion." "Ill-wishers of the Iranian nation are trying today to get even a small concession from this nation," President Ahmadi-Nejad said.

He advised European countries "not to follow the US," policy on Iran. "The US should notice that all its efforts against the Iranian nation will definitely end in failure," President Ahmadi-Nejad stressed.

Head of Foreign Policy Commission of Britain's House of Commons said his country has never asked for a halt to Iran's peaceful nuclear activity. Mike Gypss in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart said, "We also support a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear activity."

The British MP called his visit to Iran "very important" and expressed confidence that the results of the visit will be an important step in strengthening mutual relations, especially parliamentary ties.

He also underlined Iran's important role in solving regional crises, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan.