February 26, 2008

Iran May Cease Co-operation with IAEA

Iran May Cease Co-operation with IAEA: US Expert
24.02.08 15:48

Azerbaijan, Baku, 24 February /corr. Trend News D.Khatinoglu / The UN Security Council’s passing a new resolution against Iran may present obstacles to Tehran’s co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “ Iran may cease co-operation with the IAEA,” the US expert Mohsun Sazegara reported to Trend News.

On 22 February the IAEA Chairman Mohamed Al-Baredi submitted the report on Iran’s nuclear plans to the UN Security Council. The report highlights increase of Iran’s co-operation with the IAEA. The report says that Iran still refuses to make clear several key doubts. The permanent representatives of the UN Security Council devised the initial variant of the third Resolution against Tehran. Iranian officials stated that if any new sanctions are applied against the Country, they will sharply and seriously react to it.

The strong reaction of Iran can end its cooperation with IAEA and cause its refusal from Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Sazegara told Trend by telephone from Washington on 23 February. “The new Resolution of the UN Security Council will impose embargo to Iranian banks Melli and Saderat, the Iranian officials will be banned to visit other countries and the goods imported to Iran will not be insured by foreign companies and they will not be provided with a credit guarantee. The sanctions imposed to Iran up to now inflicted huge damages to the country. If Iran will not fulfill the UN Security Council demands, it is not excluded that an embargo will be imposed on Iran’s oil industry,” he added.

Sazegara noted that the benefits and losses of Iran from nuclear plan are incomparable. “Irrespective of the statements made by the Country’s officials, there is uncertainty on the nuclear plan. The international community is seriously concerned by Iran’s continuing ballistic missile tests, threats of wiping Israel off the face of the earth and installation of new centrifuge on the nuclear station Natants,” Sazegara said.

Al-Baredi’s report on the Iranian nuclear program was positively assessed by the Iranian officials. “Golamhossein Elham, an Iranian official, positively treated IAEA’s recent report and noted that the peaceful purposes of Iran’s nuclear plan have again been confirmed,” IRNA quoted on 23 February. On the other hand, BBC cited the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who stated that Al-Baredi’s report reflected the danger of Iran’s secret nuclear program. In his report Al-Baredi noted that he was not completely certain about the peaceful purposes of the Iranian nuclear plan, but at the same time, he said that the official Teheran intensified its cooperation with IAEA.

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