Iran Already a Member of World’s Nuclear Club
TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) -– Secretary of Iran's Supreme Council for National Security, Hassan Rowhani, announced on Sunday that the international community should soon accept Iran as a member of the world’s nuclear club and call on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to close its file.
"The international community should accept Iran in the world nuclear club," Rowhani, who has headed Iran's nuclear negotiations, told an annual session of the Assembly of Experts.
Rowhani, who was speaking on the eve of a meeting by the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors on Monday, said Iran has legitimate right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
Iran insists its network of nuclear facilities is geared to produce atomic power, not bombs.
Rowhani also called on IAEA board of governors to finish a 13-month probe of Iran’s nuclear program.
"We must arrive at a stage where the board of governors would totally close the file on Iran's peaceful nuclear activities and take the issue out of its agenda," he told the assembly, a body of senior clerics who elect the Supreme Leader.
Rowhani said it was highly unlikely for the UN Security Council to impose possible sanctions on Iran.
"So far we have succeeded in thwarting the U.S. plots, and do not think the U.S. is in a position to send our dossier to the Security Council," he said.
Rowhani said Tehran's agreement late last year to sign the NPT Additional Protocol allowing inspectors to carry out more intrusive and snap checks of its nuclear facilities had foiled the U.S. plots.
He said Iran foiled the plot by signing up to tougher inspections, which came because of a "national consensus".
The United States has already signaled it will not seek to have Iran condemned in the Security Council. Speaking in Lisbon Thursday, U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton nevertheless said, "We are absolutely determined not to reduce the pressure on Iran."
Britain, France and Germany in October struck a deal with Iran to cooperate with the IAEA, and are still stressing the path of "constructive engagement".
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