Iran warns to suspend IAEA ties
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-04-25 15:56
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday his country would suspend its
relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if sanctions were
imposed, as advocated by the United States.
Iran's chief nuclear
negotiator Ali Larijani shows a document from before the Islamic
Revolution during his speech at a conference on Iran's Nuclear Policies
and Prospects in Tehran, April 25, 2006.
[AP] |
Ali Larijani also said Iran would stop acting transparently over its nuclear
program if was attacked militarily.
Washington has refused to rule out military options if diplomacy fails to
curb the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions.
The United States accuses Iran of seeking to build nuclear bombs and has been
seeking support for international sanctions if Tehran does not halt uranium
enrichment, as demanded by the U.N. Security Council. Russia and China oppose
such measures.
"How are you going to prevent our activities by imposing sanctions? If you
impose sanctions, Iran will suspend its relations with the agency (IAEA),"
Larijani told a conference on nuclear issues in Tehran.
"In case of military action against Iran, Iran cannot be expected to act
transparently (in its atomic work)," he said.
The Security Council has asked the IAEA to report on Friday on Iran's
compliance with its demands that Tehran halt uranium enrichment and answer the
agency's queries on its nuclear work.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said it cannot yet confirm Iran's assertion
that its atomic activities are purely civilian. But it has found no hard proof
of a military program.
Asked about France's attitude toward any U.S. military action against Iran,
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France 2 television:
"For us, obviously, that is absolutely not on the agenda. France, more than
ever, is attached to the Charter of the United Nations. We think that decisions
like that ... should be taken together, multilaterally.
"It's the U.N. Security Council that should give its agreement and must
politically support the IAEA."
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