First recognition of nuclear rights, then IAEA demands, Iran says

Iran on Tuesday said that demands for renewed inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be considered after recognition of Iran's nuclear rights, dpa reported.

"Certain demands should be balanced and, hence, require further agreements such as recognition of Iran's rights to pursue peaceful nuclear programmes," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran.

The spokesman was referring to a renewed demand by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano on Monday for Iran to allow inspections of the military complex Parchin, where, according to Western intelligence agencies, nuclear weapons parts had once been tested.

On Monday, the head of the UN atomic agency called on Iran to allow immediate access to the Parchin military base where it suspects nuclear weapons research took place.

Yukiya Amano said that this should be granted "without further delay" and without waiting for stalled talks to conclude an agreement on investigating other alleged "weaponisation" activities.

"I request Iran once again to provide access to the Parchin site without further delay, whether or not agreement has been reached on the structured approach," Amano told the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors meeting.

"Providing access to the Parchin site would be a positive step which would help to demonstrate Iran's willingness to engage with the Agency on the substance of our concerns," he said, according to the text of his remarks at the closed-door gathering.

The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies. The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical researches instead.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.


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