Iran rejects UN criticism over nuclear program

The agency is fine-tuning a resolution that will reprimand Iran for delaying an investigation but refrain from direct threats of sanctions.

“We have no plans to produce weapons, and all of our activities are for peaceful purposes and nothing is wrong,” Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told reporters in Istanbul.

“We are quite transparent and have decided to cooperate fully with IAEA and the international community,” he said.

At a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors on Monday, agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei reflected the general frustrations with Iran, saying his agency's probe “can't go on forever.”

The agency is mainly concerned with ambiguous, missing or withheld information on the scope of Iran's enrichment program, and the source of enriched uranium found inside the country.

Asked to comment on the U.S. position in favour of a strong resolution against Iran, Mr. Kharrazi said: “That is not the first time that they are doing this. Always, they have been pushing the IAEA to act against us, but so far they have failed.”

“So far, many issues have been verified. There are minor issues that [are] still under consideration,” he said. “We don't have any concerns. Everything is transparent and we will continue our co-operation.”

Mr. Kharrazi is in Istanbul to attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of Islamic countries.

Any toughly worded IAEA document will maintain pressure on Iran to come clean on aspects of what was a covert nuclear program for nearly 20 years until discovered two years ago.

Iran has rejected U.S. allegations that its nuclear program is a smoke screen for making weapons. Instead, the country says its uranium-enrichment is geared solely toward generating electricity.

A resolution calling for increased co-operation and disclosure was likely to be presented later in the week, allowing more time for Iran to press for softer wording and the U.S.-led faction to rally for the opposite.

Under growing international pressure, Iran has suspended uranium enrichment and stopped building centrifuges. It also has allowed IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities without notice.