“What we can say about the nuclear activity of Iran is that Iran is conducting nuclear activities in a quite steady manner,” the head of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told RT.
“We are not saying that Iran has nuclear weapons or that Iran has decided to develop nuclear weapons but we have pieces of information that indicate that Iran was involved in activities relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devises,” Amano stressed.
Head of the nuclear watchdog added, “We do not draw conclusions but we put questions and we tell our Iranian friends that they need to clarify the issues.”
Referring to the recent talks between the agency and Iran, Amano underlined, “Cooperating with IAEA fully should be in the interest of Iran.
They say all of their activities are for peaceful purposes and we would like to help Iran to clarify the issue.” Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wrapped up their latest round of talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program last week.
The talks were the 10th round of the negotiations between Iran and the IAEA over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program since early 2012. The previous round of the negotiations was held in mid-February in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union using the claim as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran.
Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed NPT signatory and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA chief further stressed that a repeat of the Iraq scenario, where failure to cooperate was used as a pretext to invasion, is unlikely to happen with Iran.
Asked about Israel’s double standards with regard to the possession of nuclear weapons and Iran’s push for nuclear development, Amano claimed that international law applies differently to Israel as it is not a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“Israel is not a member of the NPT so what IAEA can do is vary the activities in the facility which Israel decided to place under our safeguard, we do not have the authority to go beyond that.”
The issue of Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons, which has not yet been officially acknowledged by Tel Aviv, is crucial to an international effort to create a region nuclear free zone.
A conference on the introduction of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction was called for at a May 2010 conference to review the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The idea has failed to materialize, as Israel said it would not attend the international conference.
“Many countries of the international community want Israel to attend a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Conference and the NPT. My role is to maintain the channel and share the information and advice,” Amano said.