Iran rejects IAEA report concerns on nuclear program

Tehran's representative insists: "For the 26th time, the IAEA confirmed the peaceful nature of our nuclear program."

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
THE BUSHEHR nuclear plant in southern Iran 311 (photo credit: AP)
THE BUSHEHR nuclear plant in southern Iran 311
(photo credit: AP)
Iran's representative in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Esgaroth Soltanieh, rejected claims of the report published by the organization, which received new information that increases the concern about the possibility that the regime in Tehran worked to develop nuclear weapons, reported AFP on Saturday.
"The important point is that the full detailed report regarding all our nuclear activities show full supervision by the IAEA and no deviation to prohibited ends," the state news agency IRNA quoted Soltanieh as saying.
RELATED:UN says it has new info on alleged Iran nuclear armsIran expanding its covert overseas hunt for uraniumUS seeks to tighten sanctions against Iran
"For the 26th time, the IAEA confirmed the peaceful nature of our nuclear program," Soltanieh insisted.
An annex to the confidential IAEA report on Friday listed "the outstanding issues which give rise to concern about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme." It included design work on a nuclear payload; experiments with explosives that could detonate such a payload and other work that could be linked to making weapons.
New intelligence continues to come in to the agency strengthening those suspicions, despite Tehran's stonewalling, said the report, obtained by The Associated Press.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
Click here for full Jpost coverage of the Iranian threat
 "Based on the agency's analysis of additional information since August 2008, including new information recently received, there are further concerns which the agency also needs to clarify with Iran," said the report, which was also sent to the UN Security Council.