Iran reminds West has allies against U.N. push

Reuters:

Iran's top nuclear official, upbeat after a Moscow visit, reminded the West on Monday that Tehran had powerful allies opposed to referring its suspected atomic weapons programme to the U.N. Security Council.

The European Union and the United States want the Security Council to take up Iran's case after Tehran resumed uranium processing last month, effectively halting talks aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions.

But Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation head Gholamreza Aghazadeh said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which currently monitors Tehran's nuclear programme, had no reasons to get the Security Council involved.

"Based on IAEA criteria, there are no technical or judicial grounds for the referral of the Iranian dossier to the U.N. Security Council," he told reporters in Moscow after a series of meetings with senior Russian officials. READ MORE

"A number of countries including Russia have voiced their reluctance to refer the Iranian nuclear dossier to the U.N. Security Council."

While calling on Iran to halt uranium conversion, Russia -- a permanent Council member with a veto to block any move against Iran -- opposes a referral and calls for more diplomacy to settle the impasse.

The United States, Britain, China and France are the other permanent members who wield vetoes on the Security Council.

EU officials and the United States have been trying to win the support of other IAEA board members such as China, India and South Africa, which are reluctant to send Iran to the Council.

EU diplomats have said more than half a dozen countries on the IAEA's 35-nation governing board, which meets on September 19, believe there is no justification for a referral.

Moscow has been long criticised by Washington for building a $1 billion (549 million pounds) nuclear power plant for Iran near the southern port of Bushehr, due to be launched next year.

Iran denies U.S. accusations it is seeking nuclear bombs and says it is entitled to a peaceful nuclear electricity programme.