Russia urges Iran to observe IAEA agreement

RIA Novosti:

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement Monday urging Iran to comply with the additional protocol to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards Agreement.

"...The continuation of Tehran's cooperation with the IAEA on remaining issues and Iran's observance of voluntary obligations, including the additional protocol to the IAEA Safeguards Agreement, will normalize the situation involving Iran's nuclear program," the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry said compliance with the provisions of the document, which Iran signed in 2003 but never ratified, was an important confidence-building measure. On the other hand, refusal to observe the provisions could hinder a resolution to the Iranian nuclear problem within the IAEA framework. READ MORE

Iran denies seeking atomic bombs and says its nuclear program is only for generating electricity. However, it concealed its nuclear fuel program from the IAEA for 18 years.

Moscow and Tehran are cooperating under bilateral agreements on the supply of nuclear fuel and the return of nuclear waste. But the future of their cooperation looks uncertain in light of the IAEA Board of Governors' recent decision to refer Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council. This body may decide to impose sanctions on Tehran, including an economic embargo and a comprehensive ban on nuclear research, thereby postponing construction of a second Bushehr reactor indefinitely.

The Iranian parliament is drafting a document that instructs the government to withdraw from the additional IAEA protocol if the United States and the EU increase pressure on the country to abandon the development of its nuclear fuel cycle, the statement said.