IAEA would like to help Iran clarify its nuclear activities: Amano

TEHRAN,May 22(MNA) – In an interview with RT published on Tuesday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said that the UN nuclear watchdog would like to help Iran clarify its nuclear activities. “What we can say about the nuclear activity of Iran is that Iran is conducting nuclear activities in a quite steady manner,” Amano said. He also said, “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 devices. “We do not draw conclusions but we put questions and we tell our Iranian friends that they need to clarify the issues.” “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,” he added. Iran and the UN nuclear agency held a new round of talks over the country’s nuclear program in Vienna on May 15. Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh said after the end of the meeting that Iran and the IAEA will continue their talks over the country’s nuclear program. The latest round of talks in Vienna were the 10th round of negotiations between Iran and the UN nuclear agency since early 2012, so far without any agreement for further investigation into Iran’s nuclear program. Western officials accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA, and of seeking to restrict the ability of UN inspectors to carry out their investigation the way they want. Iran says the demands for access to certain sites go beyond its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that the allegations against it are based on forged intelligence. The IAEA’s immediate priority is to visit the Parchin military base. It suspects explosives tests relevant to nuclear weapons may have taken place there, perhaps a decade ago, and then been concealed. Tehran denies the accusation. Iran says it must first agree with the IAEA on how the investigation should be carried out before allowing such access.