Iran making steady progress in expanding nuclear capacity: IAEA chief

TEHRAN,June 19(MNA) – Iran is making “steady progress” in expanding its nuclear program and international sanctions do not seem to be slowing it down, the UN nuclear agency chief, Yukiya Amano, told Reuters on Monday. The surprise victory of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani in Iran’s presidential election last Friday has raised hopes for an easing of tension in the decade-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear activities, which world powers are seeking to persuade the Islamic state to scale back because they suspect could be used to make atomic bombs. Iran denies the charge. Rohani pledged on Monday to be more transparent about Tehran’s atomic work in order to see sanctions lifted but he also said Iran was not ready to suspend its enrichment of uranium. Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he remained committed to dialogue with Iran to address the IAEA’s concerns about what it calls the possible military dimensions to the country’s nuclear program. But no new meeting has yet been set after 10 rounds of talks since early 2012 failed to make progress. “There is a steady increase of capacity and production (in Iran’s nuclear program),” Amano said in an interview. Asked if international punitive steps aimed at making Iran curb its atomic activity were slowing it down, he said, “I don’t think so… I don’t see any impact.” Amano made clear he did not agree with critics who say his agency is relying too much on intelligence data from the United States and its allies. “The information comes from a larger number of countries (and) we have our own information,” said Amano, who has taken a tougher approach on Iran than his predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei. The IAEA continues to receive information on possible activities in Iran that may be relevant for developing nuclear weapons, he said. Amano said he did not want to speculate on whether the outcome of Iran’s election was a positive sign but he noted Rohani’s experience of nuclear issues. The mid-ranking cleric was Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator in 2003-05.