Iran calls halt to UN checks

TEHRAN – Iran has ended all voluntary co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced yesterday.

The president had ordered the move a day before in response to the IAEA referring Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme. “We have ended all the voluntary co-operation we have been extending to the IAEA in the past two-and-a-half to three years, on the basis of the president’s order,” Mottaki said.The announcement means Iran has resumed uranium enrichment and will no longer allow snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities, both voluntary measures it had allowed in recent years in a goodwill gesture to build trust under a protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.”Adoption of the policy of resistance doesn’t mean we are on non-speaking terms or non-cooperative,” Mottaki said.”Yesterday we had two options.One was the option of resistance and the other was surrender.We chose resistance.”Twenty-seven of 35 member nations on the IAEA board voted for Iran’s referral to the UN Security Council over fears it wants to produce nuclear arms.Uranium enriched to a low degree is used as fuel for nuclear reactors.But highly enriched uranium is suitable for making atomic bombs.- Nampa-AP”We have ended all the voluntary co-operation we have been extending to the IAEA in the past two-and-a-half to three years, on the basis of the president’s order,” Mottaki said.The announcement means Iran has resumed uranium enrichment and will no longer allow snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities, both voluntary measures it had allowed in recent years in a goodwill gesture to build trust under a protocol to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.”Adoption of the policy of resistance doesn’t mean we are on non-speaking terms or non-cooperative,” Mottaki said.”Yesterday we had two options.One was the option of resistance and the other was surrender.We chose resistance.”Twenty-seven of 35 member nations on the IAEA board voted for Iran’s referral to the UN Security Council over fears it wants to produce nuclear arms.Uranium enriched to a low degree is used as fuel for nuclear reactors.But highly enriched uranium is suitable for making atomic bombs.- Nampa-AP