By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia has said it believes Iran’s nuclear programme is fully under control of the UN Nuclear watchdog and that in the presence of the international agency the Islamic country will not go for weaponisation.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has full control over Iran’s nuclear activities and the country will never obtain high enriched uranium while the IAEA is there,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Saturday.
Under an agreement reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in late August, Tehran committed itself to answering all questions by the UN agency on its nuclear programme.
Western countries, especially the US, suspect that Iran, ostensibly under a nuclear power project, has been enriching uranium to a grade higher than what is required for its proposed power plant.
Tehran has rejected the allegations and insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purpose and it needs nuclear technology for power generation.
The Islamic republic is currently subjected to two sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. A further round of tougher sanctions has been blocked by Russia and China.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in a report last month said that Iran had been truthful, in general, about key aspects of its “nuclear dossier”, but noted that Tehran was continuing to work on uranium enrichment, despite persistent international demands to halt the programme.