The deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has said Tehran is committed to trying to reach a negotiated solution to its decade-old nuclear dispute with the West.
Behrouz Kamalvandi made the remarks in his speech at an annual meeting of the 162-nation International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
"However, measures such as sanctions or double standard approaches certainly harm the negotiating process and cause further mistrust," he said.
He urged the major powers - which resumed talks with Iran in New York last week - to take "constructive and realistic approaches" and fully respect Iran's nuclear rights in order to end an "unnecessary" crisis.
The United States and the European Union, in statements to the IAEA conference on Monday, called on Iran to cooperate with the UN nuclear agency's investigation into what it calls possible military dimensions of Tehran's nuclear program.
Iran denies the claims that it may have been trying to develop the capability to build nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is only meant for peaceful purposes, such as electricity generation. Tehran has increased its cooperation with the IAEA since Hassan Rouhani became president last year.
"It is essential and urgent that Iran cooperates fully with the agency regarding possible military dimensions," the 28-nation EU told the week-long, IAEA member state meeting.
Western officials say this is needed if Iran wants to reach a final nuclear deal with the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) to resolve the dispute over its nuclear work. The EU told the IAEA conference that "resolving all outstanding issues will be essential to achieve a comprehensive, negotiated long-term settlement" with Iran.
Three of the six powers dealing with the Iranian nuclear dossier are EU members - Britain, France, and Germany.
Full Cooperation With IAEA
Kamalvandi said Iran was fully cooperating with the IAEA and that this showed the Islamic Republic's "goodwill and genuine efforts to clarify some fabricated ambiguities, if any, regarding its peaceful activities,"
Rouhani's election raised hopes of a solution to the stand-off with the West after years of rising tension. An interim accord was reached between Iran and the major powers in Geneva last November.
But they did not meet a self-imposed July target date for a long-term accord and now face a new deadline of November 24.
Iran-IAEA cooperation is separate, but closely linked to, nuclear talks between Tehran and the six major powers. Western officials say although there is no chance of the IAEA inquiry being completed before the scheduled end of the nuclear talks, some of the sanctions relief Iran is seeking would probably depend on its cooperation with the UN nuclear agency.
