Russia: Moscow Will Continue Its Plan to Build a Nuclear Reactor in Iran - 2003-06-06

Russia: Moscow Will Continue Its Plan to Build a Nuclear Reactor in Iran - 2003-06-06. It has been reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), affiliated with the United Nations, stated that the Islamic Republic has not adhered to the agreements it signed regarding nuclear guarantees. Today, a diplomat at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria's capital, said that the agency's report on Iran concluded that Iran has not reported that it possesses nuclear materials and has constructed facilities for the maintenance and processing of nuclear materials. According to that diplomat, the IAEA added in its report that Iran has acted to comply with regulations. The IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet in ten days to discuss Iran's nuclear program. A senior Russian government official stated that Moscow will continue its program to assist in the construction of a nuclear reactor in Iran because Russia has not obtained evidence supporting the accusations made by the United States against the Iranian government, claiming that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons. The Bush administration has claimed that Russian assistance to Iran would enable that country to advance its nuclear weapons production program more quickly. For this reason, the U.S. has asked Russia to cut or limit its assistance to Iran. Today, Georgy Mamedov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, said in an interview with a Russian newspaper that Russia, like the U.S., does not doubt Iran and does not believe that Iran is seeking to create a nuclear arsenal. The Russian official stated that the IAEA has not discovered any violations of the international treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons by Iran. The U.S. has accused the Iranian regime of constructing a uranium enrichment plant near the city of Natanz, which is used for producing nuclear weapons. U.S. officials are calling for the IAEA to declare that Iran has violated the non-proliferation treaty. Earlier this week, Russian officials urged Iran to sign new guarantees regarding its peaceful intentions to alleviate international concerns about its nuclear program.