Iran ready to cooperate with IAEA

Iran is ready to cooperate “further” with the UN atomic energy watchdog if it “balances its approach” to the Islamic republic, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday, according to the ISNA news agency.

“We are prepared to cooperate with the agency more than ever, if the (UN) agency balances its approach and complies with its statutes and the safeguard agreements,” Salehi was quoted as saying. “If that is the case, we are prepared to cooperate much the same as before and even further with the agency,” he said.

The conditional offer was made after a vote Friday by the board of the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling for more cooperation from Iran on its nuclear program.

The vote followed a November 8 IAEA report that strongly suggested Iran despite its repeated denials  was researching nuclear weapons under cover of its civilian atomic activities.

The IAEA resolution  worded to pass muster with Iran’s allies Russia and China  notably stopped short of sending the matter to the UN Security Council.