The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it will not permit two of its inspectors on Iranian soil because the IAEA had prematurely published a report he deemed "untruthful" and containing "false information" on Iran's nuclear work.
Salehi said the inspectors will not be allowed into the country or granted permission to visit its nuclear facilities due to a report filed by the IAEA before the official examination.
"These two inspectors do not have the right to come to Iran because they leaked information before it was to be officially announced and they also filed a false report," Salehi told ISNA news agency.
Salehi also stated that the UN inspectors would not be allowed in to the country for disclosing, “classified information,” and said that Iran has asked the IAEA to replace the two inspectors with new officials, who would be allowed to visit the Islamic republic to carry out checks on its nuclear facilities.
The decision comes two weeks after the UN Security Council voted to impose a fourth set of sanctions on Iran on the grounds of its suspect nuclear programme. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a report on Friday calling the new UN sanctions “illegal”. The US and the European Union have also expanded sanctions against Iran, to include a ban on new investment, technical assistance and transfers of technologies to Iran's key oil and natural gas sector, despite strong criticism from Russia's Foreign Ministry.
Sources: BBC News, AFP
To read the IAEA report on Iran please visit the International Atomic Energy Agency web site.
For more news and expert analysis on Iran please see Iran Strategic Focus.
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