Iranian ambassador calls IAEA report a ‘historic mistake’

TEHRAN, Nov. 12 (MNA) – Iran's ambassador to The Hague described the new IAEA report about Iran’s nuclear program as a “deliberate historic mistake” which has put the reputation of the agency in danger. Mohammad Kazem Gharibabadi said the report has been drawn up on the basis of “political motivations” and “forged information” provided by the United States. “Probably, you know that Mr. Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, before publishing this report, visited United States and got the necessary orders from Washington,” Gharibabadi told Nederland 2, a Dutch television channel. He also said the Non-Aligned Movement member states, China, and Russia repeatedly warned Amano not to publish “unsubstantiated claims” in his report but he refused. He added, "The United States and some of its allies have been speaking about Iran's imaginary atomic bomb for many years but their dream has not come true so far," said Gharibabadi who also holds an executive post at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). As a signatory to the NPT, Iran has vehemently dismissed allegations that it is seeking to build nuclear weapons. "Iran is the member of all international treaties on disarmament and arms control; nuclear weapons have no place in Iran's defensive and security doctrines," he stated. He added new allegations included in Amano’s report are politically motivated. The U.S. has been claiming that Iran is using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. "Having a myriad of nuclear warheads disqualifies the United States to make any opinion about commitments of other countries,” he stated. In response to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who has called for more sanctions against Iran, Gharibzadeh said sanctions are not something new. He added Iran has been under sanctions by the U.S. and its allies over the last three decades. He said the Iranian people have succeeded to cope with sanctions and they have in fact acted as a vehicle for progress.