Iran will continue to co-operate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the Foreign Ministry said today, apparently confirming Tehran had given inspectors access to a reactor under construction after barring visits for a year.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi also called on the West to seek "interaction" rather than impose more sanctions on the Islamic Republic, state Press TV reported.
Tehran has repeatedly shrugged off the impact of such punitive measures.
"Nothing can prevent us in pursuing our legal nuclear rights," he told a news conference.
US President Barack Obama has given Iran until September to take up a six-power offer of talks on trade benefits if it shelves sensitive nuclear enrichment, or face harsher sanctions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is due to release a report on Iran's disputed nuclear programme this week. Last week diplomats accredited to the Vienna-based agency said Iran had allowed the IAEA to inspect the Arak heavy water reactor site.
The UN agency had urged Iran to grant access so that it could verify that the site under construction was for peaceful uses only. The diplomats also said Iran had recently allowed an upgrade of monitoring at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant.
The changes were greeted with scepticism by the West, which suspects Iran is trying to build nuclear bombs. Tehran says its nuclear work is to generate electricity. Uranium enrichment can have both civilian and military uses.
Asked about the reported Arak visit and whether there had been a change in relations with the IAEA, Mr Qashqavi said: "All our nuclear activities have been within the framework of the agency and the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) ... (IAEA Director General Mohamed) ElBaradei has always confirmed Iran's cooperation with the agency.
"This trend will be continued in the future. What has been mentioned recently was in the same framework," he added, appearing to refer to the reported Arak visit.
Reuters