Iran's declaration of nuclear activities to a UN watchdog body should clarify the country's peaceful nuclear intentions, an Iranian official said today as a key deadline for the Islamic Republic expired.
Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali Akbar Salehi, told an Iranian news agency the IAEA had all the information it needed to produce a report showing Iran was pursuing a purely civilian nuclear energy programme.
Iran submitted the declaration to the IAEA on October 23, detailing its nuclear activities which Washington suspects are a smokescreen for building atomic weapons.
The IAEA had given Tehran an ultimatum to prove by October 31 that it has no secret arms programme, or be reported to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
"Iran's will is to remove all the agency's ambiguities and to take all necessary steps to enable the agency to present a positive report to its governor's board," Salehi told the student news agency ISNA.
In Moscow, a source in the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry said Iran would announce during a visit next week exactly when it would sign a treaty allowing the IAEA to conduct surprise thorough checks of its nuclear facilities.
The announcement of when Iran will sign the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows the snap inspections, is expected when Iranian National Security Council Chief Hassan Rohani visits Moscow next week.
"He is widely expected to announce the date of the signing, and I think the expectations are correct. It is highly likely he will give a date," the Russian source said.
On Thursday, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran's declaration of October 23 seemed to be comprehensive at first glance but the agency had to verify the report.
"We submitted a comprehensive, transparent and faultless report to the agency," an Iranian government official, who asked not to be named, said today.
Salehi told ISNA: "ElBaradei's positive remarks were a reaction to Iran's truthfulness and its cooperation with the agency. We have always said Iran is determined to cooperate with the agency...
"We are optimistic about the future and we hope that soon Iran's nuclear case will be closed for ever," Salehi added.
Salehi said the IAEA inspectors currently in Iran will stay until Sunday night