US tactics aimed to step up diplomatic action over Iran's nuclear projects: daily
IRNA
Tehran, June 7, IRNA -- `Tehran Times' on Saturday wrote that
Washington's pressure tactic to prevent peaceful nuclear cooperation
between Iran and Russia is just one phase of the longer US strategy to
step up diplomatic action against Iran's peaceful nuke project and to
impede the activities of Russian companies in the Islamic Republic.
In a recent move confounding US and British claims, Russian
foreign ministry spokesman vowed Thursday that Moscow will continue
its nuclear cooperation with Tehran based on the existing bilateral
agreements.
It is to be noted that a statement also issued on Thursday by the
Russian foreign ministry slammed London and Washington's interference
in Tehran-Moscow relations and rejected US Under Secretary of State
John Bolton's recent accusations that "Iran is acquiring the
technology to produce weapons of mass destruction," as "fantasy and
speculation," the English-language daily wrote in its Opinion column.
The Kremlin's firm stance over the issue gives the lie to British
Prime Minister Tony Blair's recent announcement that President
Vladimir Putin had pledged at last week's G8 summit in France that
Russia would stop sale of nuclear fuel to Iran, it noted.
It also proves the inaccuracy of the recent claims of US media
reports that Moscow had assured Washington twice - once during a
recent visit to Russia by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the
other at the G8 talks, the daily added.
"Iran's peaceful activities in the field of nuclear energy comply
with the conventions on non-proliferation and stockpiling of weapons
of mass destruction," highlighted the daily.
Therefore, completion of the Bushehr nuclear plant is not
tantamount to violation of any international laws, it asserted.
This is why Putin has warned Washington not to adopt a policy of
pressuring Russian firms in his recent meeting with US President
George W. Bush in St. Petersburg, it noted.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is the only
organization authorized to oversee compliance of states to the
conventions on nuclear power, has never reported any Iranian
violations of the strict international regulations, it said.
Furthermore, Tehran is a signatory to the NPT which gives it the
right to use nuclear fuel for its power stations. On the other hand,
advanced countries are duty-bound to supply nuclear technology to the
NPT signatories.
Washington is therefore not only interfering in the peaceful
cooperation between Tehran and Moscow but it is violating
internationally accepted norms by trying to undermine relations
between Iran and Russia, the daily concluded.
FH/HM
End
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