Iran: New U.N. Sanctions Would Be Wrong

Iranian top nuclear negotiator said Thursday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog report proves accusations that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons are baseless and that new sanctions against the country would be wrong.

Saeed Jalili said Tehran has answered all the questions by the International Atomic Energy Agency and made "good progress" in cooperating with it.

In light of the IAEA report, "many accusations are now baseless," Jalili said, referring to U.S. claims that Tehran was seeking to build nuclear weapons. "Those powers who base their accusations on this I hope will reconsider what they say."

"We have kept our promise ... Iran has responded to all the questions by the (U.N.) agency and has made good progress in the case," said Jalili, speaking to reporters in Tehran.

Jalili spoke as a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, made available to The Associated Press in Vienna, Austria, said that Iran had been generally truthful about key aspects of its nuclear history, but also warned that its knowledge of Tehran's present atomic work was shrinking.

The IAEA report also confirmed that Tehran continued to defy the U.N. Security Council by ignoring its repeated demands to freeze uranium enrichment, a potential pathway to nuclear arms.

But Jalili insisted Iran has an irrefutable right to its nuclear program.

"Iran has shown it is working within the framework of the law but at the same time, we want our (nuclear) rights," Jalili said. "We have done everything to have a peaceful nuclear program."

The Iranian official said past referrals of Iran's case to the U.N. Security Council were "futile" and said a new, third round of sanctions would amount to "illegal action."

If new U.N. sanctions are approved, "you should be asking what is the logic in this," Jalili told reporters.

He said the IAEA report listed a "number of articles that refer to Iran's cooperation with the agency" and that this shows claims of nuclear material being used for a military program have been false.

The United States and its allies have said they would press for new U.N. sanctions unless Iran suspends enrichment and provides a full and detailed disclosure of past suspicious nuclear activities.

Jalili insisted Iran was enthusiastic about continuing talks with the IAEA, which he said now has "complete supervision" of Iran's uranium enrichment program.