US voices support for reporting Iran nuke issue to UN Security Council

US ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Gregory Schulte on Wednesday voiced support for the EU's call to report the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

"We agree with the European Union (EU) and a growing majority of the (IAEA) board that the time has come to report Iran's noncompliance to the UN Security Council," Schulte told an IAEA board of governors meeting.

On late Wednesday morning, the IAEA board of governors meeting began the debate on the Iran nuclear issue. Representatives from the United States, Australia and Canada presented their position on the issue.

Earlier on Tuesday, the EU trio -- France, Britain and Germany circulated a draft resolution, urging the Iran nuclear issue to be reported to the UN Security Council and its General Assembly.

The US, who has long accused Iran of making secret plans for developing atomic bombs, Wednesday rapped Iran over "breaches" of its obligations to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Schulte listed "two reasons" for elevating the issue into the UN Security Council, which has a say on whether to pose sanctions against Iran or not.

"First, our statute requires us to make this report," said the ambassador, referring to the Article 12 of the IAEA Statute, which says: "The (IAEA) Board shall report the non-compliance to all members and to the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations."

Moreover, he said, the move would "signal to Iran's leadership that they are pursuing a course that will lead to increasing condemnation and isolation," and it would allow the Security Council to "take appropriate steps to strengthen international efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution."

Meanwhile, Canada and Australia followed the US in voicing their backing for reporting Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

In face of increasing pressures, Iran Wednesday sent its vice president, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, to Vienna. Aghazadeh said Tehran does not plan to withdraw from the NPT although it opposes the move by the US and the EU to report Iran to the UN Security Council.

"Leaving the NPT is not on the agenda of Iran," he said.

However, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani warned Tuesday in Tehran that his country would resume enriching uranium and restrict UN inspectors from critical information if the US and its allies use the "language of threat" and refer Iran to the Security Council.

Diplomats in Vienna said Aghazadeh had met with several members of the IAEA board, and that he would continue his diplomatic efforts in the next few days to block the US move.

Source: Xinhua