Russia reaffirms opposition to referring Iran to UN Security Council

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday restated that Moscow stands against the idea of referring Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

Russia views the suggestion to refer the Iranian issue to the UN Security Council "as counter-productive" and holds "it will not contribute to the search for a solution to the Iranian problem by political and diplomatic methods," the Foreign Ministry said in a release.

The ministry believes that the session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is ongoing from Sept. 19 to 23, will give detailed consideration to all the aspects of the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program on the basis of a Sept. 2 report by IAEA Director General Muhammad al-Baradei, according to the Interfax news agency.

"Our opinion is that this report will create a sound foundation for further orderly and de-politicized work within the IAEA, aimed at resolving this problem as soon as possible," the release reads.

The report and al-Baradei's speech at the session's opening on Sept. 19 marked Iran's progress in correcting its shortcomings related to the agreement on guarantees and other matters.

In addition, no new violations of nonproliferation obligations by Iran have been reported, and Mr. al-Baradei emphasized in his speech that Tehran continues to fulfill its obligations related to the agreement on guarantees and the additional protocol to it by providing IAEA inspectors with access to nuclear materials and facilities in Iran in due time.

"A number of questions remain that require an additional investigation by the IAEA", said the ministry and confident that " all these matters will be settled given comprehensive cooperation and openness from Iran".

Russia is ready to join forces with all concerned countries to continue to work on this draft resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors to ensure a balanced assessment of the problem and help secure reliable guarantees of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, the Foreign Ministry's document said.

Source: Xinhua