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Iran's Supreme Leader: UN Nuclear Agency Lacks Independence

   VOA News 28 February 2010
   A  handout  picture released by the official website of Iran's supreme
   leader  shows Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing a meeting in Tehran on
   December 13, 2009.

Photo: AFP

   Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (file)

   Iran's  supreme  leader  says  the United Nations nuclear agency lacks
   independence and is easily influenced by the United States.
   Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday in Tehran that this influence could
   undermine the agency's reputation.  He spoke one day before the U.N.'s
   International Atomic Energy Agency begins discussions about its latest
   report on Iran.
   The Vienna-based IAEA expressed concern in a report earlier this month
   that Tehran may be working to develop a nuclear payload for a missile.
   Iran  has  refused  to  accept a U.N.-backed offer to ship most of its
   enriched  uranium  to  Russia  and  France for further processing into
   fuel.   Western  nations  believe  the measure would prevent Iran from
   diverting the uranium for military use.
   Tehran insists it nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes.
   The  United  States, France, Britain and Germany have called for harsh
   sanctions against Iran to prevent its advance toward nuclear weaponry.
   Russian  President  Dmitri  Medvedev  called  on  Iran Thursday to act
   responsibly  to  help  end  an  international dispute over its nuclear
   program.
   Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has not ruled
   out  supporting  new  sanctions  against  Iran.   Moscow says any such
   sanctions  must  be  aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons
   rather than punishing Iran as a whole.
   In  another development, senior Israeli officials were in Beijing last
   week  for  talks  aimed  at  persuading China to support new sanctions
   against Iran.
   China imports much of its energy from Iran and has been opposed to new
   sanctions,  saying  there  is  still  room for dialogue to resolve the
   nuclear dispute.
   Israel sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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