Khamenei.ir

In a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Muhammad al-Baradei, the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sayyid Ali Khamenei stressed that the agency must remain an independent international centre.

Speaking in a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Muhammad al-Baradei on January 12, 2008, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that the Agency must remain an independent international centre.

"Considering the present positive international climate regarding Iran's nuclear activities, finding the correct solution will be an important challenge and a great achievement for the International Atomic Energy Agency."

Pointing to the basic viewpoint of the Islamic Republic of Iran on international treaties and describing them as binding, His Eminence added that "so far the Islamic Republic of Iran has accordingly carried out its commitments concerning the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

Referring to the disinclination of the imperialists to IAEA's remaining independent, the Leader went on to say, "Their antipathy towards the Agency's position regarding the lack of diversion in Iran's nuclear activities is a clear manifestation of this reluctance."

Describing the American hostility to the Iranian government as beyond the nuclear conflict, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that "Americans wrongly assume that they can break down the Islamic Republic of Iran by pressurizing it about the nuclear issue, but they will never be able to bring the Iranian nation to heel by this or other conflicts."

Reasserting the nuclear positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Leader added: "Keeping the Iranian nuclear dossier in the United Nations Security Council has no justification whatsoever."

"Iran has repeatedly declared that it is opposed to the production and use of nuclear weapons on fundamental, religious grounds," The supreme Leader said.

At the end of this meeting, His Eminence expressed his hopes for a solution to the remaining nuclear issues.

In this meeting, which was attended by Mr. Aghazadeh the chairman of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Muhammad al-Baradei expressed his great satisfaction over his meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and described Iran as an extremely important and worthy partner for the International Energy Agency and said, "In recent months, there has been constructive cooperation between Iran and the IAEA to improve transparency."

Emphasizing Iran's right to utilize nuclear energy for the country's development, he described negotiations as the only solution to the Iranian nuclear conflict and expressed his hopes that the Security Council will refer Iran's nuclear case back to the International Atomic Energy Agency.