A top Iranian official was quoted on Sunday as saying Tehran should agree to tougher inspections of its nuclear facilities to ease international pressure on the Islamic Republic.
In an interview with the state-run Iran newspaper, the country's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped Tehran would take steps to satisfy international concerns about its nuclear ambitions before the IAEA's next board of governor's meeting in September.
Asked whether Iran should agree to international demands it sign up to the Additional Protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- to allow more intrusive, short-notice inspections of its nuclear sites -- Salehi said: "Right now, we are in a situation where we can use the Additional Protocol as a tool for solving the problems which have been created and to close the politicized case of our nuclear activities.
"With a positive attitude towards the Additional Protocol, we can take necessary advantage of it."
Meanwhile, the spokesman for Iran's nuclear program said Sunday that he had resigned. The move by Khalil Mousavi was not explained.
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
