Iran rejects resolution on enrichment suspension: Rafsanjani

Former Iranian President AkbarHashemi Rafsanjani said Friday that Iran will reject a possible UN nuclear watchdog's resolution which would urge Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"If the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passes are solution urging Iran to terminate uranium enrichment, it will be disappointed because the resolution will be rejected," said Rafsanjani, chairman of the powerful Expediency Council.

Speaking at Friday Prayers sermon, Rafsanjani said such are solution will be against the IAEA's international mandate and will be considered as guilty.

"If any such resolution is issued, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have the option of lodging a complaint to the International Court of Justice, which can proceed against the IAEA for having exceeded its powers under the Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said.

He added the IAEA's decision on Iran is considered as a significant test for members of the IAEA Board of Governors.

"If they do come up to their responsibilities, they should not expect Iran to yield to their demands," he said.

"If they wish to impose their hegemony, the Islamic Republic of Iran will prove once again that it does not yield to any power and can defend its rights anywhere in the world," Rafsanjani added.

Meanwhile, Hossein Moussavian, spokesman of the Iranian delegation to the IAEA, said in Vienna that Iran would make decision on uranium enrichment next week if the above-mentioned resolution is adopted.

The IAEA is holding its governors' meeting in Vienna, with Iran's nuclear issue high on the agenda.

The United States, accusing Iran of secretly developing atomic weapons, is trying to prompt the IAEA to refer Iran's case to the UN Security Council.

Tehran has been consistently denying the US accusation, asserting that it is politically motivated and Iran's nuclear research is fully peaceful.

Source: Xinhua