Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani said on Saturday that the UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

"Fortunately, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran's nuclear activities are meant for peaceful purposes," Rowhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah al-Kurbi in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Rowhani's comments came one day after a western diplomat said that IAEA inspectors examined Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in the central city of Natanz on Thursday and proved that Iran had frozen all sensitive activities there as it had pledged.

The negotiator reiterated Iran's position that the country's uranium enrichment suspension is a temporary measure only meant for confidence-building.

Iran, currently under strict inspection of the IAEA, is trying hard to disprove the US accusation that Iran develops nuclear weapons secretly. Iran rejects the charge as politically motivated.

Tehran insists that it never give up its legitimate rights for peaceful nuclear technology.

However, the Islamic Republic suspended its uranium enrichment activities last November to avoid a referral of its case to the UN Security Council.

The suspension also opened the door to continuing nuclear negotiations with the European trio of Britain, France and Germany,the broker of the Iranian nuclear issue since 2003.

The negotiations reached a deadlock due to uncompromising positions of the two sides.

Iran has sought to keep its uranium enrichment activities, while providing guarantees of the peaceful nature of its nuclear program,a non-existent concurrence according to Europe.

The two sides resumed a key round of talks on May 25 in Geneva, during which they agreed to prolong the negotiations till late July.

Source: Xinhua