Azerbaijan, Baku, December 10 / Trend , E.Ostapenko /
Statements by the Iranian parliamentarians regarding reducing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are rather symbolic, but are not real intentions, said European expert on Iranian politics Rouzbeh Parsi.
"It is not Parliament that decides these questions so this is more a semi-symbolic positioning of some Parliamentarians viz. other decision-making bodies in the Iranian system," Parsi, analyst of the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), wrote to Trend in an e-mail.
The press-secretary of the commission on national security and foreign policy of the Iranian Parliament Kazim Jalili stated Iran's intention to reduce the level of cooperation with the IAEA if the UN Security Council adopts a new resolution against the country, MEHR news agency reported.
According to Parsi, this is one of many instances where Iran tries to signal that it cannot be cowed or bullied into a compromise and that further UN Security Council resolutions will only make work more difficult for the IAEA inside Iran.
According to the expert, in a sense the argument is: "the more you pressure us [Iran] because you think we do not tell you [IAEA] enough about our nuclear programme the less cooperative we will be and you will know even less".
A good sign in the negotiations between the representatives of Iran and the West to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue was an agreement in Geneva. The sides could agree that Iran will allow the IAEA inspectors to a new uranium enrichment plant in Qom and Iran expressed willingness to further enrich its uranium in the third countries that would allow the international community to monitor the process and prevent the development of nuclear weapons in Iran.
However, Iran has begun to refuse fulfilling its commitments, imposing additional conditions and delaying the process. Such actions of Iran accelerated IAEA's adoption of a draft resolution on Nov. 27, submitted by six international mediators (Russia, USA, China, Britain, France and Germany).
The draft resolution condemned Iran for construction of the second secret uranium enrichment plant "Fordo" near the Iranian city of Qom. IAEA urged Iran to "fully and immediately" implement UN Security Council resolutions and the requirements of the IAEA Board of Governors, including the immediate refusal from the second uranium enrichment plant "Fordo".
Iran was also urged to cooperate with the IAEA to clarify all remaining questions concerning Iran's nuclear program, and provide full access to the information necessary for IAEA. The IAEA resolution was supported by all countries of the Six, including Russia and China, which formerly did not support strict measures against Iran.
"Iran's reaction is most probably not going to be positive to any new threats of sanctions, nor does the enrichment compromise deal seem to be going anywhere," Parsi said.
In response to the IAEA demands, last Sunday the Islamic Republic has already expressed willingness to build ten more uranium enrichment plants. Moreover, Iran has threatened to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
According to the expert, it will make it easier for those who from the beginning have been against negotiations with Iran.
"That will be used as proof that Tehran is not a trustworthy and reliable negotiations partner and thus harsher sanctions is the only way forward," said Parsi.
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