Iran parliament to consider reducing cooperation with IAEA

Iran's parliament will consider a bill to cut cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Fars news agency reported Saturday.

Parliament member Hami-Reza Fouladgar said the proposal to be discussed Sunday would revise and reduce cooperation with the nuclear watchdog following a UN resolution against the Islamic state, DPA reported.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favour of its fourth resolution imposing sanctions against Iran.

Legislators had earlier warned that they would adopt a law to oblige the government to reduce IAEA ties if any new UN resolution were approved.

Parliament voted in 2005 to stop implementation of the IAEA Additional Protocol, which would authorise the agency to make unannounced and wider inspections of Iranian nuclear sites.

It was not yet clear whether legislators would also discuss Iran's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran said that as a signatory to the treaty and IAEA member, it had the internationally acknowledged right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology.

The world powers fear that Iran might use the same technology for a secret military programme and build an atomic bomb.