Iran rejects Saudi official's remarks on Iranian nuclear energy program

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has rejected the recent remarks by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, Press TV reported.

"Under the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), the Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to all international obligations and there is no room for concern in this regard," Mehmanparast said.

During a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger in Riyadh on Tuesday, Faisal claimed that Iran had the intention to make a nuclear bomb in violation of the international laws on the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Mehmanparast described the remarks by the Saudi official as surprising and "unfounded" and stressed the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear energy program.

Iran's negotiating team and IAEA held nuclear talks yesterday in Tehran, and according to Iran's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh, at 1st session of Iran-agency's talks some differences of opinion were solved, some modality articles were approved, and it was decided that new proposals made would be surveyed and results would be reported at next session.

The IAEA, whose mission is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, has been trying for a year to negotiate a so-called structured approach with Iran giving the inspectors access to sites, officials and documents for their long-stalled inquiry.

World powers were monitoring the IAEA-Iran talks for any signs as to whether Tehran, facing intensifying sanctions pressure, may be prepared to finally start tackling mounting international concerns about its nuclear activity.

Israel - a U.S. ally believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal - has threatened military action if diplomacy and economic sanctions intended to rein in Iran's uranium enrichment program do not resolve the stand-off.

Iran denies Western accusations that it is seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability, saying its program is aimed only at power generation and medical research.