Azerbaijan, Baku, May 21 / Trend, E.Ostapenko, T.Konyayeva /
Only the IAEA can be authoritative international arbiter on the issue of the Iranian nuclear program, the views of the certain individuals, even major states like the U.S., are the private opinion, the analyst Eduard Popov said.
"The U.S. has its objective and subjective interests in the region, and therefore one should not consider these interests as the only true," Popov told journalists in the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Eduard Popov, expert of the Analytical Centre of Russia's Institute for Strategic Studies, is on a visit to Baku. During the visit, he participated in the discussions at the Center for Strategic Studies of Azerbaijan on the topic "Russia and Azerbaija's role in the Middle East". Popov's report was dedicated to the Iranian nuclear program.
Popov added that the decisions of such authoritative organizations as the IAEA and the UN Security Council should be taken as a basis of the policy, which is held towards the Iranian nuclear program.
"Permanent members of the Security Council recognized the validity of limited sanctions against Iran - the ban on supply of heavy weapons, inspections of cargo moving in Iran" he said. "It is necessary to remain within the legal field, in which the final decision will be taken by the UN Security Council and the IAEA".
A draft of the UN Security Council resolution on Iran was discussed at a closed meeting at the headquarters of the Organization in New York May 18. Five members of the UN Security Council with veto right agreed to adopt the draft resolution, which supposes more strict penalty sanctions against the Islamic Republic in connection with its intention to continue works on uranium enrichment.
The ten-page document envisages holding inspections of cargo vessels and the resumption of control over money transfers with participation of the Iranian banks. Besides, the new resolution will include the expansion of already existing list of weapons for sale of which embargo has been imposed to Iran.
According to Popov, the U.S. position make difficulties for dialogue and compromise and of course, causes alarm for the global community, and those states that are either in the epicentre , having a direct border with Iran, for example Azerbaijan, or have multiple connections and interests in the region, for example Russia.
"As the modern world is a globalizing world, we can consider that Russia also borders with Iran. So, no matter what happens, it will affect our interests. Russia is close, Azerbaijan is closer, and the U.S. is far. And approaches of the U.S., Russia and Azerbaijan to resolving of this problem are various.
According to Popov, Russia, that acts as an advocate of Iran's nuclear program has made every effort, along with Turkey, which acted as a strategic ally to find a compromise solution for the development of Iranian nuclear program within the peaceful initiative.
"I consider the proposals made by Turkey and Brazil to contribute to the solution of this acute and conflict issues objective. I am concerned about quite tough and uncompromising attitude of Israel towards the Iranian nuclear issue," he said.
Iran,Turkey and Brazil signed an agreement on exchange of 1200 kg of low enriched uranium for higher enriched uranium in territory of Turkey May 17. Iran can ship its low enriched uranium to Turkey in a month after signing the relevant agreement between Tehran and International Atomic Energy Agency \(IAEA\).
Popov added that considerable efforts have been made for falsification and misleading of the world community regarding the establishment of Iraq's chemical and bacteriological weapons, which, as it turned out after the occupation of Iraq by U.S. troops and allies, was not there.
"Therefore, it is very dangerous to mess the things up also in the Iranian issue. And Iran is a more severe case than Iraq."