TEHRAN, Iran, Feb.10
Trend:
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that Iran has taken steps to enhance mechanisms of nuclear security throughout the country, its own resources, the Agency and other Member States’ potentials, Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said at the International Conference in Vienna on Feb. 10, Trend reports citing the AEOI official website.
The third International Conference on Nuclear Security: Sustaining and Strengthening Efforts (ICONS 2020) is organized by The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 10 to 14 February 2020
“Over the past few years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has gone through a very difficult ordeal, which we believe could be seen as a yardstick for measuring the extent of practical adherence of the States to their multilateral and international obligations,” Salehi said.
“It was in December 2015, when the overwhelming majority of the international community felt that diplomacy is proven to be still the most viable option for tackling the toughest issues in international relations,” the VP added. “But, unfortunately, this euphoria didn’t last long. With the embedded irrationality in the US administration’s mindset, such optimism is fading away so quickly.”
Salehi went on to say that it is about time for Europe to play its role as a main JCPOA stakeholder in saving the deal through fulfilling their commitments irrespective of the U.S. administration’s unjust pressures.
He stressed that Iran, as a member to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), maintains that, as it is envisioned in Article IV of the NPT, nothing “shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination….”
The Head of IAEO said that in this context, nuclear security and safety measures must be utilized to support such objectives and functions.
Salehi noted that measures to strengthen nuclear security should be in coherence with achieving sustainable development goals in peaceful nuclear technologies and applications at the national, regional and global levels, and therefore not to commit any action that would hamper them.
He stressed that the responsibility for nuclear security within a State rests entirely with that State.
“At the national level, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a very unique situation,” said Salehi. “Building upon its past experience in facing multiple threats including state terrorism, Iran has taken upon itself to enhance further the mechanisms of its nuclear security throughout the country, through its own resources and also by utilizing the Agency and other Member States’ potentials."
He announced that Iran is updating the regulations regarding the security of radioactive sources and the relevant guidance on control and combating illicit trafficking of radioactive and nuclear materials.