Iran is to send an “analytical” response to a report suggesting it was pursuing nuclear weapons, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday, a day before the UN watchdog meets on the issue. “We have decided to draft and send an analytical letter with logical and rational responses to (International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya) Amano’s recent report,” the Iranian state television website quoted Salehi as saying. Salehi said the letter would be distributed to countries and international organisations.
His announcement came before a meeting of the IAEA’s 35-member board on Thursday and Friday to consider the November 8 report which strongly suggested Iran was researching nuclear warheads, although it stopped short of saying so explicitly. The United States and its allies are keen for the board to issue a resolution condemning Iran or referring it to the UN Security Council, according to a European diplomat in Vienna, where the IAEA is headquartered.