China Thursday urged the UN atomic watchdog to step up cooperation with Iran in a bid to restore trust over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, after the Islamic state unveiled progress in its atomic programme. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday announced new strides in Tehran’s atomic programme, in a defiant blow to the United States and European Union, which believe Iran is developing nuclear weapons — a claim it denies. “As a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and it should also fulfil corresponding international obligations,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said. “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should strengthen contact and cooperation with Iran in order to restore the international community’s trust in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.”
