VIENNA - The UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday called on Iran to reverse its decision to limit cooperation with IAEA inspectors in retaliation for UN sanctions.
"I would urge your authorities to reconsider their decision," IAEA director of external relations Vilmos Cserveny said in a letter to Iran's ambassador to the agency, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh had formally announced Iran's decision to cut cooperation, in a letter sent Thursday to IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, which called UN Security Council resolution 1747, adopted earlier this month, "illegal and unlawful."
Soltanieh also said Iran had to protect its nuclear secrets as the United States and Israel "are threatening the use of force and attack against the Islamic Republic and have repeatedly stressed that military action is an option on the table," according to a copy of the letter obtained by AFP.
Iran is cutting off cooperation agreed to in 2003 to give immediate notification of plans to build nuclear plants or to modify existing facilities.
Iran will now notify the IAEA of new sites only six months before they begin to function.
Analysts have said this could help Iranian authorities hide facilities and so protect them from possible military air strikes.
Cserveny said however that the "modified Code 3.1 (for immediate design notification) as reflected in the Subsidiary Arrangements in effect since 26 February 2003" and to which Iran agreed was now included in safeguards agreements nations have with the IAEA and therefore can not be revoked.
"Iran's decision therefore is regrettable," Cserveny wrote.
The United States, which charges that Iran's civilian nuclear energy programme is a cover for secretly developing nuclear weapons, has not ruled out military action.
The UN Security Council imposed new sanctions against Iran in resolution 1747 over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.
03/30/2007 15:12 GMT