Iran welcomes latest report by UN nuclear watchdog

In this Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015 file photo, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, center, ends his speech in an open session of parliament while discussing a bill on Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, in Tehran, Iran. This week, the bitter debate that for years pitted Iranian denials against US claims of a cover-up is set for an anticlimactic ending, with a final report from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency expected to stop short of proving or disproving the claims. AP FILE PHOTO

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s top nuclear official has welcomed a report by the UN nuclear watchdog, saying it will end ‘fabricated’ claims against Tehran.

The official IRNA news agency on Thursday quoted Iranian Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, as saying the report shows that Iran’s nuclear activities have been peaceful.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that activities on the development of a nuclear explosive device were conducted in Iran prior to the end of 2003, but that there is no indication of any activities after 2009.

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No previous IAEA report has so clearly linked Iran’s past nuclear work to weapons development. The agency’s 35-nation board will decide on the case in mid-December.

The West has long suspected Iran of seeking to make nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.