TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that developing peaceful nuclear activities and preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons are the two main duties of the International Atomic Energy Agency that should be fulfilled without discrimination.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the IAEA director general, in Tehran on Thursday.

Rouhani said Iran should enjoy its rights like other signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and there should be no discrimination in this regard.

Negotiators and analysts have considered Amon’s visit to Tehran as a positive sign as Iran and the 5+1 group are working hard to finalize the text of a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna. Abbas Araqchi, a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, called Amon’s visit “good and successful” and said Tehran is ready to cooperate with the IAEA to resolve questions on possible military dimensions (PMD).

-----------‘False accusations proved to be unfounded’------

Rouhani said that it has been proven to the IAEA that “false accusations” against Iran’s nuclear activities were “unfounded”.

Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA over the past 12 years is the “best judgment” for the public opinion to prove the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities, he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that if Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) have the will, the “ambiguous” issues can be resolved in a short period of time.

For his part, Amano praised Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA and said following the previous inspections, the IAEA has always been able to announce that Iran has fulfilled its commitments and that its nuclear activities have not been diverted to a weapons program.

He went on to say that all the issues can be resolved through mutual respect and close cooperation.

-----Shamkhani says Iran ready to resolve remaining issues with IAEA---

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has said that Iran is ready to establish a close cooperation with the IAEA and resolve the remaining issues about its nuclear activities.

During a separate meeting with Amano on Thursday, Shamkhani said it is essential for the agency to improve its technical role in interacting with the member states.

Shamkhani described the IAEA’s distance from its legal status as a reason for decrease in trust on its performances.

Active cooperation based on legal procedures and fulfillment of commitments constitute the cornerstone of Iran’s interaction with international organizations, he stated.

The top security official also said that Iran has the “political will” to reach a “fair agreement” with the 5+1 nations in a way that its rights as a member to the NPT are safeguarded.

Amano highlighted the importance of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA in order to find solutions to remaining questions and remove obstacles.

He also presented some propositions to expedite the current cooperation.

NA/P