Israel's threats violate IAEA's charter: Iran

Iran's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh briefs the media during a board of governors meeting at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna March 8, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

VIENNA - Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh on Thursday in Vienna said continuous threat of Israeli aggression against Iran's nuclear facilities violated IAEA resolutions.

"The resolution 533 in 1990 considers any attack or threat of attack against nuclear institutions or facilities as violation of the United Nations charter, statute of the IAEA and international law," Soltanieh told reporters on the sideline of a IAEA meeting of board of governors.

Israel was continuously violating this resolution therefore violating United Nations charter, the ambassador said.

"It's regrettable that the UN Security Council has no action on the base of this resolution and the IAEA has not done its responsibility appropriately to it," he said.

He also noted that five Iranian nuclear scientists and academicians have been targeted by terrorist attacks since 2000. According to Soltanieh, the assassinations were obvious violation of the charter of the United Nations.

The ambassador reaffirmed that Iran's nuclear program was for peaceful purpose.

"All nuclear activities of Iran, of course, are thoroughly of peaceful purpose. Iran has not and is not persuing nuclear weapons," he said.