Iran’s top nuclear official, upbeat after a Moscow visit, reminded the West on Monday that Tehran had powerful allies opposed to referring its suspected atomic weapons programme to the UN Security Council.Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation head Gholamreza Aghazadeh said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which currently monitors Tehran’s nuclear programme, had no reasons to get the Security Council involved.‘‘Based on IAEA criteria, there are no technical or judicial grounds for the referral of the Iranian dossier to the UN Security Council,’’ he told reporters in Moscow after a series of meetings with senior Russian officials.‘‘A number of countries including Russia have voiced their reluctance to refer the Iranian nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council.’’While calling on Iran to halt uranium conversion, Russia—a permanent Council member with a veto to block any move against Iran—opposes a referral and calls for more diplomacy to settle the impasse.The US, Britain, China and France are the other permanent members who wield vetoes on the Security Council.EU officials and the United States have been trying to win the support of other IAEA board members such as China, India and South Africa, which are reluctant to send Iran to the Council.EU diplomats have said more than half a dozen countries on the IAEA’s 35-nation governing board, which meets on September 19, believe there is no justification for a referral.
