Iran ready for 'full' UN oversight if sanctions go

Iran would be ready to grant the UN atomic watchdog "full supervision" of its nuclear activities for five years if UN sanctions were lifted, a senior official was quoted as saying today, an offer the West will likely greet with scepticism.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, did not spell out whether he meant unrestricted access for the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its probe into Tehran's nuclear programme.

Since talks between global powers and Iran foundered in January, Russia has advocated a phased plan in which Tehran would address concerns that it may be seeking nuclear weapons, and be rewarded with an easing of sanctions.

But Abbasi-Davani made clear Iran has no intention of suspending its uranium enrichment programme, a condition enshrined in a series of United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions imposed on Tehran since 2006.

"By lifting the UN sanctions ... the International Atomic Energy Agency can have full supervision over Iran's nuclear work for five years," Abbasi-Davani told ISNA.

He said the IAEA's allegation of possible military-linked nuclear work was "fabricated and baseless".

In a comment making clear Tehran has no intention of halting such work, he said Iran planned to increase the number of uranium enrichment machines in its nuclear facilities over the next six months.

"We also plan to set up new production lines to produce new generation of centrifuges," Abbasi-Davani said.