Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Jan. 12 that the International Atomic Energy Agency should handle the country’s nuclear file. The U.S.-dominated U.N. Security Council is currently handling the file and has already imposed two rounds of sanctions on Iran. Washington is currently pushing for a third.
“Americans are mistaken by thinking that by pressuring Iran over the nuclear issue they can break Iran,” Khamenei said while visiting IAEA Chief Mohammad ElBaradei, adding that his country had no intention to build nuclear bombs.
ElBaradei called for “greater transparency” on Iran’s part—a statement obviously made in deference to U.S. interests.
Nevertheless, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili acknowledged ElBaradei’s constructive role. The IAEA proved to be of limited use to U.S. imperialism when it reported that it could find no proof that Iran’s nuclear program was of a military nature.
