Iran's parliament to discuss IAEA ties

TEHERAN / WASHINGTON - The Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission will reconsider the means of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

Senior lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said that "unfortunately, the agency and the director general follow the guidelines of the United States and performs within a political atmosphere" instead of within the framework of IAEA regulations and implementing its obligations.

Therefore, the commission will discuss the ways of cooperation with the IAEA in its meeting this week, said Boroujerdi, adding that "we believe that (Iran's) cooperation with the IAEA needs reconsideration."

The IAEA said on Tuesday in its latest report on Iran's nuclear program that "credible" evidence showed that Iran has been seeking to obtain nuclear weapons.

Teheran has completely rejected the report, calling the IAEA report "imbalanced, unprofessional and politically-motivated".

Meanwhile, an explosion at a Revolutionary Guard ammunition depot west of Teheran on Saturday killed at least 17 soldiers, including a senior commander of the powerful military force, Iranian officials said.

Guards spokesman General Ramazan Sharif said the blast occurred as the result of an accident during the transport of munitions at the base. The site is located near Bidganeh, 40 km southwest of the capital.

"My colleagues at the guard were transporting ammunition at one of the depots at the site when an explosion occurred as a result of an accident," Sharif said.

At least 17 guard members were killed, state TV reported. The broadcast said 16 other soldiers were injured and hospitalized. Sharif said some of them were in critical condition.

Among those killed was Hasan Moghaddam, a senior guard commander.

While the explosion occurred during a time of heightened tension with Israel, the US and other Western powers, Iranian lawmaker Parviz Soroori ruled out sabotage.

"No sabotage was involved in this incident. It has nothing to do with politics," Soroori was quoted as saying by the parliament's website, icana.ir.

An exiled Iranian dissident group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq or MEK, meanwhile claimed that the blast hit a missile base run by the Revolutionary Guards rather than an ammunition depot.

Former MEK spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh, citing what he called reliable sources inside Iran, said that the explosion hit the Modarres Garrison of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps west of Teheran.

AP-Xinhua