Iran Says Ready to Cooperate With IAEA, But 'Has Rights'

Iran Monday expressed a readiness to cooperate with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, saying that while the country does have obligations, "it also has rights."

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told reporters that Iran "expects constructive actions" from the International Atomic Energy Agency and its governing board.

The board begins meetings Monday on a range of worldwide nuclear issues, including concerns about Iran’s program.

The IAEA has pushed Iran to provide credible answers about the presence of man-made uranium particles found at three undeclared sites in the country.

Iran has sought an end to the probe as part of talks to revive the 2015 international agreement that gave the country sanctions relief in exchange for limitations on its nuclear activity amid concerns it was working to develop nuclear weapons.

Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement Saturday expressing "serious doubts" about Iran's seriousness in the nuclear deal negotiations.

Kanaani on Monday called the statement "unconstructive."

The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018 with President Donald Trump saying the agreement was too favorable toward Iran. Trump imposed new sanctions, and Iran responded by taking incremental steps away from its commitments under the deal, including enriching uranium to a higher level, holding larger stockpiles of enriched material and installing more advanced centrifuges.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Reuters.