Iran MPs urge government to reduce IAEA cooperation
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad greets people outside the presidential palace in La Paz November 24, 2009. Ahmadinejad is on a one-day visit to Bolivia.
Credit: Reuters/Pilar Olivares
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's parliament urged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government on Sunday to submit a plan on reducing its cooperation level with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state radio reported.
The move came two days after the U.N. nuclear watchdog voted to rebuke Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret.
"Because of world powers' behavior, the government should submit its plan over reducing Iran's cooperation level with the agency," MPs said in a statement read in parliament.
Parliament can oblige the government to change level of its cooperation with the IAEA, as it did in 2006 after the Vienna-based agency voted to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council.
Parliamentarians also said Iran's nuclear case should be returned to the IAEA from the Security Council.
The United States and its European allies fear Iran is trying to build nuclear bombs under cover of a civilian program.
Iran says it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity to meet booming domestic need.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
