Iran warns of response to IAEA ‘unconstructive actions’

TEHRAN: Iran warned on Wednesday it would respond to any "unconstructive actions" taken by the UN atomic watchdog after the agency reported traces of nuclear material at undeclared sites in the Islamic republic.

Iran and the UN agency agreed in March on an approach to resolve the issue of the nuclear material found at Marivan, Varamin and Turquzabad -- sites that had not been declared by Iran as having hosted nuclear activities.

But in a report on Monday the International Atomic Energy Agency said it still had questions which were "not clarified" despite long-running efforts to get Iran to explain the presence of the nuclear material.

The IAEA board of governors is to hold a meeting on Monday for which Britain, France, Germany and the US have prepared a draft resolution "calling on Iran to cooperate on the question of undeclared sites", according to a European diplomatic source.

"We will respond firmly and appropriately to any unconstructive action at the board of governors," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said "The responsibility for its consequences falls on the shoulders of those who see the board of governors and the director-general’s report as leverage and a tool of political games against Iran."