IAEA chief rejects Iran's 'terrorism' charges
The head of the UN atomic agency has rejected as "baseless" Iranian accusations that the watchdog has been infiltrated by "saboteurs and terrorists."
"If I give a response it is very simple: it is baseless," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said in an event in London, a transcript of which was provided to AFP on Thursday.
Last November the IAEA published a raft of what it called "credible information" indicating that Iran had carried out "activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device."
Tehran has rejected the claims as being based on forgeries provided by its enemies and denies working, or ever having worked, on developing nuclear weapons.
Multiple UN Security Council resolutions have called on Iran to suspend the most sensitive parts of its nuclear work, in particular uranium enrichment.
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel are set to launch a major military exercise in a show of unity aimed at Iran, officers said Wednesday.
The air defense drills, dubbed "Austere Challenge 2012," will unfold later this month and last about three weeks.
The elaborate exercise takes place at a politically-charged moment, amid speculation about a possible Israeli pre-emptive attack on Iran.
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