UN’s Ban Says ‘Onus on Iran’ to Show Peaceful Atomic Intent

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Iranian assertions that its nuclear program is peaceful are unconvincing and that it is up to the government in Tehran to assuage suspicions over its atomic work.

“The onus is on the Iranian side to prove, convince the international community that their nuclear program is genuinely for peaceful purposes,” Ban told journalists in Vienna today. “To my mind, and that of the IAEA, they haven’t been able to convince the international community,” he added, referring to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency watchdog.

IAEA inspectors will return to Tehran for a second time in a month for meetings with Iranian atomic officials Feb. 21 and 22. Iran has been under investigation since 2003 over suspected nuclear-nuclear weapons work. The UN Security Council has passed four sets of sanctions against atomic officials and companies in Iran. Israel and the U.S. haven’t ruled out the use of military force.

“All these issues must be resolved through negotiation, through dialogue,” Ban said. “There is no alternative to a peaceful resolution on this issue.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Boris Groendahl at bgroendahl@bloomberg.net