"Nuclear and other weapons have no place in Iran's defense doctrine," he said, but the country considers the peaceful pursuit of nuclear power "to be its inalienable right."
Zarif said "illegitimate sanctions have targeted not only Iran's legitimate nuclear program" but the entire industry and all sources of material and equipment.
He argued that Israel -- which is not a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty -- should be subject "to more severe restrictions" and not be allowed to continue "with impunity" to build a nuclear arsenal.
The US barred UN inspectors from Iraq after the US-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein, instead deploying its own teams to search for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The UN Security Council said in May that it would take up the future mandate of the IAEA and the UN agency that was responsible for biological and chemical inspections in Iraq, but gave no date.
"I believe it would be prudent for the UN and IAEA inspectors to return to Iraq, to bring the weapons file to a closure -- and, through implementation of a Security Council approved plan for long-term monitoring, to provide ongoing assurance that activities related to weapons of mass destruction have not been resumed," ElBaradei said.
He said the IAEA will continue efforts to improve the safety and security of radioactive material used in medical and other equipment. Information of illegal trafficking and reports of plans for "dirty bombs" -- radiological dispersal bombs -- "makes it clear that a market continues to exist for obtaining and using radioactive sources for malevolent purposes," ElBaradei said.
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