Iran lashes out at IAEA

Tehran: Iran's parliament will review the nation's relations with countries that voted against its nuclear activities at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week, the speaker said Thursday.

"Iran had proper cooperation with the agency's board of governors, but the recent resolution calls for careful studies on the vote in parliament's national security committee," Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by the official Irna news agency.

Meanwhile, powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani warned that an international "consensus" had formed against Iran over its nuclear ambitions, in contrast with hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's claim that Tehran cannot be isolated.

"The most important thing needed inside is unity at a time that our country faces increased cruel resolutions, insults and bullying," the former president said. "The enemies will step up their evil-doing if they feel we do not have the same voice."

Rafsanjani, who heads Iran's top arbitration body, the Expediency Council, is close to Iran's opposition, which claims Ahmadinejad's June re-election was due to massive fraud.

Censure

The IAEA board censured Iran last week for covertly building a second uranium enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom, in addition to its main IAEA-monitored one at Natanz, and calling for a halt to construction.

The resolution passed by a 25-3 margin with six abstentions, smoothed by rare backing from Russia and China, which have blocked global attempts to isolate Iran, a trade partner for both, in the past.

China urged Iran Thursday to cooperate with the atomic watchdog.