In a statement accompanying a new report on Iran's nuclear activities, Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said last Friday that generally good progress had been made in the past four months in clarifying the majority of outstanding issues.
"A recent report issued by the IAEA indicated that Iran has removed all ambiguities...proving its transparency and accountability in resolving the issue. Those who accused Iran should now apologize for their mistakes," Manouchehr Mottaki told foreign ambassadors residing in Iran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed that Iran had won a "great victory." He also praised Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's role in the country's refusal to give in to Western pressure.
Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili hailed the IAEA report as yet more proof that Iran's nuclear research was peaceful.
The five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany agreed at talks in Berlin on January 22 on a draft for a third round of sanctions against Iran calling for travel bans and asset freezes.
The move came despite a U.S. intelligence report in late 2007 suggesting that Iran had not been engaged in attempts to build nuclear weapons since 2003.
The new draft resolution was officially introduced by France and Britain in the UN Security Council on Thursday, and council members are expected to vote on the resolution at some point this week.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini warned on Sunday that his country would act "appropriately" if the UN Security Council passed a new sanctions resolution against the Iran.
