Iran defends "peaceful" nuclear program

Iran has reiterated its claim that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, as IAEA envoy Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh defended a recently disclosed second uranium enrichment plant against Western criticism.

On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report on Iran's nuclear program and its second uranium enrichment facility near Qom, in central Iran.

The report said IAEA inspectors found no centrifuges at the facility. Soltaniyeh pointed to the assessment as evidence that Western media hype concerning the facility was founded on baseless allegations.

However, the IAEA said the plant was at an advanced state of construction, and did not rule out the possibility of other hidden nuclear sites in Iran, given the secrecy of the Qom plant.

Iran belatedly acknowledged the facility's existence only in September, while satellite imagery suggests construction began as early as 2002.