NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC called Iran's refusal to cooperate with an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation another ominous sign of its nuclear plans.

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"The doomed IAEA mission is Iran's telling answer to holding honest discussions about its nuclear program," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Continuing to ratchet up global sanctions targeting Iran's banking and energy sectors now becomes still more imperative to show Tehran that its defiance is not cost-free."

The IAEA delegation's visit this week was a follow-up to an inconclusive trip to Iran earlier this month. On both occasions, Iran frustrated the IAEA efforts to gain access to certain records and visit nuclear facilities.

"It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin during the first or second meetings," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said. "We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached."

The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog is expected to release next week a fuller report on the current status of Iran's nuclear program. In November, the IAEA issued a comprehensive and damning report indicating that Iran is advancing on a nuclear weapons program.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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