VIENNA, Feb 5: The United States and other Western nations want considerable cuts in the UN nuclear agency’s aid to Iran but face stiff opposition from non-aligned states, diplomats said.

Developing nations “worry that what happens to Iran could be a precedent for the future” of their own aid programmes, a non-aligned diplomat at the Vienna-based UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The diplomat was speaking ahead of a report expected this week from IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei on how much technical aid the IAEA would continue to supply Iran.

The IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors is to meet on the issue starting March 5.

The report and meeting come amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme, particularly its production of enriched uranium — which can be nuclear reactor fuel but also in highly refined form the explosive core of atom bombs.

Iran says its programme is a peaceful effort to generate nuclear-powered electricity but the United States says Tehran is using this as a cover for secret development of atomic weapons.

The United States is calling for a strict interpretation of UN Security Council resolution 1,737, adopted Dec 23, that imposed sanctions on Iran for continuing to enrich uranium and called for cuts in IAEA aid to the Iranian nuclear programme.

The IAEA has some 80 projects which involve Iran either directly or as part of regional programmes and include work on radiopharmaceutical kits, radiation treatment for cancer, and development of a nuclear waste disposal centre.

“The United States will not agree to a broad, erroneous interpretation that Iran or others could use to justify virtually any nuclear-related activity,” according to comments from a US briefing paper being distributed at IAEA headquarters here and read to journalists.

A second non-aligned diplomat said that “political interference in aid programmes is not something developing nations will look at positively”. The first diplomat said Iran was “preying on this feeling among the non-aligned states” in lobbying for a narrow interpretation of the Security Council edict.

The Security Council resolution said states should stop aid to Iran which might help it “make nuclear reactor fuel” or develop “nuclear weapon delivery systems.” The UN resolution says “technical cooperation provided to Iran by the IAEA ... shall only be for food, agricultural, medical, safety or other humanitarian purposes.” —AFP