TEHRAN – Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the resolution adopted by the agency against Iran will "only complicate the situation and endanger the cooperative environment" which the two sides "desperately need". Such resolutions have always been counterproductive, Ali AsgharSoltanieh said on Thursday after his speech in Vienna.

Earlier on the same day, the IAEA adopted a resolution against the Islamic Republic for what it claimed Tehran's failure to quell concerns about its nuclear program. Russia and China joined four Western powers, led by the United States, in sponsoring the resolution. Only Cuba voted against it.

Three countries, including Egypt, abstained, according to diplomats who took part in the closed-door meeting at agency headquarters in Vienna, Reuters reported. The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors adopted the measure, which expressed concern about Tehran's nuclear advances but also made clear its desire for a peaceful resolution.

The resolution "will only complicate the situation and jeopardize the cooperative environment which we desperately need," Soltanieh told reporters. In a statement read by Soltanieh on Thursday, the member states to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) sitting on the IAEA board emphasized their support for Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear energy.

"NAM reiterates its principled position that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way for a long term solution of Iran's nuclear issue. NAM encourages all Member States to contribute positively to that effect," the statement said.(Agencies)