Tehran to host disarmament conference

TEHRAN, June 9 (UPI) -- Tehran is hosting what it describes as an international conference aimed to nuclear disarmament, a deputy foreign official said amid heightened U.S. concern.

Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh, deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said a conference to start Sunday would focus on nuclear disarmament issues.

"Preparing a draft convention on confrontation against nuclear weapons at global levels is among our efforts in the international conference on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation," he was quoted by the semiofficial Fars News Agency as saying.

His comments come amid heightened international concern over the intent of Iran's nuclear program.

Glyn Davies, the U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement Wednesday that Washington welcomed the IAEA's latest expression of concern regarding Iran.

"We are particularly concerned about Iran's refusal to respond in substance to information the IAEA has acquired from multiple sources indicating possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," he said.

The IAEA alleged that Iran wasn't providing information about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran and therefore couldn't assess the intent of the program.

Iran announced Wednesday it plans to triple production of enriched uranium. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.