TEHRAN - Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on Sunday that Tehran will protest the International Atomic Energy Agency over the leakage of confidential documents.

Kamalvandi’s comments followed publication of a document by the AP on July 18 which says, “Key restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program imposed under an internationally negotiated deal will start to ease years before the 15-year accord expires.”

Kamalvandi said, “The published parts were supposed to be classified. Our assumption is that they are leaked by the agency [the IAEA].”

Ali Akbar Salehi, the AEOI chief, said in a televised interview aired on Saturday that Iran had asked the IAEA to keep the document classified, because there is no reason to make it public.

“We do not intend to announce this plan and if they did so, they breached their promise. Another point is that by publication [of the document], people will be informed about our suitable predicts to develop our country’s nuclear industry,” he said.

The document was given to the AP by a diplomat whose work has focused on Iran’s nuclear program for more than a decade, and its authenticity was confirmed by another diplomat who possesses the same document. Both diplomats demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to share or discuss the document, according to ABC News.

NA/PA