Gulf states urge Iran to boost nuclear safety reviews after quake

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The head of the Gulf states' main political bloc is urging Iran to join an international accord on nuclear safety following an earthquake near the country's lone energy-producing reactor.

Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, opened a meeting Sunday in Riyadh to discuss nuclear safety issues after last week's 6.1 magnitude quake about 96 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bushehr, the site of Iran's reactor.

The quake killed at least 37 people. Iran says there was no damage to the reactor and insists it was built to withstand far stronger quakes.

Al-Zayani urged Iran to join the U. N.'s Convention on Nuclear Safety, which allows greater review by the U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency. But Iran is part of other U.N. pacts to report any nuclear accidents.