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Pursuit of peaceful N-energy Iran's legal right: envoy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

UN Headquarters, New York, Feb 24, IRNA
UN-Iran-Resolutions
Iran's ambassador to the UN said here Friday that the pursuit and development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a right to which it is entitled as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Addressing a UN Security Council session to discuss Resolution 1540, passed in 2004, and Resolution 1673, passed in 2006, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi said that upholding the rights of states that are parties to international treaties is as essential as ensuring respect for their obligations.

"Indeed, regimes established under international laws such as the NPT are sustained by a balance between rights and obligations. Iran has clearly and continuously stressed that nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in its military doctrine," he added.

In order to dispel any doubt about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, Tehran has allowed the international safeguards regime established by the UN to carry out inspections of its nuclear facilities, he said.

All reports of the IAEA since 2003 have defended the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program, with the agency repeatedly affirming that it "has not found evidence of any diversion" in Iran's peaceful nuclear program from their intended peaceful purposes, the Iranian envoy said.

He stressed that IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei himself, in various public statements, made clear that he was not in a position to declare Iran in violation of its NPT commitments.

"It is however regrettable that despite all such clear acknowledgements, ill-intentioned, politically motivated campaigns have been launched to fabricate facts and distort realities regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program as we just witnessed in today's meeting," he said, adding that in such meetings representatives of the United States, United Kingdom and the Israeli regime continue to raise baseless allegations against his country.

Yet, he added, in spite of the massive smear propaganda machine currently at work against Iran, no one in today's world dare speak out against those who say it is okay for them to have nuclear weapons and threaten others with their massive arsenals and aggressive policies while crying "foul" over Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

"We have demonstrated our resolve not to give in to groundless and unsubstantiated pressure with ulterior political motives," the envoy said, and reminded that Iran has not run afoul with its obligations under international treaties but remains committed to them.

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