Iran's nuclear activities quite transparent - Soltaniyeh
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Belgrade, June 26, IRNA
Soltaniyeh-Iran-Nuclear
Iran's Permanent Ambassador at IAEA Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh said in an interview with Belgrade-based Politika daily Iran's nuclear activities are quite transparent, which is why Western media have after years of hue and cry chosen to remain silent on the issue.
Politika's reporter asked Soltaniyeh's viewpoint on US suspicions on Iran's nuclear plans and that Washington has repeatedly accused Iran of efforts aimed at manufacturing atomic bombs, mainly referring to Iran's over 3,000 centrifuges that are enriching uranium.
Soltaniyeh replied, "The IAEA inspectors are monitoring the activities and checking the production of our 3,000 centrifuges constantly so that during the past three months 14 IAEA inspectors have attended the centers in which our centrifuges are functioning." He added, "Whenever they decide to inspect our nuclear sites they inform us two to three hours prior to their entry to Iran and inspect any of our sites that they choose quite freely and carefully." The reporter asked whether Iran has halted issuing permits for IAEA inspectors' visits of its nuclear sites.
Soltaniyeh replied, "Despite the Western mass media's claim in that regard, Iran has never halted issuing permits for IAEA inspectors and they have always been able to visit any site they have wished to throughout Iran."
He added, "That is Iran's general policy in that respect and the Iranian Government has recently ratified two documents regarding our country's legal obligations in which the matter is precisely stated." Soltaniyeh also said, "The Western media's past months' silence over our peaceful nuclear activities is surprising, since as we remember the US-led military attack against Iraq began over the claim that Saddam's regime possessed nuclear weapons, but later on it was reveled there were no such weapons found in Iraq."
He said, "Keep in mind that during the period that the West was suspicious about the activities pursued at Iran's 27 nuclear sites the IAEA inspectors took 240 various samples from those sites, but traced absolutely no irregularities in them and Mr. ElBaradei's report is proof that the claims in that respect were entirely baseless and that Iran is not pursuing any military objectives in its peaceful nuclear program."
Politika daily's military affairs analyst continued in the same line, "You know well that Iraq was not attacked because the West suspected it had military weapons, since the Westerners knew well they did not have them, but on the contrary, Iran is today armed with ballistic missiles, such as your Shahab III rockets with their 950 km range and you are further improving them.
"If such rockets are not meant to be armed with a nuclear warheads, what else would you need them for?"
Soltaniyeh replied, "Manufacturing such rockets, as you said is a natural right for entire countries for self defense purposes, but regarding the other part of your question about arming them with nuclear warheads, do you really think we are capable of competing with the United States that has over 7,000 nuclear warheads in that respect, even if we had such an intention?"
He added, "That is while if supposedly Iran would intend to manufacture a singe nuclear warhead taking advantage of the material it has at its disposal currently that means signing the document of its own destroying automatically, which is naturally a grave strategic mistake."
Soltaniyeh said, "Iran's point of strength today is not due to possession of nuclear weapons, that we neither have, nor intend to manufacture, but thanks to the support of millions of people around the globe, as well as the righteousness of our country in pursuing our peaceful nuclear activities."
He added, "If the Americans are intimidated due to this worldwide support for Iran they had better also realize that it is partly due to the disgusting behavior of the US administrations throughout the world and the world nations' realizing of the fact."
Iran's Ambassador at the IAEA said in his interview with Serbia's Politika daily, "Our religion has forbidden usage of weapons of mass destruction, and as you remember during the course of the Iraqi imposed war, although Iran was several times attached by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, we never took advantage of chemical weapons against them."
The reporter asked, "Do you mean that Iran's nuclear activities are merely aimed at non-military purposes?"
Iran's representative replied, "Yes, I definitely say that Iran's nuclear program is merely non-military, and aimed at production of electricity, as well as usage in medical and agricultural fields." He added, "If a country can manufacture centrifuges with very high speed this means that that country has mastered most advanced technologies and that is a lot more important than having nuclear bombs."
Politika reporter asked, "Iran is also accused of nuclear cooperation with North Korea in production of its own centrifuges." Soltaniyeh said, "Our centrifuges are for uranium enrichment, but the North Korean centrifuges are for plutonium production, and that is a big technological difference."
He added, "You will not be able of increasing Uranium's enrichment degree overnight and we are not after manufacturing nuclear bombs but on the contrary, favoring the spread of peace and security at the international scene.
During his visit of Belgrade Soltaniyeh also took part at a press conference and had two meetings with analysts at Economic and political Affairs Research Institute and Serbia's National Security College, in which he elaborated on our country's peaceful nuclear program, quoting proof from involved international agencies' related reports.
2329**2329
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
