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Soltanieh: Iran not after nuclear arms

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Vienna, Oct 22, IRNA -- Iran's permanent envoy to IAEA, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, says Iran has never been after nuclear arms and will never do so in the future.

Condemning nuclear arm tests in his address to the meeting of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Soltanieh said in Vienna on Monday that it is a regret that after lapse of years since conclusion of the nuclear arms test ban treaty, no progress has been made in nuclear disarmament.

He referred to the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei's address to the 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran in September and briefed the audience on nuclear policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He quoted the Supreme Leader as stressing that nuclear arms neither guarantees security nor consolidates power, rather it is a threat to security and political power.

Soltanieh also quoted the Supreme Leader as saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers use of nuclear and chemical weapons and the likes as a big and unforgivable sin, while reserving the right for peaceful use of the nuclear energy and production of nuclear fuel.

He said the Islamic Republic of Iran has never been after nuclear arms and is not ready to compromise the right of its people to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

"Our motto is: Nuclear energy for all and nuclear weapons for none," Soltanieh quoted Ayatollah Khamenei as saying recently.

Condemning nuclear arms tests, Soltanieh said unfortunately after passage of years, millions of dollars are still spent on proliferation of such arms and production of new versions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always played an active role during and after the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, noted Soltanieh.

During the talks, Iran emphasized that the treaty should be drawn up in a way that would block any sort of nuclear tests, said Soltanieh, adding that unfortunately, the treaty is in such a position that keeps the doors open for such tests.

The talks on verification of the treaty should be without any haste and necessary grounds should be prepared for this purpose with all legal and technical aspects and security reservations being taken into consideration, concluded Soltanieh.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 1030401