UN finds no evidence Iran seeks nuclear arms: Rouhani
by alethoAl-Akhbar | March 2, 2014
President
Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that despite "thousands of hours" of
inspection, the UN's atomic watchdog has found no evidence of military
objectives in Iran's nuclear drive.
His
remarks came on the eve of an International Atomic Energy Agency board
of governors meeting in Vienna, on the sidelines of which Iran will hold
expert-level talks with world powers.
Western
powers "all know that nuclear science in Iran follows a peaceful path",
Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on state television.
"The
agency has conducted thousands of hours of inspection, and announced it
has not found any diversion from the peaceful use (of nuclear
technology) to military purposes."
In
its latest report on Iran in late February, the IAEA said Iran was
sticking to a nuclear freeze it agreed under a November interim deal
with world powers.
The watchdog's report came a month after the deal came into force.
Iran
and the so-called P5+1 group of world powers are seeking to reach a
lasting accord that would allay Western suspicions that Tehran's nuclear
activities mask military objectives.
As
part of such a comprehensive deal, the six seek to pressure Iran over
its ballistic missile program, which could theoretically provide Tehran
with a device to deliver a nuclear warhead, should it choose to build
one. Iran has consistently denied any claims that it seeks to militarize
it's nuclear program.
Rouhani on Sunday defended the program, saying it has "always been defensive in nature, and will always remain so".
On Saturday, Rouhani had called for calm amid provocative rhetoric from Iranian hardliners.
"Sometimes
one does not seek war but talks as if one does, and this is seen as a
threat to other parties. This is an unnecessary provocation," he told
military personnel and defense ministry officials.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy is based on detente and building trust," he added.
Since taking office in August, Rouhani has vowed to rebuild strained relations with the West.
(AFP, Al-Akhbar)
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