No government in Iran can forgo nuclear technology: Rowhani

Tehran Times:

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Hassan Rowhani said here on Wednesday that nuclear technology is a source of “national pride.”

“Gaining access to nuclear technology is a national demand and therefore no government in Iran is able to forgo this right,” Rowhani told Yoriko Kawaguchi, the advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. READ MORE

The Iranian senior official said both Iran and Japan have been victims of weapons of mass destruction, stressing that Iran is committed to international regulations on nuclear issues and WMD.

Rowhani said the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the most important tool for winning confidence about a country’s nuclear program.

Iran has implemented the protocol and cooperated transparently with the International Atomic Energy Agency, he observed.

“Iran’s nuclear activities have all been carried out under strict IAEA supervision and within the framework of the NPT. “Iran will make use of its legitimate rights in this regard and it will be impossible to deprive us of our legal rights.”

Rowhani noted that Iran has not waged war against any country over the past 300 years, adding that this should be considered as the most important basis for the international community to find confidence in Iran regarding its nuclear program. “Unfortunately, Israel, which has been directly involved in aggressive attacks, occupational activities and massacres for 50 years and has always proved its disloyalty to nuclear weapons treaties, is supported by the West.”

The top nuclear official stated that Iran will openly agree on any confidence-building measure or objective guarantees in order to allay international concerns and prove that its nuclear fuel cycle program will never be diverted into a nuclear weapons program. “However, Iran is ready to pay any price to defend its legitimate nuclear rights.”

Rowhani referred to the extensive political, economic and cultural ties between Iran and Japan, saying that the two countries share similar views toward significant regional and international affairs. ...